I've made a bunch of changes in my life over the past nine months, and frankly some of them have been pretty good experiments. In some cases I'll revert back, but in others I probably won't.
How do you think you'll think/act differently going forward as a result of this?
For me, some changes that will stick are:
- I'll work from home more.
- I'll probably continue to give people distance when I pass them on the street.
- I'll go to restaurants less often and get takeout more.
- There'll be notable changes to my business office, though not sure what yet. It'll definitely be less space than we pay for now.
- On an investment front, I've learned that tech is a safe haven now, so I've upped my tech allocation in my investments, and that won't go back down.
- I'll likely get a bidet as I redo a bathroom so I don't have to worry about future toilet paper shortages.
- I've discovered a lot of good new foods as a result of online shopping, so my dining at home will carry forward these discoveries.
Some changes that might stick in whole or in part:
- I'll keep getting groceries delivered instead of going to the store. I'm not sure if this one will stick or not just because I live a block from a store.
- If I have a cold or flu, I'll wear a mask.
- I'll go back to running in parks and on trails, but I've found good alternate routes that I'll continue to use (routes which allowed greater social distancing but are generally pleasant).
- I'll be more likely to get a regular flu shot given what I've learned about contagion.
- I'll probably go back to doing more crowd things (e.g., shows, parties, etc.), but less than before and mostly because my wife will want to go.
Some changes that won't stick and will revert back to normal:
- My leisure travel will go back to old habits. However, I may consider more road trips for a while where feasible.
- I've been a very casual dresser for the past nine months, and have been barefoot more than I've ever been in my life. That'll need to change if I'm doing more in-person meetings again.
- I look forward to being able to go back to my local mall, buy some Panda Express, and people watch while I work remotely. I actually may miss that more than anything else.