The pandemic forced us all to get creative with finding ways to maintain a positive attitude and find pleasure in the simple things of life. As we all know, most of our escapist habits and tendencies were snatched away ruthlessly by forces out of our control. 

Not since I was a child have I had to so quickly and efficiently figure out what I could do for fun within the four walls of my house? Now, with things slowly and surely opening back up worldwide, we are finally getting our beloved life luxuries and indulgences back. 

But even with the freedom and availability of everything I considered vital to my existence pre-pandemic coming back, I still find myself fixated on some of the routines and habits that I formed over the last two years. This fixation has saved me money, time, and energy – three invaluable things that always seem to slip away too quickly.

Below is a list of items, routines, and habits that were easy and inexpensive to do while existing from home over the last two years. 

WORK FROM HOME PLEASURES

Getting outside

Enjoying the outdoors comes in different forms for different people. Whether you live in a cold or warm climate, both have their perks and options of things you could do outside. It could be skiing, snowboarding, walks on the beach, enjoying local parks and forests, or canyon hikes. Its accessible, inexpensive, and fun. Getting outside during the pandemic took on even more importance and served as “natural therapy” for many, myself included. 

Time to get all of your errands and chores done more peacefully

The sheer joy of not having to fit in your daily and weekly tasks into the hours before and after your workday is worth its weight in gold. Whether it’s doing laundry on your lunch hour, fixing snacks and meals whenever you want, or walking your dog at 2 pm instead of 6 pm, the freedom and flexibility don’t get old.

Losing interest in expensive activities

I don’t know about you, but the idea of making reservations, waiting to be seated at restaurants, shouting over the din of other patrons while eating has completely lost its appeal to me. Dining out aside, even group workouts and after-work cocktails don’t do it for me the way they used to. Maybe I’m just out of practice, or perhaps it’s a permanent change. We’ll have to wait and see. 

Time for hobbies

I’ve been able to read books, start a blog, go back to school, and work out five-plus days a week once we started working from home. For others, this could be things like gardening, calligraphy, or starting a side hustle. Just being in your house gives you so many options for your day besides just slogging it out at a desk five days a week. 

Home workouts

YouTube, a yoga mat, and ankle weights have become my best friends while locked inside during the pandemic. There are three main YouTube channels that I’ve been rotating between: MadFit, Boho Beautiful Yoga, and FIT by Larie. I haven’t spent a dime on fitness in the last two years, and I couldn’t be happier. For cardio, you could either run/walk outside or invest in one piece of cardio equipment that will last you a few years. We have a Stairmaster at home that’s been perfectly adequate so far.

Comfort food and drink

This section could be extensive, but I’ll try and keep it short: Food and drink. This varies substantially based on your tastes, where you currently live in the world or whether you like to cook or not. But for me, there’s so much joy in getting creative with new recipes or ordering in from your favorite restaurant combined with the freedom of not REALLY having to worry about the calories. I mean, who was/is really seeing us from the neck down while working from home? So indulging in desserts, snacks, and other delights has a whole different appeal. (Please refer to the previous point on home workouts for help with this issue).

As far as drinks, this could include coffee, wine, cocktails, tea or other liquid treats (aka Bailey’s at Christmas time, anyone?). A comforting drink makes every activity so much more fun. 

Family time

Now I guess we could argue that many families clashed during the pandemic due to obvious reasons. But at the same time, we have to admit that being around our loved ones during the week was a pretty unique and remarkable experience. I even had the flexibility to FaceTime with friends living all over the globe despite our time differences. It’s the small things. 

Pets

I thought about including this one in the family time category but thought that pets deserve their own bullet point and honorable mention. I’m sure they hate us and the lavish attention for the most part, but WE sure loved having our furry friends around and not having to leave them home for 8 hours or more a day.

Naps at any time

There have been many instances over my working life where I wished the office had a nap room with a signup sheet. Sometimes I feel like Italians are on to something when they break in the middle of the day for siestas. However, that foolish pipe dream became attainable once WFH began, and I could sneak in some invigorating shut-eye in the middle of the day. It reduces the need for that 3 pm caffeine or sugar craving, leading us to the vending machine or the next overpriced latte. 

Not having to commute

No matter what city you live in, if you aren’t lucky enough to be able to walk to work, you probably have some sort of arduous commute to deal with. The pandemic flipped this on its head. The amount of time and effort saved in not having to get dressed and out the door to beat traffic or catch a train is one of my absolute favorite things about working from home.

Giving your skin and hair a break from makeup and styling

I can’t be alone on this. Not having to expose my hair to heat styling two or three times a week has almost entirely restored it to factory settings. It’s much less frizzy, more manageable, and so much healthier overall. My skin’s lack of daily makeup has drastically reduced pesky breakouts and shortened my nighttime skincare routine.

Comfy clothes all day long

Not picking outfits for the work week deserves its own blog post. During work from home, I’ve been able to rotate the same 5 or 6 items of stylish loungewear seven days a week. Not only did this help me declutter and donate so many old clothes from my wardrobe, but I was also able to stay comfortable throughout the workday. It also reduced clothing decision fatigue and having to dress appropriately for various weather conditions.

I’ve talked about the drawbacks of fashion in a previous post. To avoid shopping fast fashion and further improve my intentional shopping habits, I started researching sustainable loungewear brands. A few of my favorites are Frank and Oak, KOTN, and TenTree.

I hope you enjoyed this article. It’s freeing to realize how much in life we can comfortably do without. Comment down below if there’s important ones I’ve missed!

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