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Work/Lifestyle Changes After Coronavirus?
Posted on 4/26/20 at 12:15 pm
Posted on 4/26/20 at 12:15 pm
So as the title says, anyone else using this time during the coronavirus to reassess their life priorities and how they spend their time?
The two biggest things I've discovered is how much time we truly waste in traffic and at work.
When it comes to traffic I think that will be the hardest thing to get used to again. I live in Orlando which has horrible traffic and right now traffic is non-existent. As an example I have been catching up on 2 years of scrapbooking and have gone to a local Michael's for materials. Typically it would take me 30 minutes to get to this Michael's with traffic, right now it's only taking 10. So just 20 minutes each way completely wasted.
When it comes to work again, 40 or 50 hours a week wasted helping a corporation. I don't know about you all but with all the extra time my condo is as clean and organized as it's ever been. I've also caught up on some house projects that I've been meaning to do but didn't want to waste half my weekend doing it. And for what? So we can keep up with the Joneses and always have to have the newest iPhone or Android? So we can always have the newest TV? This time off has shown just how much work and mindless consumerism dominates our life.
Are there any changes you want to make in your life as a result of this? For me it would be the following:
1) Live life more and work less. Obviously I know I'll have to go back to work, but I'm thinking about maybe only working 32 - 36 hours a week on 4 days compared to 40 - 44 hours a week on 5 days. Yes it means less money but it also means more time to have a life.
2) Spending money more wisely. I've gotten to used to eating out a fair amount, overpaying for mostly cr*p chain food. Eating more at home and only eating out on weekends at the local/independent places.
3) Spending more time in nature and traveling. Again something I've gotten away from. Spending too much time inside just watching TV and gaming. Getting outside more again.
What changes do you think you'll make?
The two biggest things I've discovered is how much time we truly waste in traffic and at work.
When it comes to traffic I think that will be the hardest thing to get used to again. I live in Orlando which has horrible traffic and right now traffic is non-existent. As an example I have been catching up on 2 years of scrapbooking and have gone to a local Michael's for materials. Typically it would take me 30 minutes to get to this Michael's with traffic, right now it's only taking 10. So just 20 minutes each way completely wasted.
When it comes to work again, 40 or 50 hours a week wasted helping a corporation. I don't know about you all but with all the extra time my condo is as clean and organized as it's ever been. I've also caught up on some house projects that I've been meaning to do but didn't want to waste half my weekend doing it. And for what? So we can keep up with the Joneses and always have to have the newest iPhone or Android? So we can always have the newest TV? This time off has shown just how much work and mindless consumerism dominates our life.
Are there any changes you want to make in your life as a result of this? For me it would be the following:
1) Live life more and work less. Obviously I know I'll have to go back to work, but I'm thinking about maybe only working 32 - 36 hours a week on 4 days compared to 40 - 44 hours a week on 5 days. Yes it means less money but it also means more time to have a life.
2) Spending money more wisely. I've gotten to used to eating out a fair amount, overpaying for mostly cr*p chain food. Eating more at home and only eating out on weekends at the local/independent places.
3) Spending more time in nature and traveling. Again something I've gotten away from. Spending too much time inside just watching TV and gaming. Getting outside more again.
What changes do you think you'll make?
This post was edited on 4/26/20 at 12:17 pm
4
Posted on 4/26/20 at 12:18 pm to OrlandeauxSaint83
No matter how much time the coronavirus has freed up for me, I’m not reading all of that.
Posted on 4/26/20 at 12:20 pm to OrlandeauxSaint83
quote:
Live life more and work less. Obviously I know I'll have to go back to work, but I'm thinking about maybe only working 32 - 36 hours a week on 4 days compared to 40 - 44 hours a week on 5 days. Yes it means less money but it also means more time to have a life.
Agreed on the 4 days versus 5. That extra day really would do a wonder in terms of traveling and being able to get away, get home tasks done and still have the flexibility to enjoy a full weekend. But we can still very much work the same amount “40” hour week during that compressed time. If you’re only working 40 hours you have plenty of time to have a fully balanced life unless you are just horrific at time management. We can allocate that 40 hours more efficiently over four days though, you’re right.
Posted on 4/26/20 at 12:23 pm to OrlandeauxSaint83
I’ve brought this up a lot on the money board.
How much is business travel going to change at all levels? Not just salespeople traveling but all aspects of corporate travel.
The people that stayed at hotels 60-90 nights a year, are they now going to be doing 20-30 nights a year?
I can see where someone’s supervisor will be monitoring expenses and asking you instead of flying to x location why did you not just do a zoom or web meeting?
Anyone else think technology will replace the way people used to travel for business?
How much is business travel going to change at all levels? Not just salespeople traveling but all aspects of corporate travel.
The people that stayed at hotels 60-90 nights a year, are they now going to be doing 20-30 nights a year?
I can see where someone’s supervisor will be monitoring expenses and asking you instead of flying to x location why did you not just do a zoom or web meeting?
Anyone else think technology will replace the way people used to travel for business?
Posted on 4/26/20 at 12:29 pm to LSUminati
quote:
Agreed on the 4 days versus 5. That extra day really would do a wonder in terms of traveling and being able to get away, get home tasks done and still have the flexibility to enjoy a full weekend. But we can still very much work the same amount “40” hour week during that compressed time. If you’re only working 40 hours you have plenty of time to have a fully balanced life unless you are just horrific at time management. We can allocate that 40 hours more efficiently over four days though, you’re right.
Yep whenever I've done a 4 day week it amazes me the difference. Working 4 days a week makes work a part of your life but not your whole life which is how it should be. Working 5 days a week work dominates your life and you essentially get into a "living for the weekend" mentality.
Sadly the type of work I do makes a 4 day week hard to justify to corporate. And I know my head manager has explained on occasions why a 4 day week with 10 hour shifts wouldn't work from an operational standpoint.
Given I can still give shifts away and achieve a 4 day week but it would only be around 32 - 36 hours. I would essentially give away any chance of having a 40 hour work week. But it's something I'm going to consider.
Posted on 4/26/20 at 12:33 pm to Paul Allen
quote:
I’ve brought this up a lot on the money board.
How much is business travel going to change at all levels? Not just salespeople traveling but all aspects of corporate travel.
The people that stayed at hotels 60-90 nights a year, are they now going to be doing 20-30 nights a year?
I can see where someone’s supervisor will be monitoring expenses and asking you instead of flying to x location why did you not just do a zoom or web meeting?
Anyone else think technology will replace the way people used to travel for business?
Absolutely. My brother in law travels a lot for work. Given its mostly driving but it still involves a lot of nights at a hotel. I would say he averages 60 - 90 as well.
I think in general in person business will go down. Web and Zoom meetings will become the standard.
Think about how this could affect people who work in office cubicles or in call centers? I absolutely think a lot of that will now be done at home. People could get an at home office set up and come in for meetings 1 - 2 times a month. The company would set up their internet access to ensure a good connection.
If this happens you'll see a crash in the commercial real estate market. There will be a lot of vacant office space.
Posted on 4/26/20 at 12:38 pm to OrlandeauxSaint83
quote:
If this happens you'll see a crash in the commercial real estate market. There will be a lot of vacant office space.
Great point. Your statement is the reason why I don’t see it being permanent anytime soon. What would happen to all these massive buildings and skyscrapers in larger cities?
I’m also thinking those over 35 would still prefer to always meet in persons versus online compared to the younger generation.
Who knows. We could all be wrong and nothing changes. It wasn’t that many years ago people said Best Buy would close all stores and Walmart would be in trouble due to amazon and they’re still around.
People speak of malls as ghost towns yet you go to one between thanksgiving and Christmas and the parking lots are slammed packed.
Posted on 4/26/20 at 12:39 pm to OrlandeauxSaint83
quote:
If this happens you'll see a crash in the commercial real estate market. There will be a lot of vacant office space.
The hotel industry might not ever recover from quarentine. In more urban areas hotels typically stay booked about 80% year round... Most of that is probably not business trip people per say: but I would say a substantial enough of it is that we will see a visual percentage dip after all this is over.
quote:
I’m also thinking those over 35 would still prefer to always meet in persons versus online compared to the younger generation.
The "younger generation" turns 40 this year... I would say it's more people over 40 that would still prefer to go in.
Lots of gen X's I've talked to also like more remote work - so that increases the age even more, and Gen X is starting to take over management as well
This post was edited on 4/26/20 at 12:43 pm
Posted on 4/26/20 at 12:44 pm to BaddestAndvari
quote:
The hotel industry might not ever recover from quarentine. In more urban areas hotels typically stay booked about 80% year round... Most of that is probably not business trip people per say: but I would say a substantial enough of it is that we will see a visual percentage dip after all this is over.
Agreed. Here in Orlando hotels stay booked the vast majority of the year. Now unlike other urban areas the vast majority of that here is leisure travel. Leisure travel of course is being crushed right now but long term I think leisure travel recovers quicker than business travel. I think there's a good chance business travel never recovers from this.
Here in Orlando the big thing will be convention business. Is the convention industry going to essentially crater and never recover? I could absolutely see a fair amount of the hotels around convention centers across the U.S. going under.
This post was edited on 4/26/20 at 12:47 pm
Posted on 4/26/20 at 12:48 pm to BaddestAndvari
quote:
Lots of gen X's I've talked to also like more remote work - so that increases the age even more, and
I guess so. Makes you wonder if companies are even going to care where you are located anymore. I mean, if the company back in the day wanted me to relocate to the east coast and I’m living on the west coast, if things are more remotely done makes you wonder if location would be as prevalent.
quote:
Gen X is starting to take over management as well
Very true
Posted on 4/26/20 at 12:54 pm to BaddestAndvari
quote:
The "younger generation" turns 40 this year... I would say it's more people over 40 that would still prefer to go in.
Lots of gen X's I've talked to also like more remote work - so that increases the age even more, and Gen X is starting to take over management as well
Agreed. Even though I consider myself more like Gen X than Millennials I think both prefer remote work. More time with family and friends instead of spending 1 - 2 hours every day in your car stuck in rush hour traffic.
If you really think about it, here's how an average day for a person broke down before the Coronavirus:
Work - 8 hours
Lunch/Commute - 2 hours
Breakfast/Getting Ready in the Morning - 1 hour
Dinner/Errands/Cleaning - 2 hours
Sleep - 7 hours
So essentially that's 20 out of 24 hours of your day (21 out of 24 if you actually get 8 hours of sleep which most Americans don't). So that gives a person only 4 hours (at most) of personal time. Of course if you have kids then forget it.
Are we really going to be willing to go back to maybe having 4 hours of personal time a day? I know that's the debate I'm having right now. Not sure if I'm okay going back to that lifestyle.
This post was edited on 4/26/20 at 12:57 pm
Posted on 4/26/20 at 12:59 pm to Paul Allen
quote:
I’ve brought this up a lot on the money board.
How much is business travel going to change at all levels? Not just salespeople traveling but all aspects of corporate travel.
The people that stayed at hotels 60-90 nights a year, are they now going to be doing 20-30 nights a year?
I can see where someone’s supervisor will be monitoring expenses and asking you instead of flying to x location why did you not just do a zoom or web meeting?
Anyone else think technology will replace the way people used to travel for business?
Just my own experience, but I am finding it more and more difficult to be effective with each passing week this goes on. I traveled 150 - 200 days per year before this, just as a comparison.
A prior company that I was at - a huge global F500 professional services firm - tried to off-load to remote working as much as possible from about 2010 to about 2018 or so. It didn't work out quite like they thought. It's not that the technology isn't there; it's that a certain amount of real human interaction is and will always be critical to organizational effectiveness in most companies, schools, non-profits, etc.
Posted on 4/26/20 at 1:04 pm to AbuTheMonkey
Great points. You’re thinking that some industries where sales and marketing are critical to be face to face will continue to do so?
Posted on 4/26/20 at 1:04 pm to LSUminati
quote:
Agreed on the 4 days versus 5. That extra day really would do a wonder in terms of traveling and being able to get away, get home tasks done and still have the flexibility to enjoy a full weekend. But we can still very much work the same amount “40” hour week during that compressed time. If you’re only working 40 hours you have plenty of time to have a fully balanced life unless you are just horrific at time management. We can allocate that 40 hours more efficiently over four days though, you’re right.
4 x 10 would decrease traffic congestion and improve air quality in cities.
Also reduce carbon emissions (not a popular thing to mention on TD but it would help sell the idea across the aisle).
Posted on 4/26/20 at 1:12 pm to Paul Allen
quote:
Great points. You’re thinking that some industries where sales and marketing are critical to be face to face will continue to do so?
Hell Yes. In person meetings when done properly and efficiently are also a hell of a lot better for in house. Internet based meetings are fine, get the job done. But they aren’t great or efficient.
For example, if you have one presenter travel to a Corp office to meet with an entire staff in person then that is very efficient. As opposed to having everyone in a zoom meeting at home? No way that works as well.
Posted on 4/26/20 at 1:19 pm to baldona
quote:
Hell Yes. In person meetings when done properly and efficiently are also a hell of a lot better for in house. Internet based meetings are fine, get the job done. But they aren’t great or efficient.
For example, if you have one presenter travel to a Corp office to meet with an entire staff in person then that is very efficient. As opposed to having everyone in a zoom meeting at home? No way that works as well.
And that's the problem, how many in person meetings are really done properly? How many are really efficient? i know in all the ones I've had maybe 30% are actually efficient or done properly.
Plus there is a middle balance. I agree there are some things you can't do online, that's when you would be brought into a physical meeting space. Perhaps once a week or a few times a month. During those days and meetings the stuff that has to be done in person would be done. The rest of the time though would be remote work.
I think a mix of both would be the best solution.
Posted on 4/26/20 at 1:20 pm to OrlandeauxSaint83
I don’t change my way for the flu.
Posted on 4/26/20 at 1:23 pm to TaderSalad
quote:
I don’t change my way for the flu.
Even if it's a better way? I outlined what would be an average day for most Americans. Are you or anyone on here truly happy having at most 4 hours for personal time in a day? Is that not worth at least re-examining?
I know this virus is making me re-examine a lot of aspects of my life.
This post was edited on 4/26/20 at 1:26 pm
Posted on 4/26/20 at 1:59 pm to baldona
quote:
Hell Yes. In person meetings when done properly and efficiently are also a hell of a lot better for in house. Internet based meetings are fine, get the job done. But they aren’t great or efficient.
For example, if you have one presenter travel to a Corp office to meet with an entire staff in person then that is very efficient. As opposed to having everyone in a zoom meeting at home? No way that works as well.
Well said.
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