We have never seen anything like this in our lifetime. Both from a public health standpoint and ultimately the effect it will have on businesses and the economy. Many people have been touched by this crisis, either from the virus itself or the resulting business shutdowns. If you were affected by the virus in any way, you have my sympathy. States are starting to loosen up their quarantine restrictions, so what will life be like post Covid-19?  I’m not here to talk about how this crisis has been handled, what has been done right or wrong, but only how it has affected me. Keep in mind, that I am self-employed and was already working from home.  Here are some Covid-19 changes I was initially forced to make, due to the quarantine, but now I like.

New ways of doing Business

With the extra time created by the business shutdown, I decided to pressure wash my driveway, sidewalks and deck. I needed to rent a pressure washer. I went to my local rental store and they had a sign outside that said, “we’re open, but don’t come into the store, call this number instead (phone number was listed).” Basically, I just called, told them what I wanted, gave them a credit card and someone came and put the unit into the back of my SUV. This was much easier and quicker than if I had went into the store myself. I would like to see this type of service continue.

I also started to get “take out” meals from restaurants — both to help support them and also to get a break from cooking every night. Prior to Covid-19 I might have done a take-out once per month, but now we were doing it once per week. This should be a service that continues even when restaurants and bars are allowed to re-open Maybe there is hope for brick and mortar retailers if they just change the way they start doing business.

You’ve probably read or experienced first-hand the rise in both Amazon and e-commerce orders. Over all I think this is a good thing, but I have noticed a huge increase in the amount of cardboard boxes we now have to recycle. Maybe someone will invent re-usable containers? This could create customer loyalty and might be a good business opportunity!

Virtual Doctor Appointments

It didn’t take long for some of my doctors to start using Zoom. I scheduled several virtual appointments during the quarantine and the experience was great. What a time savings. I no longer had to drive to the doctor’s office, wait to be called, get my check-up and drive home, which usually takes two hours or more. Now I can do the whole appointment in 30 minutes or less. This is a great change.

Less Traffic

I “hate” traffic! Like many other big cities, Seattle has bad traffic. I live about 35 minutes east of downtown Seattle in an area called Snoqualmie. I work from home, but sometimes I have to meet clients in town or go to an  appointment. Prior to the pandemic outbreak I never knew if I was going to get stuck in traffic or not. During the lock down the roads were empty. Getting from point A to point B was fast, easy and less stressful.  As I am writing this we are just coming out of lockdown and the traffic is already returning to normal. I wish it wouldn’t.

More Exercise

Prior to Covid-19 I always had trouble sticking to an exercise program. I mentioned that I bought my wife a Peloton bike for her birthday several years ago. I actually wrote a marketing blog about it.

Being home 24/7 “forced” me to start exercising regularly — what else are you going to do with all that extra time? I now look forward to and enjoy exercising. The benefit is I’ve already lost about 13lbs that I thought I would never get rid of. I will be sticking to my new exercise program.

Longer Hair

Prior to the quarantine I would schedule to get my haircut like clockwork — every 4 weeks. Just a habit I got into. Keeping it short meant less grooming time. I haven’t been to the barber in over three months. This is the longest my hair has been in 30 years, and I like it! I would never have let it grow longer had it not been for Covid-19. I will be keeping my hair longer for a while. Plus, it will save a little money.

More Interaction with the Neighbors 

Another of the new routines I got into was walking the dogs every day after exercising. We have three small dogs and about 10 a.m. every morning they start to “stalk” us (my wife, Martha and I), letting us know that it’s time for their daily walk. We have a pretty routine walk around the neighborhood — first down to the playground to throw the ball for Pedro (our smallest, pictured above), then home through a trail in the woods. During our daily walks I encountered many more neighbors outside playing with their kids, working on the lawn or walking their dogs as well. We say hi and they respond in kind and then usually have a short conversation about what has been happening to each other. These types of interactions did not happen as often prior to Covid-19. It seems people were either too busy or did not care to socialize. Now, that we were all in a similar situation, I believe people are more open to share about it. I hope this stays the same.

Doing Landscaping and Lawn work Myself

In the past I had a lawn service do my lawn. We were forced to stop that during the self-quarantine and I’m glad I did. With the extra time I have had, I started mowing my lawn, pulling weeds and planting some trees, shrubs and flowers. I’m spending a few hours a week working on the lawn and landscaping and I have to say that it is looking pretty darn good! Not to mention I’m saving about $120 a month. I find that there is something “zen like” about working in the yard, not to mention the feeling of accomplishment that you get. It’s a perfect remedy to counter any stress and anxiety that may have been caused by the virus. I will not be going back to the lawn service even when I can.

A Better Relationship

Experts have said that the divorce rates might increase because any relationships that were on “shaky ground” prior to Covid-19 may not stand the stress of spending so much additional time together. My marriage was just the opposite, we actually grew closer by spending more time together. Our daily routine goes like this: I wake up at 5:30 a.m. and work on emails and write. Martha wakes up between 7 and 8 a.m. I make her a cup of lemon water and a cup of green tea and bring it to her in bed. I then will make our breakfast, which is a fruit and protein shake Monday, Wednesday and Friday’s and a green shake on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. We then take turns working out on the Peleton, and she also does some of the yoga classes they offer. Then we take the dogs for a walk. When we get home from our walk, we make lunch. After lunch we go grocery shopping, if needed. Then if I don’t have any online meetings, we will take a nap. We wake up and I will do more business calls and emails while she prepares dinner. After dinner, we usually watch a favorite series on Netflix (if you haven’t watched Money Heist yet, you should check it out!), then we go to bed and start over in the morning. We have settled into this routine very comfortably. We have started doing more things together instead of less and that has helped us grow closer.

It Feels like 40 Years Ago!

This is coming from the perspective of someone that is older than 60, me. After experiencing the quarantine for several weeks and changes it brought, it reminded me of what life was like for me in the 70’s and 80’s.  Before technology and social media took over our lives, we lived at a little slower pace and had time to socialize more, face to face. During this crisis, the pace of doing things has slowed down. You realize relationships are more important than material things. I appreciate simpler things like grocery shopping and walking the dogs, which I might have taken for granted before. Just maybe, the changes caused by this slowing down will stay with us. I sure hope so!