What’s the opposite of a hot take? A cold take? A frosty take? Well, whatever the correct term is, “The way we go about our day-to-day lives is different now” is surely it.
COVID has wholly disrupted our way of living. Things that we usually take for granted have been changed or totally taken off the table. For the sake of ourselves and others, there are some new habits that we need to get comfortable with.
Pay more attention to your personal hygiene
I think one of the biggest changes to my day-to-day life is how much more time I spend washing my hands. I mean, I was doing it already but it turns out the way I was doing it just wasn’t good enough. If you weren’t regularly washing your hands after using the bathroom already, we really need to talk.
By making sure your hands are clean you can help stop the spread of diseases. When you wash your hands, you should spend at least 20 seconds scrubbing them in their entirety. That includes the back of your hands, in-between your fingers and under your nails. Just really get in there.
Using hand sanitiser is also a great way to keep your hands clean, with a lot of venues now providing some when you enter them. I’ve made it a habit to keep a small bottle of hand sanitiser in my pocket at all times now. It’s become an essential part of my everyday routine. The few times I’ve forgotten to take it with me when leaving the house had the same weight as forgetting my wallet or phone.
Be aware of personal space
Paying attention to the personal space of others is an absolutely essential habit you need to get used to. You should be keeping at least 1.5 metres between yourself and others at all times while out in public.
Honestly? This is a habit we can benefit from. We’ve all felt uncomfortable because some jabroni has decided to stand a bit too close to us while out in public. Actually having the space to exist and breathe without feeling like a stranger is stepping on your figurative toes is pretty nice.
I’m more than happy to live in a world where I don’t have to feel someone’s hot breath on the back of my neck while lining up for a coffee.
No more handshakes
This is pretty self-explanatory. Practicing social distancing means that physical greetings like hugs, high-fives, fist bumps or handshakes are pretty much off the table until further notice.
I’ve been doing my best to stop sticking my hand out when greeting someone, and have become incredibly aware of just how much I unintentionally do it. It’s one of those small habits you usually don’t pay much attention to, like touching your face. But now that I’m aware of it, my God, I do it so much.
Sitting in the back of an Uber
According to the Movement Index Report conducted by Uber, the transport habits of Australian’s are almost back to what they were pre-COVID. (Except for Victoria, that is.) That’s pretty surprising considering, y’know, everything.
If you’re back to regularly catching an Uber, or have found yourself in a situation where you need one, there’s a few habits you should get into to make sure your ride goes as smoothly as possible. The easiest option is to sit in the back as a way to practice social distancing.
You should also be wearing a mask and sanitising your hands before and after you get in your ride. Uber recently partnered with Dettol to make that easier if you forget step one and leave your sanitiser at home.
Eating in and no longer sharing food
Look, we all love sitting in a restaurant for a great feed or chilling in a cafe while having a hot cup of coffee, but doing that is a bit of a selfish act now. You need to be paying attention to social distancing, and that just isn’t a feasible option in some places.
Those local businesses do need your support, so organising a take-away meal is a good way to keep yourself fed and help keep them in business. Just get in and get out as quickly as you can. If you do order some dinner through a service like Uber Eats, set up a contactless delivery where the driver just drops your meal off at your door.
If you are sharing a meal with a few friends, you’re probably best to avoid something that everyone has to touch. The days of sharing a huge plate of nachos are over, for now. On the upside, more nachos for you.
Working from home
The importance of self-isolation has seen an increase of people working from home. Getting into the habit of working from home is a bit tricky at first, because your initial reaction to being there is usually one of, “Ah, this is the place where I sleep and play videogames. Time to sit back and do nothing.” You need to reprogram your dang brain just to get any work done!
Setting up a dedicated work space and keeping to a normal work schedule of clocking on and off at certain times will help get you into the habit of staying in The Zone while at home.
Obviously, working from home isn’t an option for every job. But if you are able to do your job from within your own home, you should.
