13 Good Habits I’m Keeping After Staying Home for a Year

I don’t sit still and do nothing very well. I can do it for a day or two (on a beach if I’m lucky) during a vacation but any more than that and I’m itching to see something, someone, or do some sort of project or twenty.

Which has made the past year challenging at times, although if I am being honest, it hasn’t all been bad.  More folks are cooking and eating family meals at home. There’s motivation to do that Someday project Today and to learn new things or pick skills or hobbies again that have fallen by the wayside since many of us have more time on our hands than usual.

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Instead of looking back on all of the awful things that happened in 2020 (which could take forever) or making a list of resolutions for the sake of making resolutions that I’ll most likely to break, for my sanity I’m going to focus on good habits I developed last year – by mistake or on purpose – that I’d like to keep.

Patience (ish) – It took me quite awhile to adjust to things taking longer to get, see, or do due to the safety issues and logistical curveballs involved because I’m in love with 2 day and overnight shipping. For example, previous pandemic wait times taught me to take it in stride when my husband took me sewing machine shopping for my birthday and the dealer said it would take four months to be delivered from Switzerland instead of a couple of weeks. It makes me be more appreciative of the times when we do get/see/do things in a timely manner and it feels that much sweeter. 

Video meetings, chats, and streaming live(ish) events – I’ve been able to see out of town family, friends, and performers I see only once or twice a year in real life more often online. I really hope we keep a video attendance option for club meetings like Band Boosters because it is easier to attend. In the future I’d be happy to buy tickets to online streaming performances so I can watch from my sofa in my jammies.

I was able to go to an international community band conference when they removed the cost prohibitive travel and hotel costs and changed it to live streaming. Some photos courtesy of my DIY blog Condo Blues

Movie nights – I mean, real deal turn out the lights and actively watch a movie instead of my normal multitasking with a sewing project or a book. It just sort of turned into a regular thing  after the first couple of times we tested our home theater setup on our new to us 3D TV. 

It’s showtime!

 

 Farmer’s Markets – I finally had a clear schedule that allowed me to find the farm markets with the good prices and practical produce! 

Instant Cart, Contactless Pickup, and Food Delivery – I used to think Instant Cart and such was something that able bodied people used because they were lazy. I learned I was very, very wrong after the first time my husband mentioned we needed X,Y, and Z during a coffee break chat and we couldn’t wedge a quick shopping trip into our schedule. I made an Aldi order that very minute and it arrived later that day. Local craft brewery delivery has been pretty sweet too. You can learn more about Instacart here and my new occasional BFF Blue Apron here. (Disclosure: I am including affiliate links for your convenience.)

But most of all I hope stores keep contactless pickup because it is much more comfortable to wait in my car with the radio on for someone to come to me and load a large Home Deport order into my car than to stand in line at the service desk, wait for them to bring it out from the stockroom, run to the car and pull it around for someone to come to me and load it into my car.

Local restaurant delivery on Takeout Date Night, also regular "Date" Nights – We’re discovering more new food and local restaurants than when went out IRL which has been a big morale boost.

“Forcing” myself to do projects and tasks on my Do It Yourself Honey! list that I never got around to doing. When performance and costume gigs disappeared, I dove head first into doing the projects they pushed down my priority list. Hopefully this will make me better at managing my To Do List but I’m not making any promises… 

While everyone else was quarantine cutting their bangs, I grew mine out and mastered Victory Rolls!

A summer wedding motivated me to sew this wrap dress pattern

and make my little girl dream finally come true by ordering this poufy crinoline slip! The wedding was changed to a Zoom event but at least I made the dress after having everything in my craft room for too many years to admit. 

 Sofa Saturdays/Sundays/Evenings – Lacey loves that her people are home more often. She started snuggling in between my husband and I when we are reading on the sofa. It would be a crime to disturb her.   Hygge at its finest.

Hi everyone Lacey here! Lisa keeps forgetting that not everyone is Danish American like her and knows what that stuff is. Hygge is a Danish feeling that loosely translates as cozy or a warm feeling you get when you are happy and content.

Grocery shopping monthly –  It’s a time and money saver and I’m glad to get back to it. The less I’m in a store/online, the less I’m tempted to toss extras into my cart.

Wearing a face covering when you’re sick –  I can’t tell you how many times in the past I’ve gotten someone’s cold that knocked me flat. I hope we keep this common courtesy like they do in Japan.

Slipper wardrobe! I fixed holes in my favorite cloth pair that may not be able to take another repair. As a result I repurposed my beloved Birkenstocks Lacey chewed for indoor only use, and bought these cute slippers that fit my tiny adult feet. Options, baby!

Audio and eBooks – So convenient when I am trapped under a dog on my lap and want to start a new one! You can Try Audible for FREE here.  I access my eBooks through the free Kindle app. You can get a FREE one month Kindle Unlimited membership here. 

Finding joy in the little things: (It's not just for Zombieland anymore!)

- No rehearsal, performance, events, or traveling rush for holidays –  many I haven’t celebrated in my own home in my adult life until now. It was a nice change but I don’t want to do it every year.

- Working on my hot process soap making skills and I used the leftovers to finally made a non greasy moisturizer that I like!

- Lacey time – She has been such a good girl during all of this. A far cry from the dog we rescued with a ton of behavior issues. 

- Trying new recipes

- Seeing more neighbors out and about in their yards and porches at a safe distance when taking Lacey for a walk. Some of our elderly neighbors have rushed outside to say hello to Lacey (not the person at the end of the leash) when they see us walk past. My girl is a rock star!

-  Canning an end of season deal on tomatoes. I haven’t had the time or produce to can in ages!

- Impromptu video calls

- Binging live(ish) Christmas concerts from my concert band friends. One weekend we “traveled” to Atlanta, San Francisco, Orlando, and Chicago. Some people binge Christmas movies. I’m a weirdo who binges Christmas concerts.

- Clearing out a ton of small fabric scraps with sewing projects to keep myself occupied – and realizing I probably hang on to too many tiny pieces of scrap fabric.

- Demo-ing a bathroom down to the joists and replacing the moldy subflooring by myself. I’m a girly girl who also likes (em)power tool projects.

 

What is on your list?

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