Recently, I started observing myself and thinking about all of the habits that people have. Showering is a great example. I noticed that I always dry myself off the exact same way after showering. Thinking that I am odd, I asked ten people about the above. All ten thought about it, and all ten did the same!
Let’s take the above “habit” and think of all the things that changed due to the pandemic. Some parents and children have been at home for almost 18 months. Individuals and couples have got used to working from home, those who still have jobs, anyway.
Think of all the people who have got in the habit of not sitting in traffic for hours on a weekly basis. Companies were able to take a hard (and realistic) look at eliminating commercial office space to free up a large portion of their budget. Many who I have spoken with said that they would take a pay cut in order to be able to work from home freely.
Another habit, albeit not a good one, is that millions of people have not paid rent or mortgage payments for an extended period of time. Of course, everyone is experiencing a different situation and I don’t feel that anyone would just willingly ignore their housing dues, but the fact remains… This is going to be a tough habit to break!
The federal government just extended the moratorium on evictions another 60 days as of August 3rd, 2021. At some point, it will end and many will likely lose their housing. This will likely bring with it millions of foreclosures, and with it, a surge of supply. Historically, spikes in available housing bring lower median home prices, but exactly when that will happen is yet to be determined.
There have been so many horrible things that have happened over the last year-plus during the pandemic, but it might not be all bad.
Think of all the couples that have been together 24/7 and found that they wanted a lifelong relationship. On the other hand, think of all the people who found out over that same period that a “lifelong” relationship may not be for them. Think of all of the 9-5er’s who were lucky to see their families briefly in the early hours before work, then again late at night. A lot of them have been given a chance to spend much more time with their families and to effectively re-evaluate their work-life balance.
I keep hearing, “when things get back to normal”. However, I don’t believe that this country will ever get back to “normal”. That being said, we need to learn to adapt to a new normal by breaking out of the old habits and adopting newer and healthier routines.