Just as there's power in taking action, there's power in not doing anything, as well. Throughout this pandemic, many people have found new hobbies, have accomplished old, back-burner tasks, and have filled their time with creative and constructive activities or some much-needed rest and relaxation. What many haven't spoken about, however, is what hasn't been done - and some of the things people have avoided at home are surprising consider the lives we all led only one year ago.
Many people have newfound freedom in not doing following through with their previous routines. In a way, it feels almost rebellious to stop doing something simply because society or proper manners say it should be so. When it comes to things such as cleaning, picking out proper outfits every day, and spending so much time swapping out decor and rearranging rooms, many of us could benefit from just saying 'no' to it all and taking a step back. This year, these are the top things that most people admitted they've stopped doing entirely.
Cleaning Guest Rooms And Bathrooms
In theory, it makes sense that this would be the first thing that most people stop doing. With bubbles getting smaller and people either staying in the same household full-time, or no one visiting until restrictions are lifted, guest bedrooms and guest baths have gone either wholly unusued or used all the time. Therefore, these are two of the first places that many people have stopped cleaning and it's understandable as to why. While it might have been slightly embarrassing to admit that no cleaning has been done prior to now, now, it's almost a rite of passage for those who own homes and are taking advantage of not having to be neat and tidy all the time.
Routine Laundry
Admit it: We've all spend more than one day in the same sweatpants and t-shirt. It's nothing to be ashamed of, especially during these times. Sometimes, all you need is to break out a pair of yoga pants and wear the same comfy sweatshirt in order to feel cozy and comforted. Even more so, with fewer people leaving the house for work, we've been given some free reign to opt for comfort over elegance, which means less trips to the laundromat or our own laundry rooms.
Vacuuming And Dusting
There's also no shame in not wanting to spend all day cleaning the house. With fewer social gatherings and no one to impress aside from our social media following (we've all shifted a pile of laundry to the other side of the room for photos, don't deny it), there's no reason to go all-out cleaning every other day. Therefore, things such as vacuuming and dusting have come to a screeching halt in order to just lounge around and bask in our homes for once, without being anal about how they look all the time.
Going Grocery Shopping
This doesn't mean that people have stopped eating but it does mean that companies such as InstaCart have been incredibly popular since the pandemic began. With fewer people wanting to leave the house, more people are opting for delivery and carside services, which is a good thing. Therefore, most grocery shopping is done by third-party companies or grocery store staff, meaning fewer people are making trips out to the stores to get their groceries and because of it, many stores have seen a decline in people stacking up at register lines.
Fitting Meal Prep Into The Routine
A big part of the reason so many people turned to meal prep during the week was due to having busy work schedules. When other facets of life are factored in such as bringing the kids to school and picking them up, hitting the gym, engaging in a social life, and daily chores, it can be tough to find time to actually make meals and stick to a healthy lifestyle, or any kind of lifestyle. Therefore, meal prepping became a very big deal and, very quickly, it became something that was phased out when working from home began and suddenly, we all had some time to take a break and eat.
Sorting Through Seasonal Clothes And Swapping Out Wardrobes
For those who keep their wardrobe seasonal, it might not even matter anymore that the same winter clothes that were in the closet in March were still in there during August. Being home, turning up the AC or the heat are now part of daily life and as such, wardrobes have mattered less and less. With fewer events in real life and more going virtually, half the time, many of us aren't even wearing pants for Zoom meetings, so... there's that.