This year has changed so many parts of day-to-day life: how we socialise with our friends, how we spend our free time and even how we go to the supermarket. It’s also changed our working lives, with many of us no longer having to commute to the office and working from home instead. All of that time spent travelling is now ours to spend as we want. So, what have people been doing with it?
Top Activities
Reading, catching up with Netflix and baking are the top 3 activities done in the time saved from commuting according to a recent survey by banner printing specialists, instantprint. The survey asked 1,000 people who had been working from home during the pandemic exactly how they’d spent their new-found spare time. Other popular activities were listening to new music, spending time with pets or family and friends.
Over half of the people said they were being more productive than they would have been in the office. While getting work done is important, it is important to take time out and look after yourself during such a difficult year.
Time Well Spent
The printing company worked out that the average daily commute in the UK is 59 minutes. This includes travelling there and back. These hours quickly begin to add up; in a year the average commuter will have spent 9 days and 2 hours getting to and from work. What could you in this time? You could travel to the moon and back and there again. Or listen to every Beatles song six times. Or you could even fly from London to New York almost 15 times.
Going Forward
It’s somewhat startling to realise just how much of your life can be taken up by a commute. It was such an ingrained part of working life, everyone had gotten used to it. It was damaging a lot of Brit’s mental health but they carried on because they felt there was no other choice. Whereas now working from home has proved to be possible, perhaps employers will want to carry on offering this as an option even when we’re allowed to go back into the office. Only 3% of people in the survey felt like they had wasted the extra hour, which shows they really appreciated the spare time.
Take Care
Even though working from home takes away the mental stress of commuting, it can come with challenges. Where do you draw the line between home and work if they’ve become the same place? Set yourself boundaries and create a schedule. Be kind to yourself.
The future of working from home isn’t clear yet. Some people may want to do it for foreseeable future, and others can’t wait to get back to socialising at the office. What would you like your working week to look like?
