[Closed] Stuff you started in lock down that you will keep doing after lock down?

Making bread, that's probably about it

Running round after a three and half year old we adopted at the height of lockdown in May last year.

Baking really big cakes regularly. I'm currently on variant of a Dundee cake, but with more ground almonds and flaked almonds. Having a big fruit cake on the go constantly means I eat less bought processed snack-junk.

Homebrewing 🍻 and putting on weight

Planning my escape route

Working from home - it was the exception rather than the norm in my job until this time last year. I've been in to the office/workshop pretty much every week throughout for 1 or 2 days per week and that is how i'd like to carry on.

Cooking better food at home - I've definitely raised my game, been making bacon, smoking cheese and batch cooking curries and stuff from scratch. This will definitely continue.

Not eating out/ordering takeaways so often - we used to eat out probably once per week and have a take out probably once per week but have not really missed either - and as my cooking skills have improved i've realised we were often paying for things which i can now do better myself.

Not trying to fill every minute of everyday - This is a bit more complex. Since my brother died (7 years ago) i've had this desire to 'make every day count' and live life to the full. Lockdown has taught me there is also value in the odd Saturday morning on the sofa watching cooking shows.

Doing a bit of woodwork - prior to having a mid-life crisis and going back to Uni at 31 I worked making furniture - i've realised how much i've missed being creative and have started making a few food serving/cheese boards with an eye to selling a few soon.

living within my means - this is linked to not eating out so much, etc. I've been pleasantly surprised how much money i've not been spending/wasting over the last year!

Working from home

Started growing a beard on the first day of lockdown, will let it keep growing (trimmed regularly).

Walking from the front door. It's a good 15 minute walk to anywhere like a park or the shops, used to just do those things on the way back from somewhere but never from the door. Hopefully the increased traffic won't make it too unpleasant.

RC cars. Most likely just keep the one rather than the three I have but for a 20-30 minute play they're great, plus I get to tinker with them too!

Zwift. It's really improved my fitness in all areas so will keep on with it. Possibly only for winter like most people but it will still be used.

taking a afternoon sleep.

We started getting meat delivered from the farm shop. I wouldn't want to go back to supermarket meat now, but they only deliver during the day on weekdays so we'll have to see how work pans out in future.

Homebrewing and going gradually more and more insane because of the lack of contact with the outside world.

And growing a proper beard.

Exercising every day.
It makes me a better person, I'm less stressed and I can eat whatever I want and not get fat.

Alcohol free beer (good AF that is, not Becks Blue or that kind of junk)
Sourdough bread - made by me of course (yesterday’s honey and walnut sourdough was fantastic)
Not drinking soft drinks
Spending on big things not many small things.

Baking sourdough and cakes, buy 2L cravendale milk that lasts for ever instead of single pints and doing a bigger online shop.
Have a supermarket 3 min away so tended to shop every other day, will still buy veg locally though.

Maybe wear a mask on public transport in the winter.

Always washed my hands coming into the house anyway.

Use the words ‘vaccinate’ and ‘travel permit’ a bit more.

Walking more - I used to drive the mile-and-a-bit to work, because I very occasionally needed to use the car in works time. Last March I started walking in, and it's helped me a lot, both with physical and mental health.

Re-evaluating what's 'productive' - I normally only take a day off if it's for a holiday or there's something very specific that needs doing that I can't do of an evening or weekend. I've taken a couple of days off recently, just to use up leave days, and didn't them just going for a walk, taking a camera with me, just pottering.

Not working every damn weekend on events - habit from back when my day job was low-paying and low responsibility, it was a fun bit of cash on the side. I enjoy working events, but over the last few years the day job has ramped up and I kept working weekends as well as through the week and then finding myself exhausted and burnt out by September/October.

I came back to two hobbies that I had neglected for 25 years, both of which have been a great solace and really enjoyable in the past year. Wood carving/sculpture and model making. I am going to continue with both and am currently just starting on an Albatross in applewood and a 1/16th scale wood and metal model of a Sopwith Camel. Both will be hours of entertainment with added swearing at times.

Buying beer direct from the brewery and AF beer

Running

Some working from home days (never did any before but will do a mix now)

Prepping...
Oh and digging more tunnels in my zombie proof bunker.

Hopefully appreciating what's closer to home than feeling the need to dash off all over the country. I've got used to not driving and paying for fuel so it's something I'd like to continue to not do.

Playing guitar.
Drinking less.

Apart from not seeing people down the pub, popping down to the coast a lot and my new business collapsing lockdown had little effect on my life. I worked from home anyway on the newspapers...

Home haircuts and playing Xbox

Working from home

Conversely  I'll spend more time in an office this year than I have in the last 18 years put together 🙂

Playing guitar.
Drinking less.
Eating with chopsticks.

Apart from not seeing people down the pub, not popping down to the coast a lot and my new business collapsing lockdown had little effect on my life. I worked from home anyway on the newspapers...

Working from home more.
Playing the bass guitar.
Getting a 30 ride or run in every day.

Gardening. I've never even contemplated it before in my entire life. What started last March as 'I'm just going to tidy this up a bit' immediately got completely out of hand and I ended up ripping the whole front garden out and starting again.

I'm looking out at it now and getting a lovely warm fuzzy feeling seeing all the flowers and plants I planted last year all starting to push through the soil and get buds on, ready to blossom

I don't know who I am any more

I don’t know who I am any more

Compost Binners

Dogging

I am going to report ElShamlimo for breaking social distancing if they started dogging during lock down. Fine to continue after lock down finishes and you used to do it but you are very naughty if you did it during the actual lock down.

Making longbows, on my third ash self bow, about to start a tri-laminate bow, quite an absorbing pastime.

Working from home.
Not socialising with people I’m not too fussed about.
Staying at home a LOT.
I’ve actually realised I am a functioning hermit, and there a lot of things about the past year that have been a vast improvement for me.

Napping

Drinking to excess.
Thank goodness some good has come out of all this 😎

taking a afternoon sleep.

Napping

I know it's forin word, but it's a "siesta" #SpanishLife 🙂

Anyway for me it's taking a walk with the wife in the evening. Nothing special, just a 30min walk round the neighbourhood, but it's something I look forward to: a nice chat and a bit of fresh air.

daytime drinking 🥂

Applying for jobs that half my previous income for 40% more hours.

Model kits - first really sparked by finding some beginner ones tucked away in a cupboard that I had built some of when boys were small to play with. Now all three of us are building (to varying low standards).

I came close to pretty bad burnout six weeks ago I have started to now proactively manage my mental health and give it more priority. Rethinking a number of things right now to reduce stress and make more downtime and kicking some non essential stressors out of my life and go a bit back to basics.

Eating better and buying more good quality produce locally. All our meat now comes from the local butcher, found an excellent online veg service, etc.

I’ve actually realised I am a functioning hermit, and there a lot of things about the past year that have been a vast improvement for me.

I can sympathise. I retired in 2019 and was already used to a quiet life before the first lockdown. It's been more of the same really. The quiet roads of the first lockdown encouraged me to up my road bike mileage and that will continue. Sadly there has been no musical activity to speak of (I play in an orchestra and wind band). So lack of motivation has set in and it's going to be hard to get practicing earnestly once we are allowed to play again.

I do feel though for those who have found it a tough year through isolation or having to entertain/educate kids.

Stuff you started in lock down that you will keep doing after lock down?

Grow my moustache and beard.
Listening to some music but definitely no singing.
BBQ ... SE Asian style.

Enjoying my house and garden more. We completely re-did the back garden over lockdown, and it’s like having a couple of lovely new rooms added to the house.

Also, working from home and, possibly, wearing a mask in public (at least in winter).

Making longbows, on my third ash self bow, about to start a tri-laminate bow, quite an absorbing pastime.

Extreme prepping?

Home haircuts and not going into the office 5 days a week.

I am going to keep working from home so that I can sing loudly to Spotify and not hold my farts in all day. I'll never go back to commuting again. Also I'll keep writing books. Had no idea how much I enjoyed it until lockdown boredom made me try it.

With the whole farting thing....

now that we’re all just used to slightly lifting one arse-cheek up and letting rip without a second thought, whenever we feel like it, there’s no going back

I did it on a Teams call the other day, before realising that that was obviously audible to everybody. It was like somebody slowly tearing a heavy velvet curtain.

I did it on a Teams call the other day,

Even worse if someone had speaker view enabled. You'd go full screen with a little box round you.

I reckon I'll keep having long and important conversations with the local cats

Paying a mortgage.
Running.

Home Workouts
30mins stretching in the mornings
An actual weekly cleaning rota for my house
Playing Nintendo Switch occasionally

weirdly, my life hasn't really changed much apart from not going into a shop, and I'll probably start doing that again after lock down has stopped as I quite liked browsing though a bookshop. I still go to work in an office, and still commute, see my work colleagues face to face, and still ride my bike at weekends, I'm not really a pub goer, so I won't start doing that again, and the things I miss, cinema, travel, etc I'll be able to do again....

so, no, nothing.

Flexible working will be a win for us that had to go in for no real reason. Paper free also... needs to be done - copier lease companies will be out of business - we're not going back to printing paper.

Working from our caravan on occasion, will be fab.

I never want to spend 40hrs a week in an office ever again. Same with rush hour commuting - having a pot of coffee in the garden/bed is far better than being sat in traffic.

I won't be filling my diary up with bullshit social events just because we haven't seen X for a few weeks, but will spend even more time up mountains / in remote anchorages. Its wilderness I've missed most, not people (family not withstanding)

Will hopefully continue to notice the small things - like the rose Bush sprouted its first leaves this week and I saw a pair of wild baby ferrit shaped amimals on todays dog walk.

Basically henceforth I hope mon-fri continues as per lockdown with fri-sun being out in the more remote parts of the country.

 It was like somebody slowly tearing a heavy velvet curtain.

Wine all over my screen now... You bugger

- Playing drums. Getting better on drums. Learning how to read and write music.

- Fetching eggs from local villagers, on the old bike (with padded rack-pack)

- Walking. Average 4-8 miles depending on time available.

binners
Full Member

With the whole farting thing….

now that we’re all just used to slightly lifting one arse-cheek up and letting rip without a second thought, whenever we feel like it, there’s no going back

I did it on a Teams call the other day, before realising that that was obviously audible to everybody. It was like somebody slowly tearing a heavy velvet curtain.

That's the beauty of managing a team of engineers in a workshop, everyone just lets rip when needed. Its never not funny and our department has something of a reputation to uphold for being the guffiest department.
I even modified a gas mask warning sign to read "Warning multi gas hazard area" that was stuck on the door to the workshop

Clipper cuts and eating like a bushman, less Asda more hadza.

Playing guitar
Making sourdough bread
Working from home
Walking
Kettlebell workouts
Sufferfest
Reading
Zoom with family

The STW jigsaw puzzle 🙄 started it full of enthusiasm got halfway through it and 🙄🙄🙄🙄 Still ill be retired next year so have plenty of time 🤔

I started playing the banjo last year, still doing it and I'm already looking at upgrading to a better banjo, it's a lot like cycling in that regard.

Buying cases of beer from my local brewery. They've been awesome & are going to continue delivering when they reopen their taproom

Kettlebell workouts

Saw someone doing that in their driveway yesterday as we passed by. I pointed them out to Mrs P who said ‘I’m more interested in all those cats that were just sitting there were watching her!’

I had to point out to Mrs P that the ‘cats’ would have been kettle bells, and also that Mrs P didn’t currently have her bifocals on.

(This sounds like a standup routine but I swear it’s true)

Sorry. As you were.

I reckon an anonymous application has been made for an allotment.

NB RD: brewery name?

Planning projects I'll never get started.

I watched all of Buffy the vampire slayer, then all of Angel. Now on season three of the west wing which I'm enjoying so will see through.

Feeding birds in the garden, getting goldfinches, greenfinches, tits, loads of sparrows, it brings me joy and I’m going to keep on doing it.

We've really noticed, that as we've cooked more and more, that takeaways we used to look forward to are really disappointing.

I can't think of a single local restaurant I'm keen to eat at post lock down, which is sad and don't even get me started on pub food.