We may never have thought there would be a pandemic—but we also may not have thought that we’d learn so much from one, either. In a recent Reddit thread, people sounded off about some of the most important things they’ve learned since COVID-19 became a thing. Here are the top responses.
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Commutes Are the Worst
“People are so much happier when they don’t have to waste 2-4 hours stuck in traffic. It’s amazing how much more productive happy people are!!”
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There Really is Never Enough Time
“I have learned that even with endless time to do everything on my to-do list, I still am able to avoid knocking that list out. So in fact ‘if I only had more time’ wasn’t true at all.”
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Who Your True Relationships Are
“That I absolutely married the right woman. Without question. I mean, I already knew. I’ve known since the day we met, actually. But if I needed any more proof, we’ve been sheltering-in-place (Northern California) since March 16. Any other person I would have probably murdered by now. We’re a bit older (54 & 64), and I have some other comorbidities. I’m COVID-bait. She’s been awesome though all this and we cohabitate REALLY well.”
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Entertaining Yourself is Easy
“In the first few months of quarantine we had near-constant video chats with friends and family. My sisters especially seemed to enjoy starting random calls at almost any time. And more often than not my I would be in the middle of doing something. They were always super bored all the time but I was usually in Discord with friends or working on something around the house or running or whatever. The only time I’ve been bored was yesterday when there was a big gap between hockey games.”
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You Don’t REALLY Need to Be in an Office
“There are a lot of non-essential jobs and a lot of them probably won’t be coming back.”
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People Have Different Productivity Windows
“The 9-5, M-F work schedule is a scam. I took a nap from 3-5 today. I made iced tea. I got lunch with my brother. I worked all morning and I’m gonna finish up between now and 1am when I feel most productive. There’s no way I’m going back to sit in a double wide at an equipment yard with airplanes going over.”
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Family Makes the Workday Better
“I really like teleworking because I get sporadic interruptions from my daughter and I get to see my wife nearly all day.”
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Perhaps a Job Isn’t a Priority Anymore
“Been on furlough for months and not missed anything about it one bit. Once I thought I’d have a career, but it’s just something to pay the bills now and I’m seriously thinking about a switch in the near future to something completely different.”
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Or a New Job Would Be Better
“I should have been a stay at home mom.”
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People’s True Colors
“[I learned] that most of my friends, who I thought were educated, smart, and loving people, aren’t. They’re gullible, selfish, and heartless. When this all settles down, my inner circle is going to look much different.
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How Gross The Kitchen is
“I should clean my kitchen sink more often.”
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Or How Gross Mask Burps Are
“Belching with a mask on is a really bad idea.”
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People Don’t Forget
“You can’t hide who you are during times of crisis. Unfortunately, once the crisis ends, you can’t go back to who you were pretending to be; People have seen how you responded, and aren’t likely to forget.”
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Seeing People is Overrated
“That the whole distance-thing is actually quite nice – people are a lot less ‘in my space’.”
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It’s Actually Not So Bad
“That I’m a hermit. Quarantine and social distancing was my regular life before Covid. This has been an okay time.”
What’s something you learned from this pandemic?