Keep, Ditch, Change: How Does Your Current Life Compare to Your Regular Life?
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I'm working on a monster post with random work from home tips that is taking too long, so in the meantime, here's a fun question for everyone: what of your “regular” life are you, during these trying times, keeping, ditching, and changing? For example, I've heard a lot of women joke that they're never wearing a bra again (so that would be a “ditch”), but that they're trying to keep their showering/makeup routines (keep).
For my $.02:
Keep – Trying to keep my exercise routine and other family rules like “we only drink on the weekends!”
Ditch – Screentime limits have gone totally out the window on the weekends now, and during the week they are greatly relaxed. My early morning alarm has also mostly been ditched; we just wake up when the kids do.
Change – Meal planning has totally changed, since we're home for all meals now, and we can't just pop into the store every few days for that “one special ingredient” that it seems like most of my recipes require…
Sales of note for 1/22/25:
- Nordstrom – Cashmere on sale; AllSaints, Free People, Nike, Tory Burch, and Vince up to 60%; beauty deals up to 25% off
- AllSaints – Clearance event, now up to 70% off (some of the best leather jackets!)
- Ann Taylor – All sale dresses $40 (ends 1/23)
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything
- Boden – Clearance, up to 60% off!
- DeMellier – Final reductions now on, free shipping and returns — includes select options like Montreal, Vancouver, and Venice
- Eloquii – $29 and up select styles; extra 50% off all clearance, plus ELOQUII X kate spade new york collab just dropped
- Everlane – Sale of the year, up to 70% off; new markdowns just added
- J.Crew – Up to 40% off select styles; up to 50% off cashmere
- J.Crew Factory – End of season sale, extra 60-70% off clearance, online only
- Rothy's – Final Few: Up to 40% off last-chance styles
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – Semi-Annual Red Door Sale – extra 50% off
And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!
Some of our latest threadjacks include:
- What to say to friends and family who threaten to not vote?
- What boots do you expect to wear this fall and winter?
- What beauty treatments do you do on a regular basis to look polished?
- Can I skip the annual family event my workplace holds, even if I'm a manager?
- What small steps can I take today to get myself a little more “together” and not feel so frazzled all of the time?
- The oldest daughter is America's social safety net — change my mind…
- What have you lost your taste for as you've aged?
- Tell me about your favorite adventure travels…
Instead of a monster post that isn’t quite ready, how about breaking it up into little bite-sized posts, and tag them the same?
Keep: Longer walk with the dog at night, bedtime (trying to, at least), staying off social media, getting dressed each day in a real outfit (on the VERY casual end of business casual, but I’m generally in something I wouldn’t be uncomfortable with my colleagues seeing), knocking off work by 5:30, coffee in the mid-AM from the coffee shop by my apartment.
Change: Eating at home more, actually meal planning, no weekend morning routine, working out at home.
Ditch: Starbucks habit (because they’re all f-ing closed), 3 meals a day (not always eating breakfast because I’m not hungry and I am a die-hard breakfast every day person).
Keep: My eating and cooking habits. They got pretty good before this and I don’t want that to change.
Ditch: Bars, but only because they’re closed. I miss them.
Change: Workouts. I so miss my gym workouts. Trying to continue with the habits, but it’s been very tough because I actually got busier at work since this happened and will likely continue to see an increase in workload (though perhaps not in revenue) as a result.
I’m an administrator for my dad’s private medical practice, and I’m still going to work. So, the main things that have changed involve my social life and shopping habits, as I still have to put on real clothes and drive to work every weekday. My usual post-work hangouts, dinners out, weekend activities, etc. have been cut out, and friend’s weddings have been canceled. It feels like I’ve been living some strange twilight zone version of my life – one that has no traffic in my commute and with a lot more isolation. But, I’ve been enjoying the chance to do more projects at home so far, as I’m not stuck there all day – I might make more time for these things once life normalizes. Been reaching out to friends more often, too, which is a positive change. :)
Keep: cooking habits are pretty much the same, maybe 110% since I can have something on the stove or in the oven for multiple hours. Also early AM exercising, since it’s the only time I have (small kids).
Ditch: real bras. This is my version of the no-shave thing, I am not wearing an underwire bra until I have to report back to the office.
I am also (clearly) ditching PTA. I am an officer, and normally very committed, so I’m aware this is not a good look, but I just can’t right now. I don’t want to paint rocks and distribute them to kids’ houses, I want to crawl UNDER a rock mostly lol.
Change: my work hours are ridiculous right now. I am logging a half day before anyone else in my house is awake, juggling work and schooling and please-don’t-kill-each-other all day, then collapsing into bed at night. I might full body hug the first coworker I see, whenever that is. I am not a hugger.
Keep: Still trying to eat really well and clean – lots of fruit and vegetables and lean meat. Drinking one glass of wine a day, two maybe once a week. I’m trying to still watch ESPN in the morning, but that’s not going real well since I’m working from practically the moment I wake up. Trying to establish boundaries about working on the weekends.
Ditch: I’m definitely not showering when I get up! I start working right away, then go have coffee during the morning and I’m not eating breakfast at a normal time. I have no alarms set. Will have to set one for Sunday when I have to sing for online church. Worked in my onesie pajamas all day today (my favorite one that I brought home from the dude’s apartment yesterday, so yay).
Change: I have always been a gym rat. Right now, I’m trying to run, just to keep moving. Work hours are mostly all over the place. Trying to work mostly from home, but I go to campus way more than I should.
NOLA get some epsom salt and soak your tired running legs away! I saw your post from earlier today but it was too late to comment.
Samesies as you: it’s easier to log on first thing in the morning and check email, then get more dressed (or not) over the course of the day. I’m enjoying take walks after work myself (tho not with today’s rain).
Did you mention your dude is out of the picture? I’m sorry to hear that. Hugs.
Keep: Sleep schedule and morning routine. Morning classes online help reinforce this. I’m up by 8AM most days, but 7AM is even better.
Ditch: Eating out. While I was still doing in-person classes I ate on campus a lot. Now I’m stocked up on groceries and have no reason to be ordering delivery. SO and I may still pickup food to-go to try to support our local restaurants but we stopped most of that last week and I doubt we’ll resume it if things continue to spread.
Change: My work schedule. I’m self-employed, and set my own hours. Now that I don’t have to wake up at 6AM for my 45 minute-1 hour long commute I can stay up later and work until midnight, instead of closing up shop at 11PM.