Social Distancing, Stay-at-Home Order, Reopen Business, These are all new terms that COVID-19 has forced upon us. The end result of which a lot of employees across the country are forced to Work-at-Home or Telecommute as it were. This is not a new concept, but one that companies were compelled to do in order to disperse their workforce.
I was one of the early adapters, based on a suggestion from my management team. The State of Florida (my employer) at the time established a criteria that if you were 60+ Years of Age OR had Heart Disease OR Diabetes OR Lung Disease then you were an eligible candidate.
I met three (3) of the four (4) criteria.
So with that said, this article is about the positives, or takeaways from my view about having to work from home.
- Weight Loss ~ I’ve lost at least 5 lbs. since starting Work-at-Home due to an improved diet
- Money Savings ~ I have saved over $500 in the first four (4) weeks of Work-at-home. It might have been more had I not had to stock up on a few items.
- Portion Control ~ When I do order out, I have reduced the amount of food eaten each time by half. Therefore I am eating less and getting two meals out of each order out contributing to the two (2) items above.
- Vehicle Maintenance ~ Eliminating at least 125 miles a week for commuting saves fuel, wear & tear and maintenance costs. Fuel costs have been reduced at least $50 and to date have yet to pay for any maintenance.
- Mental Health ~ Zero time spent commuting means zero time being tailgated, zero time being cut off in traffic and zero time having to be concerned with red light runners.
- Windows Open ~ Fresh air, a nice breeze, at least until lunch time when it starts to get too hot.
- Sounds of Nature ~ Sand Hill Cranes passing overhead. A Bob-White Quail chirping in the distance, a Pileated Woodpecker with his various calls.
- Neighborhood Watch ~ I thought that I lived in a quiet neighborhood. But between construction crews, lawn maintenance, repairmen and delivery trucks there is a lot of traffic here during the day. Not to mention the residents going in and out.
- Time ~ Less time commuting (90 minutes per day), and less time at restaurants (120 minutes per day) has given me more time to work on projects I am otherwise pressed to get done like my income tax, websites and organizing projects around the house.
- Coffee Club ~ The coffee here is much better than at work. The downside is that I have to make it myself.