Good morning!
The Covid pandemic has more people working from home.
Now I recognize that many peoples' work doesn't give them that option.
But for many of you reading this who are still working, you've probably gotten accustomed to a few things over the past 18+ months:
No commuting to work (the average Atlanta commute is 35 minutes)
No more makeup and work attire (except for those Zoom calls where you've done your hair and are wearing a blouse with yoga pants and no shoes)
No more having to pack a lunch or deal with trying to squeeze a lunch break into your busy day
No more people hovering around your desk when you're trying to get something productive done
But for each of the above, there are trade-offs...
Many of us miss our daily social interaction with our co-workers, whether around the office or during lunch.
Many of us enjoyed listening to podcasts and audio books in the car or on the train to and from work.
Maybe you even enjoyed the daily ritual of getting yourself ready for a day at work.
I bring all this up because I was recently listening to someone talk about how he thinks people might be willing to work longer now that they no longer have to deal with a daily commute along with some of the other "less savory" aspects of office life.
Personally, I've worked primarily from a home office since 2007, so this wasn't really an adjustment for me.
I've enjoyed avoiding Atlanta commuter traffic for the most part for almost 15 years now.
But traffic problems aside, I'm not sure I agree with this gentleman's theory.
You see, while many of you have gotten back some time in your days by avoiding a daily commute (among other things), you've also discovered the possibilities with more time freedom during your work week.
And you might have thought to yourself how cool it would be to have even MORE time freedom.
For some of you, that might mean downshifting from your current work into something with more flexibility even if it comes with lower pay.
Others of you might be wondering what else you can do with an extra hour or two during the day...
Maybe you could volunteer, take up Pickleball, or take local classes to learn a new skill.
Or any number of other things.
Personally, I'm a BIG fan of flexibility and choice, especially when it comes to your retirement planning.
And while some of you might see our collective "work from home" status as a way to continue working longer while having more time for yourself along the way, I also suspect many of you might be thinking about how to more deliberately spend your workdays in the future.
Neither is right or wrong.
But it's certainly changed things up, and hopefully has you thinking more expansively about how to be more purposeful with both your time and your money in the weeks, months, and years ahead.
What do you think?
Hit reply and let me know...
Links & Things
5 Minute YouTube Worth Listening To (and passing along)
Thank you, as always, for reading.
Until next Wednesday,
Russ