COVID-19 has changed several of my habits. Below, I write about which ones that have changed and a prediction on their permanency.

• Shopping: I buy > 90% of my non-perishables online. I never liked in-person shopping and I haven’t had a car for twelve years so this trend was already in motion. When COVID hit, I subscribed to Amazon Prime which is big driver behind this percentage. The bulk of my in person shopping is done at the grocery store for buying produce. I predict this to be a permanent change because of the convenience factor of clicking a button and getting it two days later.

• Fitness: I live a one minute bike ride away from a 24 Hour Fitness Super Sport Gym. I no longer weight lift and because of that, my muscles have shrunk and I have gained weight. I now run but do not enjoy it as much. I go on atleast one walk everyday—something I never did before. I will go to gyms when they reopen so I can get back to weight lifting.

• Home: For my entire adult life, I never invested in a nice home because I never spent time there. Prior to COVID, I’d be out of the house from 10 to 8 because of work and networking events. Now I am home all the time and have bought a desk lamp, a bigger monitor, and rearranged my furniture. I don’t know whether this shift will be permanent because I don’t know what in-person work will look like post COVID.

• Cooking: Of my 14 lunch + dinner meals a week, I used to eat out ~10 times. Now, I cook that many times and eat out the rest. It’s been a real joy to try new cuisines, eat healthier, and just be more creative with food. This won’t be a permanent change for me because of time (I spend ~1hr/day cooking) but my cook to eat out ratio will probably settle to an event split when we’re back to normal.

• In-person meetings: I moved to the Bay Area to meet smart people. The bulk of that happened at conferences, bars, and restaurants. I no longer go to any those. This will not be a permanent change because the substitute—virtual gatherings—are not even 25% comparable to an in-person experience.

• Podcasts: Prior to COVID, I had never listened to a podcast. Now, I cook a lot more and make the 6 hour car drive to my parents house every so often. Podcasts make those long tasks enjoyable. I plan to continue listening because I love the medium - no ads, long format, deep intellectual discussions.