2020 was weird. We spent a major part of the last 12 months cribbing about the way things were turning out. First, the outbreak of a pandemic was a massive shock. Then, the lockdown that put the entire world under ‘house arrest’ made a lot of us cranky. The mandatory work from home was a welcome change but then we started getting sick of it too. After all, social butterflies need their social situations to flap their wings in anger! As we approached the end of the year, we started getting hopeful about the end of COVID-19. But, like an epic sci-fi cliffhanger, the virus bounced back with mutations. X-Men mutations yaad aayi kisi ko? But chalo, with 2021 just a day away, we are feeling a little nostalgic and emotional about the worst year we’ve ever encountered. In fact, there are some wonderful things we learned in 2020.
We learned that there were certain things about 2020 that weren’t so bad after all, things that we would love to carry with us into 2021. Like…
1. Working from home
Remember the time you fell sick and asked your boss if you could work from home but that was seen as a ridiculous request because “work from home is just an excuse to slack off without taking leave”? Well, would you look at how we turned out? The entire year is over and somehow, we have all still managed to continue working…from home. And the biggest shocker is that many companies have even reported better productivity and returns due to this ‘new normal’.
Related: 10 Epic Excuses To Give Your Boss And Get Out Of Work Even While Working From Home
2. Saving money
Till last year, most of us millennials struggled to reach the third week of the month with even 10 per cent of our salaries left in the bank. Because kya karo yaar! Itne kharche hain! Our elders always looked at us with puzzled minds because no one could ever understand what we did with our salaries. We stayed with our parents and had no rent or groceries to pay for. But we still had these ‘mysterious’ expenses that drained our pockets. Well, with 2019, those expenses too drifted into the past and before we knew it, we had savings!
3. Family time
Over the last few years, our professional and social lives took over our personal lives in such a way that our family took a back seat. We often found excuses to back out of family get-togethers because of work pressure or traffic which made it impossible to reach anywhere on time. However, with the lockdown, many people went back to their family homes and found out that it wasn’t the work pressure that kept us busy. It was just our own lazy asses.
4. Saying ‘no’ to plans
It took a global pandemic for many of us to finally have the courage to say no to plans we didn’t really like. Till 2019, most of us just dragged ourselves to social events because we couldn’t come up with legit excuses. But, we can now safely say a guilt-free no to the Covidiots who are partying despite the virus.
Related: How To Spend New Year’s Eve Alone At Home: 7 Easy Things To Do To Bring In The New Year
5. Managing a house without help
Remember the days when managing a house was such an impossible task because we’re working professionals and time kahaan hai? But, when the lockdown started and we had to bid adieu to the domestic help, we had no other choice. So, we all rolled up our sleeves and learned how to manage our time better.
Related: House Cleaning And Working From Home: 7 Ways To Find The Right Balance
6. Showering every day
Okay, let’s be honest. Not everyone is into hygiene. There are many of you who think a shower isn’t necessary every day, especially in the winter. But with the virus outbreak and health becoming everyone’s top priority, at least people have gotten extra cautious about cleanliness and daily showers have become a thing.
And just like that, we’re at the end of another decade with a few more lessons and a few more grey strands. The good thing is that the lessons we learned in 2020 could probably help us in having a decent 2021. Are you ready?
Related: Team AAE’s New Year Resolutions For 2021 Are Ready. What About Yours?
