2020 has seen some pretty unexpected things rise in popularity, from toilet paper to virtual pub quizzes. It also saw a huge increase in the number of people working from home, with those who were able to work from their house being encouraged to do so. This cut down on a lot of commuting hours. So what has the British population been doing with its extra time?
Time Saved
The average daily commute has been worked out at 59 minutes per day, this includes both ways. instantprint worked out that if people don’t commute, they will save themselves 9 days and 2 hours in a year. The Yorkshire-based printing company who offer small businesses plenty of printed marketing opportunities such as banners worked out various ways you could have spent that time! You could fly to the moon and back in that time. Or listen to every Beatles song 6 times. Or begin to climb Everest. It does beg the question: how are people spending all this spare time?
Using Extra Time
instantprint surveyed 1,000 Brits who have been working from home since the pandemic to answer that question. 26% of people said they were reading more, with a further 26% saying they were watching Netflix. Other popular hobbies included cooking, gardening, and listening to new music. However, it was also revealed that people were using this time productively as well as leisurely. Over half of those surveyed said they were getting more work done. Head of instantprint, Jon Constantine-Smith said: “Working from home, whether you love it or hate it, does come with its advantages. It’s important not to spend every spare hour you have doing additional work. Practising self-care during this unusual time is essential.”
Cost Saving
Not only can working from home save you time, but it can also save you money. The Metro recently reported that the average Londoner could save up to £14,309 over the course of their career. Let’s break down the maths on that one. The average monthly cost of transport in 2015 was £124. In 2020, this dropped to £103. It may be only £21 per month, but this adds up if you think people are working for 47 years.
Going Forward
It could be argued that working from home is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. Some companies are all in favour of adopting a permanent work from home model. The survey has shown that no matter how people choose to spend their extra hour, they made the most of it. Only 3% of people said they felt like they had wasted it.
This year has been a difficult one for everyone, and you shouldn’t feel bad if you haven’t used every hour productively. You’ve gotten through it and that’s the main thing. Have you been using your extra time at home?
