Long live habits

As the lockdown kills old habits, a new generation is born

The pandemic has called into question many of the habits we took for granted. But that has also made it possible for new routines to take shape, and opened up new avenues for companies

Seetharaman G, 19 Jun 2020

The lockdown has upended our routine, impacting a range of brands across categories

Home is central to the new scheme of things as we try to recreate an office, restaurant, and entertainment space there

This has led to new habits being formed and some existing ones being reinforced

These habits are a business opportunity for makers of laptops and dishwasher, OTTs, and fitness apps, among others

Habits underpin our lives.

Without them, every day would be a bewildering mess of decision-making for activities we thankfully don’t have to think about. It’s because so many parts of our daily routine—from reading the newspaper to commuting to work—are on autopilot that we can afford to focus on finishing that new work project or deciding if a new car is worth it.

We are not conscious of how habits are formed, nor can we get rid of them easily.

AUTHOR

Seetharaman G

Starting out as a business journalist in 2008, Seetharaman has written about energy, climate change, banking, and technology. He has worked with Business Today, a fortnightly, and the Sunday edition of The Economic Times.

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As the lockdown kills old habits, a new generation is born