Overwork

Earlier today I read an article about a young copy writer from another country who passed away after working overtime for 3 straight days. The article also featured her tweets about how often she did this and oftentimes drank vodka and Red Bull while doing overtime to keep her going. My heart broke.

One of my earlier jobs required me to render overtime often. We'd always have evening events and were required to attend. My Mom would always stay up to wait for me and remind me that I should rest. When I shifted jobs and became a product manager I was required to travel and give trainings across the country. My Mom then told me that I was working too hard and I should rest. My work just eventually got busier and busier and my Mom just kept reminding me to relax and rest.

As I aged my body changed too, but one of then things I made sure I did not do was render overtime. I was a single Mom until Miguel was 15 years old and I made it a point to always be home. There were times I'd still have to be out late, but I tried not to do this often. As I was growing up my parents were both always home before the sun set. I didn't understand why back then, but now I know that they wanted to be home early for family time.

Discipline. When I started working at home back in 2006 I disciplined myself to follow regular work hours. Much as it was tempting to wake up later it just messed up my day. I scheduled my work week so that when I had to go out I'd be home before Miguel arrived from school. I also pointedly do not respond to emails after I log out from work. To manage my stress I also do not check work email outside of my regular work hours.

Work-life balance. It's one of the things that's highlighted at work and as manager I have to remind my team about it (it's just seriously so hard working with millenials!). Must be a generation thing, but I prefer to compartmentalize and make it a point that I'm able to relax outside of work hours. I'm pretty much reachable (many people can attest to this), but just don't make me work outside of my regular work hours (I become grumpy).

Week-ends are sacred. I've had more lieus than vacation leaves in the last 5 years, but I never get around to taking a day off in exchange for the weekends I've worked. Working with community requires you most of them time to work on weekends. I don't mind since I love community work. Since my surgery though my body requires more rest so I've had to re-work how I work and his year one of the things I have to do is drastically lessen traveling. #SignsofOldAge

Anyway, it's really entirely up to you how you work, but don't complain if you end up rendering overtime and losing your social life. It's a choice and your responsibility to push back when things are too much. Don't ever forget that work should just be a means and not your life.

Working in the Walk-in Closet, my Unique Workplace

Earlier today a dear friend, Chelle, pinged me to say that I should blog about my unique work place. (Here it is Chelle!).

It's been almost five years since I vacated my enviable corner office which had a grand view of the Manila Bay horizon and the Skyway. At the end of the day I'd always sit back on my huge executive swivel chair and watch the beautiful Manila Bay sunset. It was perfect almost everyday.

I manage to work anywhere because when I was a kid I never had a study table. I did most of my homework on the floor. Typed my research papers on my Mom's Olympus typewriter on the floor. Did my science and home eco projects in the garden or kitchen. And it hasn't been any different now that I work at home (well, most of the time).

In the past five years I have been moving from one nook to another at home to complete my tasks and here are some of them:

1. The Walk-in Closet - I have been working in my walk-in closet in the past 16 days because this is where mobile internet works best in my new home. PLDT's plan to do simultaneous transfer of my line has been an utter failure because their system keeps hanging (I don't know why). Mind you I don't have any clothes in this room, but have transformed it into my craft room. No boys allowed, haha.

2. The Dining/Kitchen - the house where I used to live is quite tiny so the dining room and kitchen are interconnected. I spent most of my time working on our dining table because it was cooler in that area. The ref was conveniently located just a few feet away. This arrangement also allowed me to multi-task -- cooking or doing the laundry.

3. The Basement - I had three work areas in my basement: (1) the Greenwich room (because I had the walls painted apple green); (2) the sala; and (3) my bedroom. I spent a lot of time in the Greenwich room and this is where I blogged a lot. Number 2 and 3 were quite boring and I was eventually forced to evacuate my basement because of Typhoon Ondoy.

4. Miguel's Room - I set up shop in Miguel's second floor bedroom after Typhoon Ondoy. The only thing I managed to save from the flood was my desktop PC, Theodore! After staying in his room for 2 months I eventually went back to the basement and moved out when I got married.

5. The Computer Room/Den - I do have a proper office (after 4 years). When I got married, Jay and I agreed that we would set-up a proper work area and we did. Our new den has been freshly painted with apple green paint (it makes me more creative) and in it hangs the "Maria Makiling Google Chrome theme artwork".

But despite having a proper office (complete with desk and executive chair), I find myself working more in my non-conventional work places. What about you? What is your work place like?