100 Days Working from Home

Yesterday marked my 100th day working from home. I only counted the days I worked from home since I had filed some sick leaves in the last five months. I celebrated my 100th day working from home with 7 meetings in the morning and five more in the afternoon with one interview. Good thing I blocked my calendar by 4pm because I didn't have energy anymore for more meetings.

I worked from home for more than 5 years, but I would go out several times a week for meetings. After my stint at a corporate job I really wanted to work from home so that I'd be home when Miguel arrived from school. When I started I only had dial-up internet. I had to go to an internet cafe if I had to send out or email huge files. My manager back then would call me on the landline to catch up. It was months later when my friends set-up a proper router and wifi for me.

I move to the balcony when I don't have meetings.

In those early days I had a proper office at home. Now I work on the dining table. Sometimes when I feel I need something different I move to the couch. My dining table has mirrors surrounding it so it reflects my living room. Mr. Stormtrooper who's standing behind the couch is quite famous now across the world haha. And everyone now knows I collect Yoda.

Work from hotel. This was during a work trip in Japan.

I'm used to working from home, but I must admit I miss the office. I miss my desk, nagging my seatmates. Finding different areas in the office where I can work. When I was having severe back pains I found a nice chair at the third level where I can work without back pains. I oftentimes look for a different work space when I need to work without getting disturbed (aka getting pulled into more meetings). Sitting in other areas also allow me to see and say hello to colleagues I don't see often.

The reality is I'm stuck working from home until the pandemic is over. It's not as easy as it looks, but I am grateful to have work. Staying home also means I can keep safe. What about you? How are you coping with working from home?


CB//141 #StuckAtHomeDay/171 #StayHome #BeKind 

Keeping Safe: Staying and Working from Home in Singapore

I know my family has been pretty worried about us since we're so far away from home. Last Friday I thought I'd make a record of how our day goes on a workday. It's very busy, but we still have to make time to eat and take some breaks in between meetings. This period has been very busy for both me and Sweetie and we had to make adjustments when they were also required to work from home.

We had a preview of this set-up last year when Sweetie had knee surgery. When he told me that they were going to start working from home I immediately said that we should have separate work spaces. Me at the dining table and him in Miggy's old room (which is filling out with stuff since we're preparing to move soon).

Here are some tips if you have to work from home -

(1) Separate work areas if there's more than one person working from home. This is important especially if you have video meetings.

(2) Hydrate - keep a water bottle beside you.

(3) Be prepared to make quick meals. My seatmate oftentimes ping me to remind me to eat! My lunch usually slides down to 3-4pm (which is bad!). We're lucky if we have leftovers from the night before.

(4) Exercise - my physiotherapist gave me a list of exercises I can do at home. This helps with my overall wellbeing.

(5) Be positive - the thing that would make you sick real quick is thinking negative thoughts. Being grateful helps keep your mind and heart positive. If you encounter negativity, treat it with kindness. Don't every hold on to the negative feeling because this will make your immune system weak.

Have a happy work week!