I've been working from home for more than a month. Here's what I've learnt so far

I've been working from home for more than a month. Here's what I've learnt so far
PHOTO: Unsplash

Working from home is fun, in case no one has told you that. But it also requires a lot of discipline.

It's easy to get distracted and do nothing the whole day, but it's also easy to work overtime and by the time you realised it, it's 9pm and you've missed two meals.

Before the Covid-19 situation in Singapore became serious, SPH (the company I work for) implemented a split-team operation.

I belong to the work from home (WFH) team, so I haven't been to the office since last month.

In fact, the last time I saw any of my the CLEO team members' faces was during our video meetings in the first week (we switched to having conference calls now).

Working from home was nothing new to me-I used to freelance in-between jobs a few years ago, and sometimes, I have to file stories on weekends or after-hours when there's breaking news.

But WFH full-time? That's a different ball game.

It's been more than a month since I've done it, and here's what I've learnt.

1. There will be distractions. It’s most likely your family members

Many people on Twitter claim their pets are distracting their WFH efficiency, but since I don’t have a pet, my distraction comes in the form of my family members.

When I first started working from home last month, I didn’t think it would be that distracting - until my mum started using the blender when I was in the middle of a conference call.

And my sister started talking at the top of her lungs as I try to deliver breaking news.

And my neighbour upstairs decide to use the drill for an extended period of time.

2. Some people think working from home is just an extended vacay

The difference between working from home and the freelancer life is that if you’re a freelancer, you can take a break on a weekday if you wish.

But when you’re working from home, you’re expected to be contactable during office hours - and meet your deadlines.

I have no problems with either, but I have problems making people understand that.

For one, my sister has asked why I couldn’t leave the house on weekday afternoons. “I’m working,” I explained. “But you’re working from home. No one would know.”

I would know. My conscience would know. My deadlines would know.

Of course, I’m not expecting anyone to glue themselves to their laptop screen from 9am to 6pm.

But I don’t want to be caught in a situation where I need to get something done urgently but can’t because I’m outside and don’t have my laptop with me.

That could just be the Capricorn in me talking.

You might forget about work-life balance

When you’re working at home, it’s easy to lose track of time and work beyond the hours.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with putting in extra hours - but do you really need to?

When I first started my WFH stint, I found myself powering through lunch and working after hours, doing things that I could have done the next day.

Soon, I realised it wasn’t sustainable in the long run.

Now, if there’s nothing urgent that needs my attention and I’ve finished my work for the day, I switch off my laptop at 6.01pm (yes, I’m that precise).

I also switch off notifications for work emails and chats between 6pm and 9am the next day.

I do still check my emails now and then at night, but this takes away the anxiety of seeing new emails in my inbox as I’m having dinner or watching Netflix.

And this brings me to my next point.

Sometimes you forget to shower

This actually happened the first few days I started working in the comforts of my home.

I would wake up, brush my teeth, have breakfast and start work.

I’d tell myself I would bathe at lunch but before I realised it, it was 3pm.

Now, I have a tactic to force myself to shower before I start work: I remind myself I have to be more hygienic because of the Covid-19 outbreak.

It has worked so far.

Some meetings can be kept short

I’m putting my job on the line when I say this: Some meetings I’ve attended/organised in the past could have taken half the time.

When you meet people face-to-face, it’s easy to become distracted and steer off-topic.

But when you do video calls, you tend to make things short and sweet because 1) the internet connection can be bad and 2) it’s quite distracting to hear people talk over one another and you just want to get it over and done with, so you steer everyone back to the topic.

And we would never have realised this if we didn’t implement the WFH situation.

Your things will break down

A week into my WFH stint, my MacBook charger died on me.

It had served me well for the past six years. Of all times, it decided to leave me when my battery was at five per cent and I didn’t have a work desktop.

I had to work off my phone and iPad for a few days while looking for deals on Carousell before giving up and forking out $99 on a brand new charger.

My AirPods Pro have also decided they don’t like attending meetings because they would stop working mid-call during every other meetings.

I don’t have this problem whenever I use them to watch Netflix, Viu or YouTube. Only during meetings.

You need to have a blazer at the ready

Here’s a bit of a background: I wear baju butterfly at home. For those who don’t know what that is, you can read this story, but the gist of it is that it’s like a nightdress that a lot of Malays and aunties wear at home.

It’s super comfortable. But when you’re having a meeting with the bosses and your colleagues in your baju butterfly… it may not be a good look.

The first time I had a video meeting with my colleagues, I pulled a T-shirt over my baju butterfly.

The next meeting I had with the bosses, I wore a blazer over it.

It has worked like a charm.

If you’re like me and just want to work in your PJs all day without wanting to throw professionalism out of the window in front of your bosses, please have a blazer in your wardrobe.

I became happier

I noticed that I’m less tired and snappy since I started working from home.

It’s not that I hate going to work. But I reckon I feel happier now because I’m getting enough sleep.

I used to wake up at 6.15am so I could leave the house at 7.15am and reach work at 8am.

That extra hour I get before people start streaming in allowed me time to catch up on things that needed my utmost attention.

Now, I wake up at 8.30am, take a quick shower and breakfast, and I’d be ready by 9am.

There are fewer distractions all around - no coffee runs to Toastbox or queueing up for the toilet for five minutes - so sh*t gets done in no time.

This article was first published in CLEO Singapore

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