Before the start of the Circuit Breaker, I was enjoying the new found flexibility of working from home. It was always my dream combination of staying at home 24/7 with the children and still able to contribute to the economy. I appreciated the time saved in commuting, daily breakfast with mum and the flexi-hours to steal in a nap before lunch. Most of all, I am very happy to be there to welcome the children home from school and at the dining table to ask them about their day while they chatter the fresh memory of happenings in between mouthfuls of noodles. In the evening, I shut down the computer and bring the youngest to the playground and enjoy the neighbourhood children’s laughter as they run haphazardly chasing each other like random particles movement in a volatile state.
When the Circuit Breaker started, all of us stayed home and the nation stayed home. All outdoor activities came to a standstill. We tried to maintain a healthy lifestyle and mental health in the house the way everyone was doing: youtube exercises, family bonding through games, home-cooked food, Netflix and all. It brought an opportunity to spend time with people we love. It was almost perfect. The only flaw was that work and life blended and blurred the lines.
When work got busier, and not needing to ‘pack up and go home’, I find that I stretched the working time bit by bit and into dinner time. Night meetings took over after the kids sleep, sometimes they started before bedtime. No matter how late I worked the night before, I would have to wake up at 6am to prep the kids to school. Very soon, fatigue latched on to me and my immunity was low. It was not a healthy life anymore. Time spent with children became lesser. This is not what I want. How do I get back my life?
I gave myself some time to sort out work till end of 2020 and took a slightly long break into the new year. Transitioning to 2021 was a perfect excuse for me to renew determination, refresh resolutions and start new habits. That’s exactly what I did.
It helped that the kids are back in school and I resumed my morning walks. I was determined to get back into good health. The morning breeze, beautiful scenery and loosening of tight muscles displaced the negativity that comes with fatigue. If you ask me, I wouldn’t exchange this for an extra hour of sleep.
At work, I did some changes too. I decline unnecessary meetings especially late night meetings that I could view the recordings. I delegated more and suppressed the guilt of doing so. I try to be more FOCUS and am still learning to say “No” to things that stretch my bandwidth too much.
What really got me determined in prioritizing my life over work is knowing that no one at work except myself will prioritize my health, my family time, my well-being, my happiness. Work is endless and the company will continue to run well with or without me sacrificing personal time. But my family and I will suffer if I don’t take good care of my health.
With the lesser time that I wish to put into work compared to last year’s overstretch, this will bring me more into focus. I still work late nights when I have to, but I am now more mindful of not overworking and taking breaks or even a lunch time nap if I need to. I love working from home and also love the interaction with colleagues at work. In the next few months, I hope the Covid situation in Singapore will be even better so that we can have a blended work arrangement for the best of both worlds.