Sending a virtual high-five to all of you. It’s almost Friday! How’s the work from home setup so far?
#WFH has been a big shift for many. Perhaps, a lot of you struggled to get into that work mindset without the regular routine. Having Netflix, your fridge, and the bed plus no HR staff to judge you don’t help either. Along with the fact that you don’t need to wear a pressed outfit. Note to my boss: No, I’m not writing this in my loose, tattered shirt.
Nevertheless, we persevered. Zoom accounts are abuzz. We’ve re-calibrated our calenders. Tik Tok usernames are set. No one told us to do that last one but we did it anyway. Lip-synching or dancing to your favorite song can relieve stress. Or so we’ve heard. At least, we admit that it is part of our agenda while we’re making that deadline.
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Here’s what we’ve learned so far about working from home:
“I try to follow the schedule I’d have if I was in the office. When that doesn’t work, I segment my to-do list by their difficulty or the effort it requires. If I have ten things to do, for example, I’ll give myself a 10-minute break every three tasks done. A minute more and I’ll be endlessly scrolling [through social media].”—Kryzette, assistant brand manager
“I wake up as if I’m still going to commute to the office.” —Greg, development manager/analyst
“After a long call or something similar, I play with my dogs or make coffee. Or watch a YouTube video for 10-15 minutes then go back to work. People definitely can’t work for 8 hours straight.” —Nicole, chief executive officer
“I act out what I’m trying to write so I walk around my room (or the house) and just talk to myself. Other than that, I do chores so I don’t feel cooped up. I keep myself active by cooking and cleaning whenever I feel stuck.”—Franco, content writer
“I usually stay in a room without a TV and since my laptop has a VPN, I also can’t access my SNS accounts. My phone is just beside me in case my boss calls.” —Yan, segment officer
“I have one monitor for my work and another monitor has games loaded up and videos playing.”—Rafael, senior software engineer
“I set up a ‘work station’ in my home. It’s space where I can focus and operate properly without being distracted by the temptation to lay down and take a nap. Moreover, I set a schedule for social media use so that I’m not distracted at all times.—Ryan, PR & marketing director
“Work in super comfortable clothes. Cover the webcam/camera on your laptop to avoid accidents. One time, we did a company-wide video call and when people join the ‘meeting,’ the new caller’s video will be the one largely displayed.”—Moe, data reports analyst
“Work at a desk with a proper chair if you can to make sure that your body knows that you should be working, not napping. Plus, I believe that there are studies that found that working in bed makes you associate the bed with work and wakefulness, so that might contribute to problems drifting off to sleep later on. So far so good, day 3 of our WFH arrangement and I haven’t dozed off yet.”—Nica, team leader
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“I try to keep my first hour of work as analog as I can. This means carving out the time to write team goals for the day and keeping away from the noise (emails, texts, and yes, social media).”—Tish, associate account director
“I go for standing up on regular intervals and walking around my room in order for me to not be tempted to go back to bed.”—Matthew, PR officer
“For collaborations with my co-teachers, someone takes the lead in setting a time when we are needed for a meeting. We keep ourselves focused on the group chat to figure out how best to work with the situation at hand and how to set achievable goals. For the minutes of our meeting, we are employing Google Docs for easier feedback and clarifications.”—Darlene, teacher
“I avoid using my mobile for work-related communication. Because when you pick up your phone for work you see five other non-work notifications.”—Donna, change engagement officer
“What works for me now: one week plan + daily updates every 9 pm.”—Vrig, sales manager
“I make it a point to start my work hours the same way I would when I’m in our actual office, so that’s usually around 9 am-6 pm. An effective way to stay focused too is to stay in a space outside of my bedroom that’s quiet.”—Joanna, media relations manager
“Prior to the pandemic, I had to move out to take care of another house. Isolation has surprisingly helped me. I live alone pretty much with no one telling me to do house chores so it helps me to focus on work.”—Marco, recruitment consultant
*Quotes have been edited for brevity and clarity.
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