Working from home – yes or no? We wanted to find out from SPECTRUM members. Meet Cheryl from Clear Channel, who shared her experience and some tips on WFH with us.
1. What are the biggest challenges of working from home and how do you deal with them?
Depending on personal motivations, the challenges vary. I think that many would agree that one of the biggest challenges is the inability to find a distinction between work and a home for rest/ play.
We find our responsible selves checking emails after working hours, over the weekends and even on Public Holidays. While there may be many of us who don’t mind doing that as work is fully integrated into our lifestyles e.g. checking emails while going on long walks, I feel that there may be long-term effects (mental, emotional, physical health) if we reach to the point of neglecting rest. More of a challenge to me is not being able to interact with my colleagues the same way we could. Being around people who are driving at the same goals and in the same environment is motivating to me and I don’t get much of that working from home. It’s quite under-stimulating.
I find that getting out of the house for fresh air, going out for lunch or cooking something new and nice (means I get to go out to buy groceries!) instead of packing food home to eat makes quite a big difference. I always feel slightly more rejuvenated. Occasionally changing my environment is a nice temporary fix.
2. What advice/ tips can you give to other members?
Have a routine. Start the day early, exercise to pump up the adrenaline, get coffee, shower, change into something other than your PJs and then start work. Have at least an hour of ‘me’ time before starting work. Set a list of things you aim to accomplish within the day and schedule in OTs if need be. For instance, “I’ll work till 8pm today because I have XXX to do. But tomorrow, I’ll be sure to end by 6pm so I can get some rest and spend time with family/friends”. I guess we really have to give and take. Work is our responsibility and so is rest. Find a balance between the two. Don’t overwork, don’t over-rest.
3. If you were to describe how you feel about working from home with a song or a movie title what would it be?
Lonely by Akon haha “Lonely… I am so lonely… I have nobody…I’m on my own” (Click here to listen to it on YouTube).
Check out more interesting WFH tips from our members here!