I still remember the exact moment when I first caught wind that we’d be working from home indefinitely due to Coronavirus. The feeling of shock, uncertainty, and unease began to creep up as I was unsure of what exactly we were facing. Looking back, I was one of the last team members to continue working from the office, while others had started working from home a week before.
Fast forward 4 weeks and we’re in a groove. Thankfully we are safe, family is good, and friends are doing well too. At this point, we’ve focused our attention on making the most of every minute, rather than questioning when this will all be over. Various goofy moments during the work hour, randomly turning on video during a conference call when I shouldn’t, and forgetting to unmute myself while I respond to my wife about lunch plans, have become the norm. But, nothing to complain about, I’m totally diggin’ it.
Week 4 was a blast, definitely one for the memory books. We didn’t do anything specifically different, we just enjoyed our time and celebrated moments. It was also the first week that I made a conscious effort to harmonize work-life balance. Inevitably, the two are muddled together as we work from home, but I’ve adjusted and become a happier person as a result.
- Music – If you know me, I’m always switching my music subscriptions. From Google Play, to Amazon Music, to Spotify, to YouTube Music, back to Amazon Music…now guess where I ended up? Spotify! I change music subscriptions as often as I go grocery shopping (every 2 weeks), but this time, I think I’m set on Spotify. The app UI is well ahead of everyone else, algorithm’s are spot on, and Spotify Connect is AMAZING. The issue with other services, I couldn’t play music on all my devices and that was a deal breaker. Now, I can!
- Food – I was watching the Kelly Clarkson show while she was interviewing Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick. [fun interview by the way] Kelly made a comment that with everyone’s eating from home, we’re pushing ourselves to cook more and be more creative (rather than just eating out). I agree! It’s been fun trying new recipes. I can certainly get used to eating a hot breakfast every day. <3
- Virtual Happy Hours for the Win! – They’re here and here to stay. I can honestly see virtual happy hours sticking around even as we jump back into non-social distancing. They’re fun, safe, and can be done with friends from different cities, states, countries. We played Jack Box Games this week, good fun.
- Fitness – Shout out to Academy of Self Defense in San Jose for stepping up their game with virtual Zoom workouts! I was feeling a bit lost without my Bootcamp classes, although Insanity was a good stop gap, I still was yearning for the kickboxing mix. Coach James and Jivoni are kicking our butts over Zoom and I couldn’t be any happier, or more sore.
Life is feeling more routine. Walks around the block, workouts, time for friends, and work efficiency are all piecing together. Finding harmony was the biggest challenge and although it took 4 weeks, I’m happy we’ve found it.
Cheers to coming out of the this stronger, happier, and healthier! Let’s go Week 5, I’m ready for you! From the looks of it, Week 5 is gonna be beautiful outside – backyard living here we come! *turns on Spotify*