Beyond #WFH is our initiative to spread positivity and inspire our readers by inviting leaders and friends to share what they do to unwind and relax after they finish their work-from-home and work-for-home responsibilities during the lockdown.
While Covid-19 has had multiple impacts on business and Beyond #WFH is not about business, it’s about self-discovery, things that will give us the strength to get through the lockdown and more importantly for those ‘moments’ that will stay with us for long and beyond this pandemic. PS: We are not talking business!
In this story of Beyond #WFH we bring to you, Prashant Gopalakrishnan, Executive Vice President & National Business Head, Dentsu Webchutney.
Over the lockdown, I found the key to being calm and productive in a place I least expected to find it – the kitchen. I have found solace in cooking experiments with my wife, and have been able to expand my culinary repertoire to include Gujrati and Maharashtrian delicacies, breadmaking, baking and more. Little things like peeling a clove of garlic, sorting greens and cutting veggies has kept me mindful.
Another task is doing the dishes. The dish washer has a series of steps that need to be carefully accounted for – it’s not really a ‘press a button and it’s done’ kind of machine. But every day I find my own way to innovate within these steps, come up with new loading strategies and more. It’s my way of gamifying it, and my kids have begun enjoying this (non) routine too. We are now the dishwashing tag team.
For me, spending time with the kids has always been the biggest highlight of my day. And so, helping them channel their energy creatively helps me stay sane. Every now and then, they’ll be curious to see what I’m up to while I work, in evidently popping their heads before my screen while I’m on a video call. They have every right to do that, because I’m using their space after all. It’s a different thing that my colleagues could use the breather and pause their presentations to decipher the gibberish of 3y/o and do virtual fist bumps with my 7y/o.
Surprisingly, the things that help me destress are the little things in life. Brewing the perfect chai, patiently peeling a garlic clove has helped me stay in the present, to say the least. It’s made me respect those around me even more, and be more grateful for everything I took for granted.
