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, Sonali Shah- Marketing Director, Faber-Castell India.
The way our world functions has changed. Our dating system has used BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anna Domini) for keeping time since the 9th century, but year 2020 AD has changed the definition. BC will now stand for ‘Before Corona’ and AD would be ‘after lock Down’, if that happens.
The lockdown has changed both our professional and personal lives, and it has merged it with the ‘Work from home’ version 2.0.
I used to work from home before corona as well, but it was restricted to emergencies like doctor appointment for parents or heavy rains. In this version, I worked like I was in office – no distractions, no disturbance, my efficient house help cleaned the house, cut the veggies, put the clothes out to dry and did lot of small things around the house, which I have realised and appreciate only in the ‘after lock down’ or AD time period.
In the work from home version 2.0, the major difference is no house help! So now I do a lot of things I love, and a lot more things I don’t.The lockdown has created many artists – in the kitchen, on the canvas, in the bathroom, but I see myself evolving through the phases of lockdown.
In phase 1, I tackled adapting to things I dislike. For someone who absolutely abhors cooking, I am looking through videos to see what I can cook creatively using the ingredients I have.
So I managed to bake a cake without eggs, without baking powder and without vanilla essence.
I have mastered the art of making north Indian food, as all gravies use the same basic ingredients, but I do make it taste different and I have non-fussy and appreciative food tasters who have no choice.
In phase 2, I rekindled my love for coloring, doodling, and experimenting with watercolors. I normally like to color with dry mediums like artist color pencils in adult coloring books. I used to color a lot earlier, but with work and the commute and the exhaustion, I got lazy. I have especially created a sanctuary for my coloring, surrounded by greenery, which I hardly enjoyed earlier. Now I make sure I fully utilize that space, coloring away while sipping on some green tea. After a long days work (phone calls, video calls, dusting, washing dishes, cooking, etc, etc) it’s therapeutic and rejuvenating.
Besides a few masterpieces I created in the 8 weeks since house arrest, I have also tried to finish reading a few books I had on my list for a long time. Unlike the work from home version 1, this version allows you to pace things much better. Yes, there is no fixed start and end time, but the amount of time you save from the endless commute is the only gift of Corona.
They say ‘if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em’, and for all Mumbaikars, the lockdown has been both a boon and a bane. With no visible respite in the near future, we will have to make the best of the situation we are in. So why not enjoy this phase by doing what you love, spend time with your loved ones at home (so they cannot complain at least in this lifetime), and just stay sane.
