What I did when I transitioned to Work from home a few years ago

Working from home is not everyone's cup of tea.

I transitioned to wfh around 3.5 years ago when I left Unilever to start FlexiBees. I don't remember thinking it was that hard. There were other things on my mind, huge things, exciting things, challenging things. However looking back I realise there were a few things that helped me mitigate the impact. So a quick list of a few that I can remember. Make of it what you will. 

1. Now may be the time to pick up something long in the works, a hobby or a passion. In the early days when I was young and naive I was planning to finish writing my book alongside kicking ass at my startup. I used to segment my days with writing in the mornings and then startup work. That plan very quickly went south. But now that folks have some more time maybe pick up that long waiting humongous job and get cracking 

2. Small rituals that give you something to look forward to can go a long way. I am a huge believer in little things that keep you ticking through the day. Those things for me are, coffee, cafes and content. So I would make time and go to a coffee shop everyday, and as I started to get more busy, started ordering in (I don't cook, and yes making coffee is cooking. Also hello Swiggy, my old friend). Now obviously you can't go out or order in, but the point is create these small rituals that you can look forward to. Especially for those who like content, knowing I have a delicious piece of content waiting was a great pick me up

3. The highlight of my day would be speaking with my cofounders, one of whom was in Singapore and the other in Mumbai but not closeby enough to meet. So we would do video calls everyday and found ways to get online quickly whenever needed. I am seeing that now too alot of people are attempting and succeeding to a large extent on breaking the monotony by doing video calls, largely to bond and keep the in-office experience going. 

4. Even when I left Unilever, I kept with me my support system, my friends. Keep those channels open and lubricated. Never has there been a better time 

5. The work itself. The excitement of working on something new and that was close to my heart was itself half the battle won. If you have that, you are blessed

This is all guys. Of course the situation was better then in that we could go out and have others come visit us. But chin up, we might be in this for a long time, so it's time to get creative. And btw this doesn't even begin to cover the issues that parents, especially young parents are facing nowadays, with the kids at home and no support system. I am still figuring that one out.