I am having one of those mornings where I am sitting back and reflecting on this year so far. It’s proven to
be a year unlike any other - have any of us lived through a pandemic before?
From personal to professional, this year has ushered changes like never before. And while it is easy to
reflect on changes at a surface level (working in the office to working from home, no travel), these changes
have also had a far more lasting influence at the personal level.
Before the pandemic, I was busy, constantly busy. Work, family, friends, work travel, holidays, personal
trips, social commitments - the list was endless. I have been in Singapore for over 7 years now but I don’t
ever remember being in Singapore continuously for such a long stretch of time. And this year, when the
lockdown began, it’s the first time that our family of 4 has spent so much time together, that too at home.
I have always believed that I deal with change well, almost thrive on it having had my share of it through
the tumultuous years of running a company in India to moving 11 homes across 7 cities in 3 countries in
a span of 13 years. The last 7+ years have been the most stable, only 3 home changes in the same
city :-)
So what’s changed this year?
Working from home since February this year: I’ve worked flexibly for most of your career. My
most productive days have been days when I have been able to sit at home and work on important
projects that required dedicated focus and attention. Having said that, I am also an extrovert and I
derive my energy from people. I initially made a seamless transition (or at least what seemed
seamless in my mind) to working from home. Long days followed week after week with endless
video calls and late nights. A month into it, I was starting to get exhausted. Nothing changed and
Covid was at its peak. I had also transitioned into a new role whilst still doing my old role and all of
that translated into never ending work.
Lockdown and family at home: During this time, Singapore also went into a complete lockdown.
This meant that we were all at home. My teenage daughter made an easy shift into online
schooling. Not so with my 6-year old who hated online classes and missed being back in school.
Ran this sprint for 4 months: I ran this sprint for over 4 months until one weekend, I was
exhausted. I was running out of steam. I needed to pace this to run a marathon. A compulsory
lunch break, thinking time into the calendar, booking PTOs on Fridays etc followed. What a change
it made for the better!
Not being able to see family or have family visit us: The hardest thing of all is being away from
extended family in India. India is reeling under Covid-19 and I have friends and family being
affected by Covid-19. My father and in-laws are alone and knowing that I will not be able to fly
down or be with them if they need me is hard. How much easier it would have been if I had them
with me!
The bright spots this year:
Family time: My family of four has spent hours playing board games (monopoly being a family
favourite), having conversations, movie nights and spending unhurried time together, something
that has brought us much closer as a family.
Doing work I enjoy: I love the work I do and I people I work with at Red Hat. It always infuses me
with energy & joy. There’s always so much to challenge, innovate and build on, in a culture that’s
open, collaborative and passionate.
Quiet weekends: It’s been wonderful to have unscheduled weekends just to sit sipping a cup of
coffee, having a walk or reading a book vs the constant planning and busyness that it used to
consist of previously.
Reconnecting with friends and family: It’s been the year to reconnect with friends and family.
From zoom calls with college mates who we have not seen in 20-over years to family reunions,
calling old friends, virtual birthday parties, filming virtual dramas to virtual card games, it’s all
happened this year :)
As most years are, it’s been a mixed bag. I am grateful for everything that I have in this year as many
people across the world experience loss, grief and pain. We can play our part by being more patient,
kind, forgiving and tolerant of each other. Watch out for your teams and the people you work with. We
don’t know the battles that others are facing - empathy and compassion can go a long way in making
us all happier and supporting us in getting through this together.
*As of this writing, we are 8 months into the pandemic.
