This circuit breaker brings about mixed feelings. I find myself hugely inefficient in the day but working much more at night. Also, during the first week of circuit breaker, I literally wasted a lot of time doing anything but useful stuff. As someone who hates changes and adopting technology, I was sort of rebelling against the situation. Even on days when I told myself I needed to work, I was a mess. Too slow, too lazy and too clueless. Where on a normal day, my time is properly scheduled because we need to travel to places, now every meeting and every task is done at the same place you sleep.
In this article, I shall share 5 observations which improved my own productivity and hopefully inspire you to enhance yours too.
1. Schedule Your Work & Day
Life only became more orderly only after I started scheduling every task and meeting. I literally put in things to do ranging from breakfast, exercise to zoom meetings and content creation. Every hour of my day was scheduled and it helped bring order to my life. Scheduling also helped to make me more efficient than before. Previously things like reading was done on an ad-hoc basis. Often I find myself taking forever to finish the book as a result. Currently because I schedule every hour of my day till sleeping time, I find myself much more disciplined than pre-circuit breaker for negotiable tasks. I'm proud to also announce I've successfully finished 1 book in April simply by ensuring I read 1 chapter everyday.
2. Spare no expense to create things to look forward to daily
So if you have been following my insta stories, you will realise I really have been crazy over red bean bao ever since I tried the ones at Forty Hands Cafe. During the circuit breaker, I ordered lots of bao from Mdm Ling Bakery so that I have something to look forward to every morning during breakfast. You the reader, might think 'what's the big deal?' I only realised it's a big deal when my friends and mom kept telling me that I was crazy to order $45 worth of bao. Frankly as a foodie who loves food hunting & taking photos of delicious food, it can be pretty suffocating not to engage in my favourite recreational hobby for two months. This bao craze helps to keep me sane. It is similar to how some people need their gaming time. Psychologically, it helps me to stay focused on my work. After enjoying nice bao and taking insta-worthy photos, I feel sated that I've enjoyed myself and it's serves as a reminder why I should work hard. I don't only want to enjoy indulging myself during circuit breaker but also for the rest of my life.
3. Make your working conditions comfortable
Being in advisory, I attend to a lot of video calls everyday. This ranges from product trainings, appointments to giving training. Being in a role where I normally get to move about, you can imagine how it feels like to suddenly be stuck in a desk bound job. My solution to this routine was to sit on my Osim uJolly 2 during boring product training sessions or when I have mundane admin stuff to do. This makes the work and product trainings more endurable because seriously this Osim back massager can really knead all the right spots. I see sitting on the chair as my silver lining to do the stuff I dislike.
4. try new activities and learn new things to differentiate Weekends From Weekdays
People who know me will tell you that I don't step in the kitchen. In terms of domestic matters I'm more of a spender than a do-er. It is these unprecedented times where you are limited to things you can do at home that I try to add variety to my usual routine. Again, to engage with my love for food photography I decided to try making the hottest craze in town - Dalgona Coffee. The photo you see here is my third attempt and the most successful one.
Circuit Breaker to me is the best time to try new things and acquire new skills. Given that there's hardly any differentiation between weekends and weekdays now besides not having to report to work, it's important to create the impression you really had a break. There's a reason why TGIF exists. We need breaks to re-charge if not we will burn out very fast. Not to mention, there might be more tension at home now that everyone is cramped in the same space 24/7. You read articles online on how people start to do crazy things like throwing stuff out of their HDBs and couples having more arguments when stuck at home together.
Personally, I feel such issues are a result of boredom and having nothing to do. If you have a long list of things you want to try or learn, where got time to do crazy things or fight with people? Being effective at work entails not only what you do during your working hours, how you re-charge during your downtime matters too. For now, my bucket list includes shooting educational financial videos, hosting online seminars and experimenting with more food I like.
5. Do a Financial Review To Get a Reality check
There was one day where my YOLO client arranged to meet me for review because she wanted to plan her finances. She wanted to purchase a property but realised she was severely lacking in money for the down payment. Ever since that financial planning session with me, she doesn't spend in her YOLO manner anymore and has become one of the most prudent savers I know.
The truth is, most of us are so busily involved in our everyday activities we have no time to stop and think about our financial health. More importantly, there are more people who go to work to get paid than those who go to work because they love their jobs. One good way to approach your work with greater efficiency and purpose is to find your why. If you are dragging yourself to work solely for money, then a financial review might just be the driving factor to take your job more seriously. The bad economy, coupled with your own financial health check will automatically make you more productive.
So did I do my own financial review? Yes! In fact, every morning when I wake up now, the first thing I do is to open up all my charts and look at the markets. There will always be opportunities in crisis, your financial health will determine whether it's a period of sale or a period of austerity.
Circuit breaker is the best time to get your financial reviews done. All your financial advisors are operating via video calls now. The process is so convenient. The best part? If you have been putting off meeting your advisor for review because you are scared of being forced to buy a plan, well you are protected over a screen now. If all else fails, just click on the x at the top of the screen. So what if all your advisors have quit and you have no one to turn to? It's like online shopping now. You can video call various advisors, interview them and pick the best fit for yourself. Nobody will be so diligent on a normal day because we rather meet our friends and do fun stuff. Right now though, you can't hang out with friends or go travelling. If you still don't take this time to seriously think about how you can manage your wealth, then you better be sure you are earning a high enough income and be fairly recession proof.
Summary
So to refresh your memory, here are 5 things you can do to make the most of your Circuit Breaker.
Schedule all your tasks big or small into your calendar and follow your timetable. You will realise that you accomplish more than you usually would.
Create things to look forward to daily. Being happy is important to work productively.
Make your working conditions comfortable. Conducive working environments play a big part in being focused. The same applies to children learning environments.
Learn new skills and try new activities. Doing new activities will provide variety and differentiation between weekdays and weekends.
Do a financial review. Circuit Breaker is the wake up call to get your finances in order. The last thing we want is to console ourselves that no bad things will happen to us only to be hit with a financial crisis that is too big to handle.
If you have interest to take part in some of the online seminars I'm thinking of organizing on topics related to investment updates do drop me a message. You can also contact me if you would like me to help you with a financial review. I'm available on video calls during this period.
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Disclaimer: The content created are based on my personal opinions and may not be representative to everyone or any organisation. If you have any doubts or queries pertaining to insurance or investment, please seek professional advice from a trusted adviser in an official setting. You may also reach out to me if you do not have a present adviser using the message box under 'Let's Talk'.
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