The world shifted as 2020 loomed over ALL of us. The amazing thing about the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic was that it didn’t just directly affect the United States or a certain community…it affected THE WORLD. There is something comforting about something so drastic happening to all of us at the same time — meaning, we were all about to adapt TOGETHER. Something that, I feel, the world needs to learn to do better. From being in a lockdown globally with nowhere to escape or go to, we all were feeling the effects of the Economic Shutdown of 2020. When all of this was happening, I was in my small 900 square foot, studio apartment in Los Angeles, CA. In the beginning, I was terrified. When I went to the grocery store to get food, I felt like I was in the “Hunger Games” or a movie like that with people running around, pushing people and fighting for the last thing on the shelf. It was truly a scary time, especially for a young woman living on my own with no immediate community nearby. When the world really began to shutdown, that is when my fear turned into “survival mode.” I remember that I was cleaning off my counter and I was looking on the news on my iPhone. I was reading of everything shutting down and the COVID-19 virus being deadly…it was all a shocking read. But that was the moment that I decided that I was going to do whatever I needed to to “survive” — my “survival instincts” kicked in full fledged for me. I don’t need to share every grueling detail of my experience with the lockdown, but I was in, what felt like, “solitary confinement” for THREE MONTHS STRAIGHT. Thankfully, I came out of it fine, but I believe the reason why is because I used the time to really think, grow, and figure out where I wanted my life to go.
During that time, I was able to realize my own strength within myself. I use the reference of me being like a “Buddhist monk who is meditating in my sanctuary.” What could have been the WORST three months of my life turned out to be the BEST three months of my life…it was groundbreaking for me. Since then, I have really become an empowered person (not the buzz word, diluted way, but the genuine honest way, it feels amazing). I have began to find my voice in life and figure out my direction and purpose in life. It is a feeling that I can only describe as relieved. It’s about time that I have, out of anything in my life, this is what I was waiting for. For me to feel confident and content in my own skin, sharing my words and thoughts with the world unapologetically — the best gift I could be given in life. From all of this strength, I have really come to my own. I realized that I can’t wait around for my dreams to come true, but I need to get out there and make it happen myself. That is exactly what I’m doing now with my consulting business (which I began in the midst of the Pandemic), my television/new media series based off of my life as an Asian-American adoptee, and my singing & acting careers as well. All of these ventures are very personal to me and things I wouldn’t be pursuing if I wasn’t confident in my own skin.
When the COVID-19 Pandemic hit, everything shutdown and then went remote — I adapted right away and since then, I have realized the many benefits of that.
There is a statistic that majority of adults spend more time waiting in rush hour traffic going to and from work. That is a true fact, that is more depressing the more you look at it. The nice thing about working remotely now is that individuals no longer need to be stuck in the horrible traffic and can rather spend their time with more fruitful things. For instance, you can actually SLEEP IN LONGER before you need to jump on that Zoom work call verses waking up a couple hours early to get ready and then commute to work. On top of that perk, you also have more time to do things that you JUST WANT TO DO. For instance, fidget spinners became popular a decade ago for people with anxiety or difficulties paying attention. According to The Atlantic, “preliminary research indicates that “fidget widgets” might boost attention and memory.” I would even take it a step further. By working remotely, we are able to watch a movie in our living room, cuddle up with our adorable cat or dog, or even knit a sweater while listening to a virtual meeting. By being in our ‘comfort zones’ and doing things that we enjoy WHILE pursuing our work that needs our attention, this can produce even more productivity. Meaning, if you’re sitting in a florescent-lit, office, room with ten people sitting around a table listening to a meeting, many people will not be giving their full attention. Their mind will be thinking about, “I wonder what I am going to get for lunch today” or "“ I need to take the dog to the vet later today, I can’t forget”…regardless of what is floating through their heads, it probably isn’t what is going on in the meeting. So, it is hard to say that being in an office creates more productivity (though there are many perks of working in an office, this wouldn’t necessarily be one of them). However, by creating a comfortable space in the living room with your favorite cup of chamomile tea sitting with your laptop typing up your daily reports , that will make you feel a whole lot happier than sitting in your cold cubicle that you drove 1.5 hours one way to in order to sit there for 8 hours straight.
Of course, everyone has their own opinions, but I am trying to bring to light the many benefits and good that can come from working remotely and from home.
Also, if you have children who need to be to swim practice or a grandparent that needs extra help or care, or anything that may happen to you in the middle of a typical work day (which you usually need to hire someone to do or have someone in your family do) you can now do so. Such as taking a call in the car or work on your project once you get back from your given errands or task. Or another scenario would be, if you always wanted to move to France or Hawaii and knew that all of the work you are doing can be done remotely, you can FINALLY make your dreams come true! You can sell your house or break your lease and take that plunge to move there!
Working remotely has truly made the work-life balance no longer a myth, but a reality that we can all embrace in our own special way.
There are truly so many benefits to work from home. In general, there are so many businesses that have taken their work completely remote indefinitely. The economic shutdown was a good indicator to show that productivity can still be achieved (if not higher) when working from home or remotely. It also saves the business a lot of money by no longer having a “brick and mortar” building. This would result in lessening the costs for heating and cooling a building, paying rent. etc.
Like I said prior, I am someone who created my business during the 2020 Pandemic and I made it completely remote from the start. I have not noticed many issues for myself, if anything, I have found it highly beneficial for me. I do not feel constrained to find clients in my geographical area in which I live, but rather, the WORLD IS MY CLIENTELE. It opens a lot more doors for me to be able to take on clients that are in a different region, if not different part of the world. This creates more growth and opportunities for my business — something that I am always looking for. I also like how, other than being an entrepreneur, I truly can create my own schedule and lifestyle—the way that I want to— while working remotely.
I have created a work-life balance in my life.
We all have different goals, ideas, objectives, and perspectives when it comes to everything in life. But, I just wanted to provide the upside to working remotely — something that the workforce truly had to embrace last year, into this year, and going into next year. It’s important to always keep an open-mind to change, adapting, and finding all possibilities. Once you do so, fruition and growth can be achieved.
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