Is the new normal actually good?

As consultants some of us working from home are ending up working more than usual, sometimes even 12 hours plus. This has a toll on our health with restricted movement within our work space as well as too much exposure to the laptop screens. 

Also there are a few others who end up streaming movies or are just lay in one place hooked to laptop/mobile screens to while away their free time. We do not realise the repercussions of such prolonged working hours and are merely happy with the fact that finally there is work life balance or at least you have been saved from the traffic nuances. 

Last two weeks was a bit straining with client work where me and my team ended working a little more than usual. This is very common in our field and i did not seem to worry about it until the weekend. Over the weekend my right eye all of a sudden started to blur and i was unable to see clearly with a cloudy and foggy vision. There was severe pain and i was scared to my wits. I immediately called up my doctor who suggested few eye drops and absolute no exposure to mobile /laptop or tv since I previously had some issues with my vision and in the absence of any tests by an ophthalmologist, he did not want me to take any risks. Luckily, it ended up being dry eyes due to strain in front of laptop screens. This might happen with any of us, so ensure you dont strain your eyes for work or otherwise and take adequate breaks to relax and rest your eyes. 

Also, ensure you have adequate movement around and not sit in one place. Prolonged sitting in one place with one posture might lead to DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) which clot the blood vessels due to stiffness or no movement. I was diagnosed with this 7 years back during my articleship days since i had long 3-4 hour classes immediately followed by long hours at the client place. The clotting of the veins or blood vessels lead to swelling, suffocation, increased heart beat and difficulty in breathing. It turned out to be a life long problem and i am currently on daily blood thinner pills which could have been completely avoided if i had taken enough precautions at the right time. 

Another mental block we are having is that our clients or company is doing us a favour by giving us work from home and it is our duty to deliver more than what our normal capacity demands. Please understand work from home is the need of the hour and maintaining the same discipline and dedication you otherwise did towards your work should be sufficient to deliver the quality that is expected. You are under no obligation what so ever to compromise on your mental or physical well-being just to work additionally for that extra 2-3 hours you have saved in your daily commute just because you are working from home! 

Ensure a disciplined and dedicated work from home lifestyle which will have no compromise on the quality of your professional work or your personal well being! 

Stay safe. Stay healthy. Stay productive! 

#covid19 #consultinglife #wfh