Logging off on Friday evening feels very different now.
As quarantines and lockdowns force people to stay at home for work and leisure, weekends are being redefined. Work hours seep into leisure, and housework intrudes into the work-from-home hours. When every day feels the same, what is the difference between Sunday and Monday?
“Working from home for a few days is so different from what is now week four of distancing,” says Mary Alexander (name changed), a financial analyst in New York who is now working from her parents’ home in the U.S.
- Create clear-cut boundaries for family members about time management
- Set aside at least eight hours for personal work, leisure and family
- Keep in touch with friends and family over phone or social media
- Set aside an hour to exercise every day
“Weekends are not particularly sacred in my industry to begin with, but WFH has blurred the lines further. We are all logging in on the weekend a lot more because we are encountering more periods of boredom on Saturdays and Sundays, and even late on week nights,” she adds.
The weekend, as we knew it, may no longer be a reality in the new normal, says Anu Prasad, founder-director of Gurugram-headquartered India Leaders for Social Sector. “When you have a business to run from home, time is spent on work-related matters even on weekends. Planning has to be done for the weeks ahead, the team has to be coordinated with… So, your mind space is certainly occupied with work,” she says.
Anu Prasad
Agrees Hyderabad-based Sam M Elangalloor, CEO of Findfacts Innovation Centre, a software development company, adding that he cannot avoid taking client calls even during the weekend. “In the first week of the lockdown, we were preoccupied with logistics of WFH, setting in parameters, setting up Zoom (a video-conferencing service) connections… Since my wife, Dora, is also part of my team, we find ourselves doing double duty at home: the work at home and work for our enterprise. Moreover, all day long, I find myself making frequent trips to the kitchen for a snack,” he says.
From his home in Gurugram, Sreeji Gopinathan, who is Chief Information Officer (Global) of Lupin Pharma, says this is a particularly challenging period for his company, but once a system was put in place, the pressure eased. He adds, however, that the idea of weekends being kept apart for leisure and socialising has taken a beating. “But we are coping well with virtual parties and get-togethers,” he explains.
Sreeji Gopinathan, CIO, (Global) Lupin Pharma
The problem, says Anandi (name changed), an entrepreneur and young mother in Thiruvananthapuram, is that after a tiring week, all you want to do is put your legs up and take a break. “Since our domestic help no longer comes to work, weekends have become equally hectic... there are hundreds of chores around the house to be done. Earlier, I used to look forward to dressing up and getting together with a bunch of friends during the weekend. Now, it is more about catching up on some ‘me time’ and pending work,” she says.
Sheena G Soman, a psychiatrist, emphasises the importance of having a routine that has clear-cut hours for work and leisure. “It is extremely important to take a break, especially for women. With the family at home and no help, it can be challenging for women to work from home and cater to the demands of the household work. Usually, our office or business creates a daily timetable that family members are also aware of. In its absence, we have to create a routine that has clear-cut hours for work and leisure,” she explains.
- Mixing professional and personal work at home
- Extending sleep time or taking daytime naps
- Binge-watching on TV or OTT platforms
- Spending too much time on social media
Anagha Wankar, a senior HR person in Pune, admits that demarcating hours for of work and leisure can be a bit of a struggle. “Since going out is ruled out, weekends have meant catching up on reading, actually indulging in my hobby of embroidery and being the quintessential homemaker,” she says.
Intuitively, many families are adapting to technology to stay in touch after the confusion and sense of helplessness in the first two weeks. Sam says he and Dora introduced their octogenarian parents to Zoom and had a virtual get-together on Sunday with their son joining in from Bengaluru and daughter from Leeds in the UK.
Anu meanwhile, reminds us to stick to those rituals of ‘going to work.’ “So, I dress up, apply make-up and get ready for work (even at home). I have begun exercising again and have taken up hobbies. The difference is that instead of waiting till the weekend to indulge in my hobbies, I compartmentalise our days into hours to set apart time for them,” she says.
