Skip to main content

Work Life Balance Wakeup Call

I tweeted this morning that I had one of the best sleeps I have ever had in ages...


Yes, I did the unthinkable (for workaholics). Hey, did we not read about 2 people who just recently...like, literally, fell dead because they were overworked? One was in Indonesia and the other was from China. I have been in the advertising industry before and yes, it works like that and it's really sad to see these news. Maybe for the really large firms...people just don't sleep.

And hey, guess what I called myself when I first started freelancing back in 2000....the freelancer that don't sleep. It was a tagline I was intensely proud of. People didn't have to know that a part of the reason I didn't sleep was because my kids were waking me up all the time. They were young then. 

I work at copywriting and you just can't rush copywriting. If the idea isn't there yet, it isn't there yet. If it isn't there, it's because you're trying too hard to force something through. Best thing to do is to chill, sit back, watch a short film, take a shower or read a magazine and something will come if the task is at the back of your mind. 

It would be something like this - you are watching a commercial for Oreos (which has nothing to do with your work) and suddenly, BAM, it hits you!

But anyway, I still have the habit of answering my emails and working past my limits. My office is the internet, what do you think? I can't take internet away, I thought. But wait. Can I?

So, I daringly went into uncharted territory...by unhooking the Wifi AND data plan on the phone. No more beeps (how can the sound of birds chirping be so annoying, right? That's the sound of my phone's notification) No more notifications. No more 'emergencies' and no more 'Skype' and 'Whatsapp'. I disappeared from the face of the Internet. 

This might be something everyone else do from time to time but it is something that I have NEVER done before ever since the dawn of the internet and smartphones and stuff.

But it's great that I am not the only one. If you work with Google search engine, this is a name you would want to remember (and hate, sometimes!) Matt Cutts. In his recent blog post, he mentioned the inability to switch work off as well. And he works for Google. LOL. Anyway, he is running in order to raise funds and awareness for cancer research and campaigns, head over and find out if you want to be a part of it. 

And yes, I am doing it again tonight until it becomes a habit.

Love,
Marsha Maung

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Stargazer - Stretch Those Sides

I have been doing this pose, part of Cosmic Dance (a type of yoga, I am assuming), called Stargazer pose without knowing it is called Stargazer's pose a lot in the past. You see, sometimes, I don't follow the rules and come up with my own stretches and poses. It is fun. I have on some music, nice, soothing music or just anything I can click on. Then I go with the flow, letting my hair down. Just moving to the music...and that is when I come up with the above Stargazer's pose. This pose really stretches your sides. Keep your eyes on the outstretched hand if you are keeping it pointed to the top, as if you are waving or connecting to a higher energy from the Universe. Your arms will ache a little but hey, toned arms, here you come! :-) For those who want a bigger stretch, it is safe to slowly and gently move the lifted hand towards your back...don't overdo it, listen to your body's complaints and respect it. You don't have to prove anything to anyone, reme

Maid Side-Kick

I was kind of a little sad when I read the news about this - there will be no live-in Indonesian maids in Malaysia anymore . There are pros and cons to having a live-in maid, as with everything else, but for us, we enjoyed more pros than cons. Back then, when my kids were little, we brought in a family of maids to help with...well, just about everything, and we were like two families merged into one. They ate what we ate, we sleep, they sleep, we shop, they shop, they joke, we laugh, we joke, they laugh...for me, the maid I hired was more like a sister and side-kick to me. For that few years, I was dependent on her to mind-read my schedule and when I need or don't need help. She picked things up quickly and we ended up having lots of moments whereby we were in sync. Today, two of them are on my Facebook and we were gleefully chatting over Facebook Messenger since they've just discovered the wonders of the Internet and Social Media. Since we were more like partners in crim

Project Wolf Hunting (2022) - Film Review

Less than 10 minutes into the movie, I was already wondering why am I watching this show, and in the dead of the night.  But I was thinking to myself, I've toughened up quite a bit when it comes to things like these... Happiness , Signal , Sweet Home , Alice in Borderland , Vagabond , City Hunter , Tunnel ...these crime and sci-fi dramas and films I endured just so that I can watch my favorite actors in action...they must have really built me some mental muscles.  Usually, I am the late kind because I want to see what everyone has to say about it...so that I am prepared.  I will just present you with reasons to watch and reasons NOT to. Here goes.  REASONS TO WATCH If you like Seo In Guk , Jung So Min , Jang Dong Yoon , Sung Dong Il , or maybe even Im Ju Hwan , you might want to endure this film.  Hint : If you're a fan of Jang Dong Yoon, maybe watch it.  It's interesting. I know we have a lot of post apocalyptic world films all over the place now but this is a little diffe