A typical day in the life of a telecommuter

I juggle two 9-to-5 jobs and also freelance. Recently, I started a virtual internship in digital marketing, focusing on a case study involving a global international opportunity outfit based in India.

My day begins around 7 a.m. or a few minutes past that. It's fascinating how our brains adapt to our lifestyle and adjust our waking time accordingly. When I worked as a teacher, I used to wake up between 6 a.m. and 6:10 a.m., but now my body has shifted it by an hour.

Like many phone addicts, the first thing I reach for after waking up is my phone. I like to catch up on what's been happening while I'm asleep. It often feels like the rest of the world is wide awake while I am unaware. Of course, time zones differ, but I'm referring to people in my own time zone. Why are they texting me at 2 a.m.? Fun fact: I used to struggle with insomnia, and now I understand why.

After connecting with friends and family who refuse to sleep through chat, I do some stretches to soothe my backaches. Following the usual bathroom routine, I enjoy a cup of tea or coffee. It seems I've become addicted to coffee. Some days I prefer a light bite for breakfast, while on others I have a heavier meal. Some days, I fast. And all the while, I listen to music or poetry on Spotify.

I'm a fan of multitasking. I could be eating or brushing my teeth while checking Slack or Microsoft Teams, where the organizations I work for collaborate. I look for new tasks or updates on the ones I submitted the previous day and make notes accordingly. I then bulk-schedule them on my calendar as reminders. I try my best not to postpone tasks. Once they are scheduled, I strive to meet the self-imposed deadlines. On rare occasions when priority tasks arise, I work overtime to complete the ones I had initially pushed back.

As part of my work, I manage social media accounts for the organizations I represent. I use the bulk scheduling technique and later go back to edit content to suit the day and the prevailing atmosphere. If I have time before my first stand-up meeting, I indulge in some leisurely scrolling on social media. I enjoy checking out trendy news and funny skits to brighten my day. Later, I browse for news about the country and share my opinions on trending topics. I'm quite engaged in social media posting.

My first stand-up meeting takes place at 9 a.m., followed by another at 11 a.m., and then one immediately at 12 p.m. Some days, I skip the 11 a.m. meeting so I can catch up on updates from my assistant later. The next meeting occurs at 2 p.m., and on good days, the last one happens around 5 p.m. Of course, impromptu meetings arise, and sometimes they clash. I once found myself joining two simultaneous meetings on different devices, giving instructions in one while listening to instructions in the other. Don't worry, I recorded the call so that I could review the assigned tasks and complete them within the recorded timeframe.

The day flies by as I collaborate with others, attend meetings, and complete tasks. Before I know it, it's past 5 p.m. Although I work remotely with a 9-5 structure for official purposes, telecommuters understand that their time ends when they finish their daily tasks. This can vary for someone like me, juggling three jobs and an internship, and it might mean working until 6 or 8 p.m.

However, I've organized my day in a way that minimizes stress. I take short naps, go for daily walks, change positions throughout the day (sitting on the bed, floor, chair, or even lying down), and most importantly, I eat healthily.