Intern Diaries: How Do You Have Fun While Working From Home?

Issues and concerns surrounding mental health were highlighted on World Mental Health Day 2020 by the World Health Organisation.

With lifestyles impacted directly and indirectly by COVID-19, people are inclined to feel stressed and anxious. The importance of connecting and having a laugh cannot be overemphasised in the new normal; humour and relationships have now become vital for our mental health.

We asked the youngest members of the PRecious Communications team to share how they have fun while working from home.

Maintaining positivity and good vibes

In a whirlwind environment like PR, it’s pretty easy to get lost amidst stress and high stakes. However, sometimes it’s important to just stop and smell the roses, making time to appreciate the people and moments around you and taking every opportunity to enjoy life. Smiling and laughing isn’t as time-consuming as that deadline-focused, task-oriented part of your brain may be making it out to be. In my opinion, positivity and just all-around good vibes create a more conducive and motivational atmosphere for getting work done.

Don’t be shy in seizing openings to crack jokes or banter with your teammates when appropriate. Finding humour in situations and using it as a tool to work through stress and lift moods is a skill that we all should cultivate, especially during times like these when the forecast isn’t so sunny.

Contributed by Tisha Martinez, Junior Client Executive, PRecious Communications

Keeping things light

Having fun at work while the COVID-19 pandemic is raging on somehow sounds wrong to me, especially when the “work-from-home” working regime is a default. Truth be told,  you end up spending your working days within the walls of your study room. On top of this, working remotely has reduced friendly, face-to-face chitchats to mere transactions – as conversations centre around “outstanding deliverables and results”. This does not sound like fun, does it? 

Staying connected with your teams and colleagues — this is what can light up your day! Short and occasionally silly conversations on team chats, peppered with friendly jokes, have become my everyday happy pills. They allow me to stay in a cheerful mood, no matter how hectic and insane the day can be.

Contributed by Anastasiia Tsilyk, Junior Client Executive, PRecious Communications

Pausing and playing your favourite music

Connecting with colleagues at work boosts productivity, fun and engagement. And unfortunately working from home has made it quite challenging for us to mirror the same level of contagious energy in the office.

But it can be possible to make working from home fun. In the midst of using your creative brain juices, allocate some time to just pause and play your favourite background music. Share light-hearted conversations with your teammates and remember to just breathe. Incorporating fun is the only activity that does not cause intense forehead furrows to form. An adaptive mindset, openness to learning and ‘won’t be too hard on myself today” attitude also goes a long way!

Contributed by Jeslin Kaur, Junior Client Executive, PRecious Communications

A quick pick-me-up

Working from home has been the default for many of us for several months now. For me, a quick ‘pick-me-up’ in between meetings and work schedules can help boost my productivity and loosen me up a bit! It can be as simple as staring at the greenery, dog watching from the balcony or fixing a drink (non-alcoholic, of course .. Tepache anyone?). Now that we’re allowed to work in the office once a week, it certainly helps to build stronger relationships with colleagues. My chats with colleagues range from receiving plants and reminiscing concert days to the latest football scores!

Ultimately, you know what works best for you and how to motivate yourself, so loosen up a bit… Just don’t forget your deadlines!

Contributed by Toh Liu Han, Junior Business Development Executive, PRecious Communications

Sprucing up your work desk

COVID-19 has taught me to be appreciative. Work may seem draining at times, but being appreciative of clients, colleagues, and managers in the workplace can really help to lighten the load for everyone. That semicolon and bracket, coupled with a few words of thanks can really spice up someone’s day. 

Set the mood. Working from home can be fun when you enjoy working in that workspace. Spruce up your work desk with little figurines or line up your walls with beautiful sunset photographs. You may be stuck at home working, while your friends are having fun at the beach, but hey, at least you got your home fan and that Spotify playlist on repeat to keep you company.

Contributed by Grace Chan, Junior Client Executive, PRecious Communications

Interactive games

I believe that you fondly recall the work you’ve done for a company together with all the fun memories you had there. Now that we are all working from home, what’s stopping us from having fun?

Laptop screens have become our workplace, but virtual fun could be as exciting as virtual reality! As a new employee who has joined PRecious during the pandemic, I realised that virtual activities are an amazing way for me to get to know everyone and bond with them. Team competitions, interactive holiday-themed games, fun quizzes, Pictionary, Secret Santa, and I Spy seem like fun activities to try whenever I want to take a break from work. This can definitely help deal with stress and anxiety in a fun and positive way.

Having fun at work, especially virtual fun, is a different ball game, but nothing PinBall can’t solve. 😉

Contributed by Aishwarya Valliappan, Junior Client Executive, PRecious Communications

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