Working From Hawaii

Written on March 22, 2020.

My colleagues and I used to joke that Working from Home (WFH) actually meant Working from Hawaii. I bet after a week of working from home, social distancing or self-isolation, nobody feels like they are on holidays, probably a little worse for wear and more wound up than unwound.  

However, I have been trying to think of the silver lining in these testing times, I found an interesting fact about Isaac Newton that I thought was worth sharing.

“When the Great Plague of London was going around in 1665, Cambridge University shut down and Isaac Newton was forced to stay home. During this time, he invented calculus, part of the optic theory and allegedly, while sitting in his garden, he saw an apple fall from a tree that inspired his understanding of gravity and the laws of motion.” 

I am an advocate for the importance of alone time. Now more than ever we as a society need to slow down, take some time to think, create, invent and breath. I often catch myself on auto-pilot at work and home going from one task to another, we are all guilty of it. This is more a challenge these days with a 15-month-old baby and a very busy household but I still try to carve out some thinking time every day, even if it is only for 5 minutes. 

Maybe during this time one of the hidden blessings or silver linings will be someone will invent or create something that will have a profound positive impact for our planet and humanity, maybe that someone is you. 

So take some time today, check-in with yourself and take a few deep breaths and let your mind wander.

Stay at home, wash your hands and stay safe,

Regards, Working from Hawaii (WFH)