I’ve had a song called “On vacation all my life” by Italian singer-songwriter Irene Grandi in my head for days.
This song has been the soundtrack of my life. . The chorus goes like this:
And why not? I’ve been on vacation all my life
(Why not?) and between downs and ups
Why, there is no reason why
(And why not?) find spring water that you drink
(Why not) under a hot sunWhy not? I live laughing
Why not? And that’s ok
During the time I worked in close contact with the hospitality world, friends and acquaintances would tell me how lucky I was to get to spend time in luxury resorts and enjoy the beauty of the places and the holiday atmosphere.
I would smile and give a vague answer, thinking instead how unfortunate I was to have to work while others were vacationing. That was my mindset at the time. My mood would turn gloomy as I saw groups of just-showered, good-smelling people on their way to enjoy the evening while I was still working and feeling the fatigue of the day.
Then, alas, with the hindsight of life experience, this is another realityI started seeing from a different perspective.
Instead of feeling gloomy, I could have mingled with the crowd of vacationers every now and then, carving out some time of lighthearted fun for myself even if I was at work. If you get down to it, I was privileged! Hair up with a pencil, I could have enjoyed the sunset over the water right from my office. And not just for a day or two, but for weeks. I could have had the luxury of seeing how the sun touched the water at different points each day as autumn drew nearer.
Remote working while on vacation
Over time, due to various needs, I had to arrange things so that I could work while I was on vacation with my family. I learned fast how to remain operative. I took calls while changing diapers, bathing and nursing the babies, and sent out emails while they were taking a nap. But I would beat up on myself for not being lucky enough to devote 100% of my time to myself or my children. Again, in hindsight, I realize the experience others (and especially my children) had of the situation was very different. After all, their mom was there 24/7. Sure, I could have definitely enjoyed it more by wearing rose- instead of gray-colored glasses. This ability has been one of the wins in my growth path.
Already trained to work from anywhere
With the corona virus pandemic, I realized I was already an expert on the method of work imposed by the lockdown that found many unprepared: working from home!
In fact, I realized I’ve been working “from anywhere” all my life. During lockdown, I observed many WFH newbies who lost their temper, felt lost, and literally went nuts due to the crowded house and interruptions at every hour of the day.
Yes, a few tips and a little practice are definitely needed to make WFH a pleasure. It takes a bit of HAPPY ORGANIZATION!
In Italy, we call work from home SmartWorking. I like that. “Smart” means intelligent, clever, ingenious, astute, elegant. I believe we all need to seize the opportunity to make our work – and our lives – smarter.
“What if we could all feel like we’re on vacation from our old life” (cf. Irene Grandi 😉)and make our lives lighter and brighter?
Happy smart workers, productive companies: It can be done!
The lockdown has forced us to change our habits so let’s help each other become proficient in this new approach.
Everyone, entrepreneurs and employees alike, are called to make the quantum leap.
Companiesshould learn to stop equating productivity to the number of hours on the time card.
And workersshould learn to be more and more aligned with the goals of the company that is giving them the chance to make a living and, at the same time, take back ownership of their life, making it one worth living! This also applies to professionals.
Let’s learn how to happily organize our days, planning our time around our deepest needs and the needs of the “other”, whoever that other may be.
September is the time for good intentions! So are you up to it? Are you ready to start?
Do you want to be smarter, more organized and happier? Read about my happy organization model.
