What it’s really like working remotely in a 12-hour different time zone

11 months ago, I returned to B12 after graduating from NUS Business School. I became the first official hire based in Singapore, living in a 12/13-hour different time zone. People often ask me what it’s like. My answer: It’s not what I imagined it to be.

Working remotely, especially when your team is on the other side of the world, means working asynchronously. It involves a lot of trust - from my bosses and colleagues that I’ll be just as productive, if not more when I’m working in the comforts of my home.

In this post, I want to cover some of my personal thoughts and experiences about remote work. It has been, for the most part, positive.

Minimal expenses

Say goodbye to exorbitant rent prices, subway fees, high taxes, and $20 USD+ lunches. Once you’re working from home (and in Singapore too), you’ll save a significant amount of money. The food here is inexpensive, you hardly travel anyway since your office is five steps away from your bed and you live in a rent-free HDB flat thanks to your parents! And if you’re incredibly lucky to have leftovers from dinner, you don’t even have to spend a single dollar to feed yourself.

Meetings that matter

I’m thankful that my company has a remote-first policy and is sensitive to the time differences we have. Yes, my meetings are held late at night (sometimes, till 1 am), but they are very respectful of my time. I have time blocked out on certain weekdays where no meetings are scheduled so that I can have nights out with my friends or just a night to spend some time doing whatever I wish to do. With the little time we have together, it’s important for us to only hold meetings that matter.

More time for myself (and my family)

Zero commute time, zero set working hours, what’s not to like? I can work out anytime I want (especially when it’s off-peak hours at the gym), spend time with my grandma during the weekdays (while doing productive work at her place), and have less exposure to illnesses. In fact, since my work schedule is flexible, I can do things that won’t be possible in a traditional office setting: sing out loud to my favorite songs, take a refreshing power nap, or bust out my favorite dance moves.

Fewer distractions

A time difference gives me the freedom to work without distraction. Working remotely frees me from the standard workplace distractions such as the water-cooler talks and occasional loud office music. Not that this was a huge issue to me personally. I loved asking Alexa to play Christmas tunes in the middle of summer and have it play for the entire office.

Socializing isn't as natural as it used to be

The “loneliness of the long-distance worker” is a double-edged sword. On one hand, solitude can be immensely beneficial to produce quality work in your own time. On the other hand, it gets extremely lonely when you don’t have someone to go on coffee breaks with. Nothing beats a good old walk in the park with a cup of coffee in your hand and a solid 30 minute chat with your colleague. But we do what we do best, adapting to circumstances.

It was tough at first but I’ve made it a point to hold at least one 1-1 sync with my fellow coworkers every 2 weeks. The disconnect I’ve been feeling has gradually subsided and has helped me to be more motivated at work. :)

Work and life balance is a struggle

Work-life balance is an elusive goal for so many of us - and I am still struggling with this. After multiple trials and errors, from switching my waking hours to suit the New York time zone, to taking caffeine at 7 pm SGT, and so many other attempts that aren’t scientifically proven, I’ve found a decent way to create boundaries for work and personal time. Kind of.

To those who are also struggling with this, I found this simple and helpful:

1. Decide on when you start and end work every day. Not a hard and fast rule but it’ll reset your mind to knowing that you only have this amount of time to do work-related things.

2. Identify 3 work things that you want to accomplish each day and work on the easy ones first to gain momentum.

3. Check off each task to give yourself an instant sense of accomplishment.

There you go - 5 things I realized in the span of 11 months working in my bedroom! I certainly don't think that my current work arrangement is sustainable, mostly due to personal preferences and my personality. However, I'll make sure that I take advantage of my current circumstances. There are always pros and cons to any situation, you just got to review and reflect at a different angle to see the positives. Appreciation is key!