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Jenxi Seow

The world through my eyes

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Lifestyle

Compartmentalising

April 3, 2021 by Jenxi Seow

I have a habit of compartmentalising my routines. This helps me to minimise distractions and focus better.

Browsing

Safari is my primary browser. I have different windows running for different mindset I’m in. There is a window for marketing work, a window for designs and coding, a window for consuming content, and a window for content creation.

By putting what I do in different windows, I get into that mindset when I’m in that particular window.

Notes

As I get older, I find myself having to write down things more or I would forget them. I believe it is partly due to the information overload that we get nowadays, coupled with a less-used memory capacity.

Gone are the days when we had to memorise phone numbers and addresses. If you need any information, it’s all probably in your phone. Or you could just do an internet search.

I make quick notes in Apple Notes . It is the inbox for most information. These then get expanded upon and moved to Basecamp or Bear, depending on whether they are work or personal notes. When I read, I write down my thoughts. In this case, the notes go directly into Bear.

For meetings, I prefer not to touch my phone to avoid distractions and, more importantly, show respect to the people in the meeting. I would take notes in my pocket notebook with my trusty Lamy AL-Star

RSS feeds

I used to read both on my phone and laptop. However, I started the habit of taking notes when I read as part of my mindfulness exercise when reading. I think as I read, so I write down my thoughts as they pop up in my head. These often end up as blog drafts or outlines.

It is very hard to take notes while reading RSS feeds on the phone, so I stopped reading my feeds on the phone. My RSS reader of choice is Reeder.

Books

When I read books, I highlight text and write notes. I’ll share more about why I do that in another article. But this happens more when I read non-fiction books. So I keep my non-fiction reading on the MacBook and read fiction books when I’m on the phone.

I still highlight text on the phone, but I don’t take notes.

Emails

I only check my emails on the laptop. The Mail app on my phone is only for emergencies in case I need to reply or check an urgent message. Other than that, my emails are checked once or twice daily when I’m on the MacBook.

Despite being a firm believer of communicating via emails instead of having meetings, I also limit the time I spend going through emails each day because it can suddenly be a slippery slope down a rabbit hole that eats up a huge chunk of time.

Conclusion

These are some of the ways I help myself to stick to my habits. They minimise distractions and help me to focus. More importantly, they creating a mental state that puts me in the mood for each routine.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Habit, Lifestyle, Productivity

Standing work desk

March 2, 2020 by Jenxi Seow

I have a habit of standing while I work so I use a standing work desk.

This habit started from my days as a retail pharmacist. When I was practicing as a pharmacist, I spent a good portion of my working hours standing at the pharmacy counter. We have a tall stool for the pharmacist, but it was usually uncomfortable. Moreover, I disliked having to perch myself on it, only to step off to serve a customer. Sometimes we get a bit too comfortable sitting there too.

I prefer to be on my feet and ready to step out to talk to customers. I didn’t want to be sitting all day at work. Besides, standing helps to burn off some of those calories. Thus, I developed the habit of standing during working hours.

I got a standing desk for RMB 169. The desk area is perfect for my 16″ and 15″ MacBook Pros with space for me to write on a notebook and plug in some external drives. The downside of this desk is that I can’t work with both laptops on the desk. It is tempting to get a larger desk but I can live with swapping the laptops around in exchange for a smaller footprint.

Caught Xiaobao red-pawed snooping on the MacBook Pro I left on the floor. One moment he was munching on kibble, the next he was punching on the keyboard. Alright, I kid. He knows better than to touch my stuff. I also count myself lucky that he’s such an angel and doesn’t touch any wires or cables.

When I sit too much, I get lower back pains. Standing has a lot of benefits. I’m on my feet and I shuffle around when I’m in the flow, or when some upbeat music comes on. Motion helps to keep my mind jogging. I thrive when I work standing.

My standing desks are at the optimal height for me so my arms are at a comfortable angle to work on my laptop. If the desk is too low or too high, my wrist would start to hurt. Think of the carpal tunnel risk!

Since I work barefooted at home, I have an anti-fatigue standing mat to support my foot arches. I was skeptical when I saw this RMB 90 mat on Taobao, but it is given how pampered we are with making the returns here in China, I didn’t really think twice to order it. You can return most products bought off Taobao with no questions asked, and the seller or Taobao itself will bear the cost of return shipping.

The quality of the mat is superb and well worth the money spent. I’m comfortable standing at my desk. It has also become Xiaobao’s preferred place to laze around while I work. It’s also one of the few spots in the house where he would gladly land his diva bum on during winter.

The mat is surprisingly thick. It is soft enough to be comfortable to stand on, yet firm enough to provide ample support. The tapered sides help make it look deceivingly thin. The mat is heavier than I expected. Its material is very sturdy and once you put it on the ground it is hard to move it without lifting it up, so you don’t have to worry about it shifting.

I’ll leave you with a couple of photos to show how Xiaobao has claimed the mat as his.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Habit, Lifestyle, Work

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