Pandemic Reflections - Felista Karanja

Meet Felista Karanja. Felista is an Associate Project Consultant with InScope Project Management & Consulting. Through InScope, she's working as a Program Coordinator for a project with BellMTS. Felista graduated from our Project Management Diploma in 2019. We asked her to reflect on how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted her work-life.

"Before COVID-19, I was going to work in downtown from 9AM – 5PM. I enjoyed the fact that I would go to work and have the opportunity to see and interact with my teammates. I also enjoyed the grapevine conversations and the fun events we had for team building.

There have been a lot of changes since I started working remotely. In terms of productivity, there has not been so much change. I am still as productive while working from home as I was in the office which I am happy about. I miss the office experience though, especially having face-to-face interactions with the people I work with.

I have learned a lot over the weeks. The first lesson is remaining disciplined and consistent with my work routines. I decided to keep my day planning and end-of-day reflection routine just as I did while working at the office which helps me meet deadlines and stay focused. I have also learned the importance of detailed and clear communication even in things that do not seem very important or urgent.

I continue to ensure that no stone is left unturned when it comes to sharing information, challenges, work progress, and possible solutions with my teammates. More so, giving gratitude to people has become even more meaningful to me during this time. I have realized that it goes a long way to show your teammates that you appreciate them especially now that we are all distant from each other.

For me, the best way to cope with the change is to ensure that I am in contact with family back in Kenya and with my friends here and around the globe. I also take care of myself by doing things that are fun and meaningful to me.

In addition, dedicating myself to personal growth is huge to me and I feel better when I know that I am doing something to enable my personal, spiritual ,and career development, therefore, I have scheduled time to read books, journal, create YouTube videos and work-out. My InScope Project Management & Consulting Inc. team and the BellMTS P25 project team have also greatly contributed to my coping because they continue to uphold the essence of togetherness which make me feel and believe that I belong.

Do not stop learning and growing, bringing your dreams to life. Dream big, plan, and execute. You can do it!

This is our new normal and the best we can do is adjust for the better as the world changes.”