This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Clarence Koh, 30, a software engineer who lives in Singapore but works US hours. It’s been edited for length and clarity.
When I was studying computer science at a university in Singapore, I joined a one-year overseas work-and-study program meant to encourage entrepreneurship.
I was supposed to spend the year in Toronto, taking classes at a host university while interning at a startup. But because of the pandemic, I had to stay in Singapore and complete the program remotely.
On my first day as an intern, the startup announced it was being acquired by a US company. I stayed on through the transition and returned to school to finish my degree after the program ended.
After graduating, I reached out to my former manager to see if there were any remote opportunities. It turned out there were, so I joined the company full-time.
Initially, I worked mostly Singapore daytime hours, with only part of my schedule shifted to the night. However, the arrangement felt inefficient. Everything was delayed by a day: Someone might reply to a question at night, and I would only be able to act on it the next day. I worried that it made me seem like I was always a step slower than everyone else.
Eventually, my manager and I agreed it made more sense for me to shift to a schedule that aligned more closely with the rest of the US-based team.
I shifted my workday to Singapore’s nights
I usually wake up around noon and start work at around 2 to 3 p.m. Singapore time. It’s the middle of the night in the US, but I like having that focused time to myself, when I can get most of my actual work done.
At night, when more of my team is online, there are meetings to attend and messages to respond to. It can be disruptive, and I find it harder to get into the zone.
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