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.
I take a break around 6:30 or 7 p.m. Singapore time and spend the evening with friends or on hobbies, like dancing or reading. I return to work around 10:30 p.m. and usually finish at about 5 a.m., when I head to bed.
I’m not really into nightlife, so the schedule doesn’t affect my social life too much. However, it does mean I have to skip certain things, like late-night dinners with friends on Fridays.
The schedule also works in my favor, since my fiancée is a nurse. Her hours can change drastically from week to week, and my flexible routine makes it easier for me to adjust around hers.
Over the past two years, I’ve also started spending more time outdoors. My work arrangement makes it easy to take short weekend trips to nearby countries to go hiking, then return on Monday and still work. I couldn’t do that with a normal 9-to-5.
The freedom comes with trade-offs
I’ve been doing this for over three years now, but I feel like this schedule isn’t something you can ever fully adjust to.
Sleeping during the day can be difficult in Singapore, especially in August, when the days are so warm. I try not to use the air conditioning while I sleep because I’m conscious of the environmental impact. But some days, the heat wakes me up, and I have to try to force myself back to sleep until noon.
Weekends can throw me off, too. People often plan events on Saturday mornings, so I might sleep earlier that night, then have to shift my schedule back again before Monday.
That said, it’s hard for me to imagine going back to a normal schedule because I value the flexibility so much. Fully remote roles are also much harder to find these days.
Occasionally, I’ll wake up early to meet a friend for breakfast and take the subway in the morning. It always shocks me how people manage to squeeze onto trains that are so crowded at 8 a.m.
I don’t know whether I’ll keep doing this in the long term. It can be tiring, and the quality of sleep isn’t great.
But I’ve learned to accept those downsides and focus on what the arrangement gives me: more control over my time and the ability to adapt my schedule around the people and things that matter to me.
