Because of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, millions of people made the sudden transition to remote work, or work-from-home. Naturally, the transition can be difficult for some people and can even be the reason behind work burnout, even while at home. So how do you avoid it?
Tips To Avoid Burnout From Working From Home
Even though the prospect of working on their bed in their pajamas every day is an exciting thought for many, the truth is that the majority of us who are all forced to suddenly work from home because of the coronavirus pandemic are finding the transition difficult and a bit tricky to navigate.
What seems like freedom for others may just mess up with schedules that others follow for structure. All of a sudden, the line between work and non-work seem blurry, including the working hours. This can lead to burnout, which is a common problem among employees.
So how do you avoid it for yourself? Here are some tips we can offer:
Follow a semblance of a schedule
The truth is, working from home has become very tricky for a lot of us because of the fact that we thrive in structure and schedules. We know when to wake up, ride the train, start at the office and leave it on time. Working from our homes throws all of this away, pushing some of us to either be lazy or work extremely long hours. And so following a schedule every day (even if it’s vague) can restore some of the balance in our lives and help keep our mindset focused on the matter at hand.
Create temporal boundaries
This comes alongside compassion and understanding and perceiving that what may work for you may not work for others, especially when it comes to work-time budgets. The key is to simply be conscious and respectful of others while you’re in a different setting now. Try to arrive at a schedule that can work for everyone and work your way from there. You may even need to check-in with them from time to time just to ask how they’re faring up. Keeping a sense of normalcy is crucial here.
Focus on your most important work
Because no one is looking over their shoulder, most employees may tend to be online all the time, which is an easy recipe for burnout. Rather, prioritize your most important work and devote your energy to that. Now’s the time to focus on top-priority issues during the time where we are most productive and to stop squeezing in work when we have “a few minutes” during our downtimes. This is counterproductive and will just further blur the line between home and work.
