Many of you have been working from home for nearly a year. The days can start to get fuzzy, and your workday and personal life quickly begin to blend. Some of you may even be working from home permanently because of the pandemic, causing workers to balance their daily work duties and personal responsibilities simultaneously. As a result, people are on the edge of burnout. If you are in this position or nearing it, there are a few simple things you can do to take back control and mitigate these anxious feelings. Here are five things you can do to avoid work from home burnout this year.
Identify what is making you feel overwhelmed
First of all, it is essential to identify what is making you feel overwhelmed while working from home. Is it the never-ending emails? Or is it the persistent feeling to always be available? Whatever is causing your burnout, address the issue head-on, and work towards a solution. If the cause of this feeling is more significant, have a one-on-one meeting with your manager to resolve it.
Schedule “quiet hours”
Scheduling “quiet hours” is a great way to focus on essential tasks for an hour or to take an uninterrupted lunch break. If Microsft Teams notifications or emails are distracting you, snooze your notifications for a bit to complete an important deadline or task. You can also set up these quiet hours when you log off for the day to prevent you from feeling the need always to be connected to work. It only takes a few moments to set up these quiet hours, and you can even schedule them to turn on daily to help avoid work from home burnout.
Create a dedicated workspace
Creating a dedicated workspace helps working from home feel more like work. It forms a boundary between your home and personal life from your work. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a home office to work out of, but it will help create that work-from-home division if you have a dedicated workstation. Whether it’s your dining room table, a tv tray, or a card table in your living room, keep your work there and avoid venturing to other areas of your home. If you aimlessly work throughout your home, you will struggle to fight the feeling of always being at work. If you can set up a dedicated workspace, it will help you avoid feeling burnt out.
Treat your day like any other workday
When working remotely, it is crucial to treat your workday like any other day. Take a few short breaks throughout the day, take a lunch break, or take a few minutes to step away from your desk. If there is a routine you do while working on-site, try to mimic that at home. If you take a 30-minute lunch break at the office, do so at home. Step away from your computer for that time, eat some lunch, go for a walk, or whatever it is you do on your break. If you treat your WFH day like a typical workday, it will help you fight the feeling of burnout.
Take that much-needed time off
Finally, to mitigate the feeling of work from home burnout, take that much-needed time off. It may not be as tempting with a lack of places to spend your vacation time, but it is essential to step away from work. Taking time off from work will improve your mental health, help improve your work satisfaction, and help you feel rejuvenated and more productive when you return. There is nothing wrong with taking a stay-cation to enjoy a break from work!
These are just five ways you can avoid the feeling of burnout when working from home. If you are still feeling overworked or unhappy with your current career, it may be time to move on. If you are in this position, check out our job board. Your next career opportunity awaits!
