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Working remotely is a trend made possible today thanks to modern technology and it seems to be a more convenient option for both employers and employees as compared to the traditional way of going to the office to get work done. Although, some employers are still hesitant when it comes to remote work despite the fact that remote work is here to stay.
Working remotely (especially working from home), despite its advantages and convenience, has its drawbacks that require a bit of discipline to stay productive but if care is not taken can lead to burnout also known as work from home burnout.
Due to the convenient nature of working from home, one might be tempted to work extra hours or even extra days of the week including weekends when you might be free normally to catch up with life. This series of overworking is the fastest way to burnout as you invest time meant for resting into work. The shift to remote work has blurred the lines between personal and professional life for most people leading to a feeling of entrapment and reduced energy to do anything, whether work-related or otherwise.
Burnout is something that most of us will get to experience (in our professional lives) in one way or the other but thankfully, there are ways we can make sure that doesn’t get to be the case. Let us take a look at some ways to avoid it.
Maintain normal routine
Adhering to a normal routine is one of the easiest ways to avoid work from home burnouts as it ensures that work hours doesn’t extend into resting hours regardless of where you are working. This could be by avoiding work-related tasks once time for work is up. Also, continue performing the activities you normally would when you weren’t working remotely if that was ever the case to trick your body into a productive routine. For example, you could continue taking a walk and calling your best friend every morning to mimic her normal ‘walk and talk’ commute. While working remotely necessitates flexibility, you’ll want to maintain boundaries around working hours so you don’t find yourself at your desk even when your day is technically over.
Set up a workspace
This step is necessary if you don’t have a home office setup for work. Creating a comfortable and office-like environment could put you in the work mood and boost your productivity beyond what you could achieve working from your couch or bed. This helps to keep distractions to a minimum and also helps you to stay away from your bed as much as possible.
Recognise what you don’t know and learn
Working remotely or from home is a new skill to many and doesn’t come naturally to many. Identify what you need to learn to boost your career and also try learning the skills necessary to stay productive while working from home, including building relationships virtually as well as maintaining a healthy work and family life balance. Consider taking a few free courses on LinkedIn.
Stay in touch
The feeling of loneliness is common in this period of self-isolation but it is particularly intense for those working remotely. For most people, video conferencing is all it takes to connect with others while a voice call might suffice for others. The importance of human interactions cannot be overemphasized no matter what you do and this is no exception as it is important to remind ourselves that we are not in it alone
Be kind to yourself
It can seem like you are not doing enough especially since you can always be working since you are home and this is the main reason why it is important to resist the urge to work all the time and be available to managers and colleagues. Making time for yourself to recover physically and mentally could make all the difference when trying to avoid burnouts. Remember, everyone is doing their best, including you.
Burnouts can occur whether you are working remotely or not as all it requires to occur is performing a task or activity repetitively, which is mostly true for the majority of our jobs whether you work remotely or not. Therefore, some of the points highlighted above could be applied even when you no longer work remotely as burnouts are still something to be wary of.