Many companies transitioned from working in an office to accomplishing tasks remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic. While this setup allows remote workers to stay productive despite the health crisis, it caused a longer-term risk: employee burnout.
Employees with work-from-home jobs tend to feel that the lines between work and personal life are blurring in unusual ways, especially for those who are working remotely for the first time. For example, they no longer have a sense of time. Weekdays blend with weekends, and afternoons feel like evenings. Because of this, they may feel they have to work all the time. This struggle can cause their mental health to deteriorate in the long run.
If you experience this struggle as an employee, then this guide is for you. Here are some tips you can take to avoid burnout while working from home:
Avoid multitasking
Working from home often means juggling family and work tasks. Simultaneously doing multiple tasks may seem efficient at first, but it can become counterproductive in the long run. Since your mind is never really focused on a single task, the quality of your work can suffer over time as you are more likely to make mistakes. You may also have trouble processing or retaining information when you do that.
In other words, multitasking is a waste of time. Eventually, you will realize that making this a habit actually eats up more of your time rather than saving it. That’s why you should try to work on tasks one at a time to increase your productivity and avoid burnout. Don’t forget to take a short break before moving on to the next task.
Turn off work-related notifications
Trying to work all the time by squeezing in work whenever you have several minutes to do so can significantly affect your mental health. If you find yourself responding to email responses on the weekend or pausing a movie in the evening to check feedback from a client, you are at risk of burning out over time.
One of the best ways to maintain boundaries between your work and personal life is to turn off all work-related notifications during the weekends and holidays. Note that your life shouldn’t revolve around your job, so make it a point to make time for the activities you enjoy doing and take better care of your well-being.
Create routines
One of the biggest challenges of being a remote worker is struggling to feel like you are supposed to work because you are at the comfort of your home. You can address this by creating a routine that signals your brain that it’s time to get productive.
For example, every morning, you can eat a hearty breakfast, shower, and then put on your work clothes. You should slip out of your pyjamas and get ready nonetheless, even though you are staying indoors throughout the day. Instead of your morning commute, you can replace this routine with a quick jog or a walk to a nearby park before sitting down to work.
Conclusion
Working remotely due to the pandemic requires you to make lots of changes to your lifestyle. Unfortunately, these adjustments can cause you to burn out in the long run. Note that mental health is as important as your physical health, so make sure to remember the information above to enhance your well-being. It may take weeks or even months to get used to your new routine, but you can keep a sense of normalcy in your life by following the tips listed in this guide.
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