We are all looking forward to the day we can safely return to our workplaces. Especially for those in management positions, it has been a difficult season full of extra work expectations and increased loneliness. Delegating tasks has become a burdensome task, and creating a positive work environment has grown almost impossible with many businesses, as most employees cannot gather together. This has led to many mentally exhausted remote workers.
With workers growing increasingly tired of the current circumstances, combatting this exhaustion has become the forefront of many corporations’ discussions. While the circumstances cannot be changed at the present moment, some plans of action can be put in place by individuals to avoid burnout while working remotely.
Have an Activity to Mark the End of Your Day
For most of corporate America, a commute home at the end of the workday was an everyday occurrence. This was often a time to decompress and leave work behind for the day. However, now that many are working from their bedrooms or a makeshift home office, it can be challenging to separate your work responsibilities from your home life.
A helpful practice you can begin putting into place while working remotely is to have some sort of end-of-day-ritual to mark an end to your workday. You can end your workday by taking a walk or doing a fun activity with your roommates or family. Whatever you decide to do, make sure you have put your work aside for the day and closed out any browsers that may be tempting you to take a peek at your work again. This will help you establish some sort of work-life balance once again.
Make an Appealing Work Space at Home
It can be tempting to work from your bed, but you will find your productivity and motivation slipping when you are attempting to get important projects done from the same place you take naps in and binge-watch Netflix from.
While not everyone has the budget to do an entire home office makeover, it would still help create some sort of space aside from your bed where you can get some work done. If your office allows you to stop in to grab some of your desk decorations, bring them home and set them up in a corner or at a desk to mimic an office as best as you can. Target always has cheap bins at their entrances where you can find some decorations as well. This will help you combat burnout a bit more since you will have a designated workspace to conduct business at.
Don’t Forget to Take Breaks
It can be easy to forget to take your designated break while working from home. But you must set time aside in the middle of the day just as you would at work. During this time, you may feel tempted to have your phone on you and answer messages. You may even feel a bit guilty taking a break since you’ve been at home all day. But this is necessary for making sure you do not become overworked or exhausted from your responsibilities. It is good to be passionate about your work and want to be available for your team, but you must take some time for yourself in the middle of the day to come back refreshed again.