How to prevent burnout while working from home

My experience working from home

I have been working from home for the past 10 years, so I have learned a few things along the way.

I will share what I have learned, not only so that you can avoid burnout during this time of Covid-19, but so that you endure working from home for the rest of your life if that’s what you end up doing.

How to avoid burnout while workin at home

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, more and more people are working from home. The results have been mixed. Some people are already suffering from wfh burnout while others have found an increase in productivity and efficiency.

The positive side of working from home

There are so many positive ramifications. I will mention a few:

If you are the kind of person who prepared lunch the night before, now you don’t have to. You can prepare lunch right before eating lunch.
If you are the kind of person who used to buy lunch at work, now you will save lots of money on eating at home and the food you eat will probably be more healthy.
If you used to get dressed up for work, now you don’t have to. If you are in a Zoom meeting, you just need to dress up from the waist up.
You can save lots of money on clothing and makeup.
One of the things that people disliked the most was the commute to work, now you just need to walk a few steps to your desk.
Many people didn’t like all the distractions at work. Now you have a different set of distractions, the distractions at home, but for the most part, it’s a positive tradeoff.
Your time is more flexible, you can work earlier or later, or take your breaks whenever you want to.
You could become more productive.

Not everyone is celebrating working from home

For many, working from home can lead to burnout. The division line between work and rest is disappearing and some employees could take a bigger load than they can handle.

Other employees have to deal with work and taking care of their kids, which is a huge challenge. Finally, too many zoom meetings could leave anyone completely drained and burnout.

We are in the midst of a pandemic that has forced millions of people to lockdown and work from home.

Additional challenges could be:

Spending 24 hours a day with your partner
Having your kids at home all the time and not giving them an option to go out and play with other kids
Not having a social life to clear your mind for work or from staying at home

Working from home tips

Build a routine

Your hours are completely different. See what works for you and try to stick to it. We humans, we need routines to ground us. Set the working hours, the nonworking hours, and the breaks in between. For example, you could decide to close your computer and your phone at 6:00 pm and devote time to your nonwork activities. Once you stick to a routine, it will be easy to follow it. We, humans, are animals of habits.

Be flexible

No matter how good you plan your day, expect the unexpected. Things will happen and you have two choices; to be upset about it or to accept it as the new reality and be flexible.

In fact, we have never really been in control of our lives. Many times we have the illusion of control, but control has never been there. Now that reality has become evident. The sooner your mind becomes more flexible the higher the probabilities of avoiding burnout.

Find a dedicated space for work

Sure, not all of us have a house with a spare bedroom which we can use as an office, but we have to try to find a dedicated space for our work. This space could be the kitchen table when others are not using it, or a small corner of the living room.

The sooner you can find a dedicated space to work, the sooner you will be able to separate work from the rest of your day. This separation is essential to give your mind a rest and you will have more mental and physical energy the next day when you sit down to continue working.

Be aware of other’s schedule

Don’t book a zoom meeting at a time when the kids are hungry and will be begging you for food, or at a time when you know your partner will also have a zoom meeting. If you are aware of each other’s schedule, you can avoid a lot of unnecessary conflicts.

Don’t skip meals or don’t overeat

My biggest problem is that I live in the same apartment as my refrigerator and I feel that my refrigerator is always enticing me. It’s very easy for me to gain a few pounds just by having food only five steps away.

Try to set limits on the amount of food you will eat or on your eating times. If you skip to that discipline, you might be able to survive this pandemic without becoming obese.

Conversely, if you are one of those people who focus intensely on work, then set a time when you have to stop and have something to eat.

Continue nourishing your relationships

Get into a habit of calling regularly your family members or close friends. We are social creatures and thrive in the company of others. I make it a point to make at least one phone call to a family member or a friend to say hello.

Do some exercise

It could be 15 minutes or stretching or a 20-minute walk. Physical activity helps your brain and immune system. When you finish your walk, you will feel refreshed.

Don’t’ hesitate to ask for help

We live in a country (Canada) where the government cares for its people and has all kinds of programs to help those who are suffering from extreme stress, anxiety, and/or burn out. The government of Canada has a program to take care of its citizen’s mental and physical health during the Covid-19 pandemic. Don’t hesitate to give them a call.

Summer is here, take a break

Taking a break to avoid burnout

The sunny days are back and the temperature is gorgeous. Take advantage of going outside and get some vitamin D. To avoid burnout is essential to stop working and take a break. It will make your immune system stronger, and your mind will feel refreshed, ready to tackle the madness of work

Try to have a healthy diet.

We are what we eat. In this time of Covid-19, we need to increase our defenses and our level of energy as much as possible. Having a healthy diet is of great importance. Cutting down, sugars, processed foods, and meat will help you be in better shape to fight the virus and to fight burnout. I switched to a plant-based diet about two years ago and my immune system has never felt better.

Conclusion

LIfe is not normal right now and we don’t know how long it would be before a cure is found. Many of us are under high-stressful conditions and maybe we can not give our best performance at work. But your expectations need to adapt to the circumstances. Just do your best and let go of any perfectionism or the expectation that you could be as efficient at work as before the pandemic.

Support this blog

You can support this blog by:

Using our Amazon Affiliate link.
Subscribing to our YouTube Channel.
Subscribing to our podcast through your favorite podcast app.
Making a donation of $1, $2, or $5.
Subscribing to our newsletter. We send one email every Sunday with a summary of the week.

Related Posts