A lot of people don’t work in traditional offices and prefer to work remotely, more so in the current scenario, work from home has become the new trend. So, in such a circumstance what can we do to keep working efficiently and avoid a burnout. While none of us has given up and we have all made ‘where there is a will there is a way’ our motto in life, working remotely can have its disadvantages and can lead to burnout very often and can negatively impact your working capacity. To help you out in such a case, here are a few tips to avoid a burnout while working remotely:
- Set up a space to work comfortably
Being uncomfortable or not having a proper office setup can lead to frustration and stress, so if you don’t have a dedicated home office, try to design an area, even if it’s just in a corner of your bedroom. That said, stay away from your bed as it’s not only bad for your posture, but it also creates too little distinction between work and rest. If you’re at home with someone, claim some space as your own to keep distractions to a minimum.
- Maintain physical and social boundaries
Anything that you can do to create structure and boundaries for your work and to separate your professional time from your personal time will be really helpful. So, for some people, that is creating a daily commute for themselves, like getting dressed and going for a walk and making a coffee and going into the home office. For other people, it’s just a psychological separation, like in between work and personal time reading a chapter of a book that has nothing to do with work or doing a mindfulness activity or something like that.
- Build digital relationships
Social isolation is a very common concern for a lot of people who are new to remote work. But remember that your co-workers are only one part of your social network, so make an intentional effort to also build relationships in this new genuine way with your friends and family and loved ones as well. Talk to your neighbours. Talk to members of your community. It’ll do wonders!
- Take care of your health- physical and mental
You are required to take a break every certain number of minutes and to sit in a certain way at your desk with a certain height of laptop and certain type of chair, the room needs to be in a certain temperature etc… Your employer is taking care of that for you in a workplace, so when you start working remotely, that is now your responsibility to manage your own health, so make sure that you are getting up and moving on a regular basis, because there are so many health and safety tactics and strategies that are neglected just because we don’t know what we don’t know.
- Maintain a consistent schedule
Having some type of psychological trigger for your brain is very helpful, so it doesn’t necessarily matter what time it is, but creating consistency for your brain that says, ‘this is work time’ and ‘this is personal time,’ will really help with that. So, if that’s waking up at the same time and working the same hours, that’s great. Or if it is going for a walk every single day before you start working, that’s great, too, or whatever, like just creating some type of consistency, whether it’s a habit or an item or a location or a time.
- Know when to log off and take a break
This can be one of the most challenging aspects for remote work beginners, as the world is becoming increasingly connected. Though you may receive emails and chat notifications at any hour (especially if you’re working in a different time zone than your co-workers), it’s important to develop a habit of setting a time when you officially “log off” for the day. The best part of working remotely is having the flexibility to work when you are most productive, so be careful about setting the standard that you are available for work 24/7.
Working remotely is most often linked to stress and major health issues. Burnout happens very quickly in most of the cases and it reduces the quality of your work. It is very important to follow all these techniques and give space and time to your own self. Do something that works for you, by doing so you will effectively overcome all obstacles attached to your work!