As convenient and beneficial as remote work is, it’s quite easy to experience burnout and get tired quickly, especially if we consider the events surrounding the current pandemic.
Some days begin with a huge burst of energy that dies down as the day goes on, and there are days you can’t seem to work your way through the fatigue you feel.
This might seem not very clear to you since your home is supposed to be a more relaxing environment than the conventional tension-brewing workspaces.
In case you were wondering, these are the reasons you might feel tired while working from home:
1. Longer working hours
You might have noticed that you are working longer hours than you usually would at the office. This could be because your workload has increased or because you are going out of your way to show productivity so that you do not give your bosses the impression are slacking in your duties.
What you can do: Create a daily to-do list try to finish them before the stipulated time and eliminate distractions that could deter you.
Another critical thing to do is to communicate with your bosses regularly by updating them on the progress of your deliverables and discussing any challenges you might be having in completing them during the day. This way, they might be able to step in to help you out, and you won’t have to put yourself under so much pressure, battling with work till the wee hours of the night.
2. Bad habits
Your home is your comfort zone, so you might find yourself indulging in certain habits to help you relax and feel better. Habits like eating lots of junk food, slouching and working at your desk for hours on end without taking time to exercise your muscles, could lead you to feel exhausted and burned out, quickly.
What you can do: Replace your bad habits with good ones- Indulge in healthier snacks, often exercise and put yourself on a timer: get up every two hours and take a walk to help you stretch and work your muscles.
3. Your environment
Your home environment might be causing you to feel tired, as well. If you do not have a conducive working atmosphere (which could be as a result of an overcrowded house, uncomfortable furniture, electricity issues or a lack of personal space, amongst other reasons), it could affect your efficiency and the quality of work.
What you can do: You can set boundaries during your work hours, so you don’t get distracted by family members. You can also invest in some affordable furniture, such as work desk that could help you work more comfortably. In another case, you could decide to look for co-working spaces in your residential area, where you can work conveniently, for a fee.
4. Stress & anxiety
It’s so easy to get overwhelmed during this period, as our minds are always trying to process a lot of information at the same time, from news regarding the pandemic to issues of crime, tragedies and other societal problems.
We also often get entangled in the web of worries regarding personal issues such as our finances, health, career growth and more. As our minds race with anxious thoughts and concerns, we become more tired and stressed out.
What you can do: Try to avoid anxiety-inducing information by unplugging from social media and the daily news to relax, read a book, take a walk, listen to music or watch relaxing content. Doing this will help you combat daily exhaustion.
5. Meeting overload
Social distancing guidelines have led to an increase in videoconferencing and virtual meetings. You’ve probably attended more meetings on Zoom and Microsoft Teams than you have in the past. Attending meetings, back-to-back regularly could lead you to experience fatigue, due to the amount of focus required and the excessive screen time involved.
What you can do: While you might be unable to opt-out from these meetings, you can schedule breaks in between them, to take a breather and stretch your muscles.
Also, if you discover that audio-visual participation during these meetings often makes you feel more anxious/ stressed out, you can take permission to participate via audio-only, in the meantime.
