5 Tips to Avoid Work From Home Burnout

Many of us made the sudden transition to working from home amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s been over a year now and while life is beginning to return to normal, businesses have seen the benefits of offering employees flexibility when it comes to remote working and it looks like it is here to stay.

There are some great benefits to working from home: it provides a better work-life balance, reduces commute stress and can save you money. But there is a downside too. You miss out on valuable social interactions, weekdays begin to blend with weekends and there is a risk to productivity. It’s because of this that employees who are set to work from home long-term do the right things to avoid work from home burnout. Here are our top tips to remain happy and productive while remote working:

Create a routine

Going into the office for a certain time every day gives you a routine to stick to. Having a routine helps reduce stress levels, improves sleeps and has health benefits too. Make sure you avoid slipping into bad habits like staying in your pyjamas or working inconsistent hours each working day. Give yourself some structure and set standard times for your office hours. Creating a work from home space where you work every day that mimics the environment you’re used to in the office is another way to develop a regular routine. Buy yourself a desk and chair, invest in equipment and personalise your space to ensure you’re working in an environment where you’ll feel productive and motivated. Sticking to a routine is key to avoiding burnout, staying mentally agile and finding a good work-life balance.

Maintain physical and social boundaries

It can be easy for work and home to blend into one, making it difficult to stay productive when working and to switch off once you’re finished. You won’t have the commute to and from the office to signal boundaries between work from home, so it’s important you make an effort to maintain these boundaries when working remotely. Put your work clothes on each morning and consider replacing your morning commute with a short walk – we’re sure the dog would be happy with this change! These boundary-crossing activities will help you keep your home and work life separate, which is crucial for avoiding work from home burnout. Feeling like you can never switch off from work will cause stress during out of work hours and reduce your productivity during office hours.

Set temporal boundaries

Setting healthy limits during your time working from home is another trick to avoiding burnout. Balancing work with family life can sometimes be challenging, particularly with children. If you’re regularly interrupted, an easy solution is letting your family know if the door is closed you are in an online meeting and don’t want to be disturbed. This way you’ll get the privacy you need to work productively and avoid any fallouts. Another healthy boundary is to avoid eating lunch at your desk. It’s important to switch off for an hour and to avoid spending the entire day sitting by yourself. Eat with your family or head out for a walk and pick up a sandwich. You are your own best advocate, so set boundaries that will help you avoid frustration and be happy with your work from home routine.

Practice self-care

One of the issues with not having a regular routine or the right boundaries is you can stop setting aside time to be good to yourself. Take some time in your day to read, work out, walk, run, or engage in your favourite hobby. Activities and having something to look forward to are what break up our working weeks, otherwise it can feel like all the days blend into one. Creating music, joining a sports club, or meeting with some friends for a pub quiz gives you something to get excited about during the week. Exercise reduces stress and boosts productivity, and reading can help you relax or inspire creativity. Focus on what you can control and the things you’re grateful for and you will feel better about your work life.

Reduce zoom fatigue

Many of us who work from home spend a lot of time on Zoom or Teams calls. Constantly being on camera can make us feel tethered to our computer and can lead to fatigue. One of the best things you can do to avoid getting frustrated jumping from meeting to meeting is to turn self-view off. Seeing a mirrored view of ourselves can influence the way we behave in meetings, turning this off can have a positive effect on your mood and change your outlook on these meetings. Again, turning off your camera altogether can further ease the fatigue of being on camera. Opt for audio only meetings when you can to reduce the feeling that you’re tethered to your laptop and reduce the stress of regular meetings when you’re working from home.

There you have it, following our tips should help you stay productive, motivated and happy while working from home. It should also reduce the chances that remote working will impact your family life or lifestyle. If you regularly work remotely and want to create the perfect work from home space, visit the Furniture at Work website for a high-quality range of home furniture and accessories.