Burnout is one that can creep up on anyone, whether you are in a traditional office setting or in a work from home environment. As a company that has been working remotely since our agency’s inception, our team has been able to combat burnout in a variety of ways.
Below are a few of our favorite ways as individuals (and as a team) we combat burnout, maintain productivity, and stay positive in a remote setting:
- Don’t Forget to Eat (and drink): Skipping meals or scheduling remote meetings during eating time is not all that uncommon, and if you find yourself creeping in on your mealtime, you may need to reset your schedule. Not only do you need fuel to function, but it also can dual as a mental break, which is just as important at home as it is in an office setting.
- Take 5 Minute Breaks: In a traditional office setting, you naturally get up and move around to meet colleagues, etc. When you work from home, you may find yourself staring at a screen for 8+ hours straight. Setting up 60-90 min working blocks and then standing up to take a 5-minute walk around the block, getting a coffee, etc., can help give your brain a mental pause and help you be more productive.
- Exercise: It’s easy to start cutting things out of your routine (like going to the gym) when you are always at home. Exercise is essential for everyone. Even if it’s a daily 30 min walk. Exercise can help your mood, health, and overall happiness levels. We aren’t doctors, but we know healthy people are happy people!
- Leave Your Work In a Room: Having a designated space in your home where you can leave your computer, documents, etc. can help you “leave your work at work” and not carry it with you all the other hours of the day outside work hours. Even closing the door on that room can help you shift from work mode to home mode.
- Get Out of the House: Have a local cafe down the street? Add a weekly work-from-the-cafe to your routine. Maybe pick a day where you are light on meetings and spend an hour or two at a cafe to change up your scenery and get a bit of social interaction. This also can spark some creativity by getting outside your everyday environment.
- Add Social Time With Remote Teammates: One time a month, our entire team gets together on a remote call and plays a game. I guess you would equate it to an office happy hour. We break into teams, have prizes, etc.; for us, it creates an opportunity for the camaraderie that can be lost at times in remote settings.
Disable Notifications Outside Work Hours: If your team uses tools like Slack, Asana, etc., to stay connected, make sure you set quiet times outside work hours, so you aren’t getting work notifications at all hours of the day (and night). This can help you keep work from creeping into your mind 24/7.
