For more than a month most of us have been doing the work from home (WFH) routine, and we’re feeling the effects for sure. Isolation, uncertainty about the future, cabin fever … the combination is stressing out even the best of us.
We miss our co-workers (most of them, anyway). It’s great that we have Zoom meetings, but they’re just not the same. And if you’re at home with family members, you’ve probably found that it’s possible to simultaneously feel loneliness and a need for privacy.
While not having a commute is fine, that means literally no boundaries between home and office. It’s hard to concentrate on work with all the at-home distractions, but also hard to step away as the hours and days run together.
The first thing to understand is that while you may be physically alone, you’re not alone in experiencing whatever your state of mind is right now. We’re all adjusting in our own way, and some are handling things better than others, but we’re all struggling to some degree.
What to do about it? A few suggestions:
Boundaries: Have a schedule for work … and a schedule for play. When you set a finish line you protect yourself from the never-ending WFH workday. And physical boundaries are important too: give yourself a private work area if you can.
Analog time: Screen breaks should be a part of your day in any situation, but they’ve never been more important. Chances are pretty good that you’re staring at a computer screen all day, Netflix all night and your phone in between. Your brain and your eyes need relief. Try an old-fashioned book or a jigsaw puzzle instead, and put that time on your schedule too.
Move it: Exercise helps with stress and anxiety, of course, and it’s never been more important. Get a daily walk in, and if you can do that surrounded by nature instead of traffic, even better. If the weather’s not cooperating, make an exception to the screen-time rule and find workout videos you like online, but do something every day.
Connect: You may have Zoom fatigue in your business life, but it is a good tool to connect with friends and family. No, it’s not as much fun as being together, but it beats not connecting at all.
Unprecedented times call for a change in habits. These will help.
Questions about your work environment? Contact Douron.
