Working from home is extremely rewarding. Whether you’re a stay-at-home parent or a freelance professional, homework affords you an unparalleled level of flexibility and control over your schedule. Unfortunately, working from home can also be very challenging. In particular, there are a number of environmental factors that can negatively impact your productivity and lead to work from home burnout. Here’s how you can prevent work from home burnout.
Maintain Boundaries
Many workers report feeling just as busy, if not busier, than their in-office counterparts. Unless they set strict parameters for themselves and set out to separate work hours from personal time, telecommuting can easily blur the lines between work time and playtime. Oftentimes, remote workers fall victim to burnout simply because they’re not protecting themselves adequately. Setting up boundaries that keep work hours separate from personal time is essential for remote workers to enjoy all that working from home has to offer.
Try and Be Social
Being isolated from the rest of the office can lead to burnout. To prevent this, don’t give up your social life just because you’re at home. Keep in touch with friends and coworkers that live or work near you via virtual meetings. You can also schedule outdoor activities like playing tennis or meeting for coffee with your coworkers or family members.
Take Breaks when Needed
It’s easy to add unnecessary pressure on yourself. Taking one step at a time can save you from professional burnout when you work from home. Pushed too hard to try to achieve 10x results in half the time? You may also experience physical fatigue when you work from home and forget to take breaks and rest your eyes and body.
Prioritize Self-Care
Self-care can come in different forms and look different for everyone. Although working from home and delegating tasks to others is exciting, it can also be very taxing. To ensure that you prevent burnout, unplug every once in a while and do something that makes you feel recharged and refreshed. Make sure you’re taking care of yourself by practicing healthy habits such as eating well, exercising, and getting adequate sleep.
Communication Is Key
If you are working remotely, make an effort to connect with your colleagues and bosses as often as possible. Every now and then, hop on a video call so everyone can see what’s going on in the virtual office. For those working from home, it is easy to feel isolated and alone at times so take time to catch up with your coworkers and boss by email, phone, or video chat.