How to Avoid Burnout While Working Remotely? 5 easy ways
<In 2021, more and more people are working remotely. Remote work is also increasing in popularity, as more people come to appreciate its benefits. Nevertheless, despite the value and opportunities that working remotely can provide, it is deeply imperative to avoid burnout.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- What is Burnout?
- How to Identify Signs of Burnout
- Three Signs You Are Suffering from Burnout
- How to avoid Burnout?
- Conclusion
What is Burnout?
Burnout happens when you reach peak exhaustion levels, due to continuous stress; burnout can happen not just physically, but also mentally and emotionally. As you can imagine, burnout also happens to be terrible for your health and your quality of work.
By the time you reach a place of burnout, you’re at a significantly higher risk of contracting health problems, according to Psychology Today. Some examples of the health issues you could face include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Fatigue
- Heartburn
- Headaches
- Greater likelihood of substance/alcohol abuse
Your quality of work suffers as well if you do not avoid burnout. Without the necessary energy to put into your work, you won’t be able to give it your all. In fact, you are much more likely to make mistakes or forget things during burnout. All of this is important to keep in mind, especially while working remotely.
How to Identify Signs of Burnout
When partaking in remote work, it is deeply imperative to know how to identify signs of burnout. Knowing this can help you avoid burnout and save yourself a lot of aggravation.
Know If You’re Most at Risk
In most cases, burnout is likeliest to impact individuals who value their performance. Likewise, individuals who are subjected to heavy demands are also susceptible to burnout, under the right circumstances. If you are most at risk of burnout, then taking preventative measures is going to be very important.
Check How You’re Feeling
In order to identify and avoid burnout while working remotely, you need to know how you’re feeling. Do you feel energized or totally wiped out? Also, do you feel like you’re pacing yourself or merely fighting to get through an assignment? This matters, especially during remote work. If you’re wiped out and fighting to finish a project, rather than pacing yourself, you could be quickly heading towards burnout.
Three Signs You Are Suffering from Burnout
We’ve established the importance of being able to avoid burnout. However, it is also very crucial to recognize work burnout symptoms. If the following signs resonate with you, it’s time to pause and let yourself recover.
You Constantly Feel Wiped Out
It’s normal to feel spent after a busy day of work; however, if you constantly feel wiped out, day in and day out, this is a clear sign of burnout. Sometimes, burnout can speak up on you when working remotely. It can be so tempting to write one article or view one more spreadsheet; however, it’s important to take a break before (and especially when) you constantly feel wiped out.
Your Work Performance Takes a Hit
As previously stated, burnout tends to impede the quality of work. This is one reason why lesser work performance is a strong sign you’re suffering from burnout. By the time your work performance begins to take a hit, you’ve already begun losing creative energy and struggling to concentrate. All of this ultimately boils down to a lack of energy.
You’re No Longer Interested in Anything Else
Loss of interest in activities outside of remote work is another sign of burnout and a reason to avoid burnout. There’s nothing wrong with being passionate about your work; although, if you feel bogged down at the thought of anything other than work, this strongly speaks to burnout. Many people who wrestle with burnout begin to lose interest in other activities; things that were once enjoyable and provided work-life balance now feel like a drag.
How to avoid Burnout?
It matters to know the signs you are suffering from burnout; it’s also just as important to know what steps you can take to avoid burnout. To remain healthy, energized, and free of burnout while working remotely, be mindful of the following tips.
1. Take Frequent Breaks
When sitting down in front of your laptop, it can be very tempting to try knocking out every single project at once. However, this is not the healthiest decision; it can certainly trigger burnout in the long run and actually hinder your productivity.
As you’re working remotely, be sure to take frequent breaks. Take time for yourself to eat, stretch, or even distance yourself from your workspace for a bit. Doing this lets your mind recuperate and recharge; it also helps ensure that when you get back to your work, you’re in a better condition to do your job well.
2. Practice Self Care
Self care goes hand in hand with the ability to avoid burnout. Some great and easily accessible means of self care are as follows:
- Getting six to eight hours of sleep each night
- Eating a healthy diet
- Exercising a few times per week
- Spending time with loved ones
When you practice self care, you are able to be the best and healthiest version of yourself. This, in turn, allows you to be effective and productive while working remotely. At the end of the day, self care goes a very long way towards steering clear of burnout. If you need assistance, make use of self-care apps, too.
3. Establish a Routine
Just like taking frequent breaks and practicing self care, establishing a routine is another awesome way to prevent burnout. Putting a routine in place helps maintain structure and focus; routines also allow you to schedule time for breaks and determine how you want to work. Ultimately, established routines go hand in hand with order and boundaries. Many of the world’s highly successful individuals have constructive routines set in place.
4. Exercise
As previously mentioned, exercise is one excellent form of self care. Moreover, it also plays a role in allowing you to avoid burnout. When you get your body moving, a series of feel good hormones are released by the brain. Hormones like dopamine and serotonin go a very long way in boosting your emotional and mental energy; suffice it to say, a strong emotional and mental state goes hand in hand with avoiding burnout.
5. Automate Tasks
In today’s world, you want to work smarter, rather than harder. It is for this reason that automating certain tasks while working remotely makes a huge difference. Apps like ezClocker, GorillaDesk, and Jobber are excellent business tools for task automation. By automating tasks, you can save time and improve productivity, while also avoiding burnout.
In Conclusion
In so many ways, remote work is a brave new world. Working remotely has opened up many opportunities and changed the way that people look at work. With that being said, the need to avoid burnout is still very much critical.
Don’t be afraid to take things in stride while working remotely. Remembering how to identify burnout and knowing the signs of burnout matters just as much as avoiding burnout. Never forget that in order to make the most of remote work, you have to be in a good place yourself. This means knowing when to take breaks, setting up a routine that works for you, and engaging in self care.
By avoiding burnout, you are in the best position to be the greatest version of yourself, both personally and in the workforce.