Some of us choose to work from home voluntarily since such an approach to manage our daily working routine serves us better. Some of us were severely made to do so because of the global pandemic when staying at home was a matter of saving lives. Work is work, no matter where it is done. Human beings can actually adjust to any circumstances they are put in. Therefore, those who dreaded working from home have found their way around it. The fans of living at home and working from home felt no discomfort.
However, there is a common ground that unites both camps – burnout. Honestly, any repeated routine (mostly, our jobs are about that) brings us to the line where we feel like little sense is in the process. This is a red light for us to stop and analyze when things started going South. Figuring out what triggered the feeling of being ready to quit, the most important thing is to find the way back and re-energize your potential.
Let’s have a look at what might serve well in terms of preventive measures when burnout is looming upon the horizon.
Scheduling
If scheduling is done poorly or ignored completely, then there is a chance that a chaotic approach to completing tasks and projects may result in a person becoming completely discouraged professionally. Working from home does not mean that the disciplined schedule must be ditched or taken way too easily. Of course, there is room for some comforting day planning liberties. But only some, not daily.
If scheduling seems boring, spice it up with some creativity. Make its design appealing. In most cases, it will not cost a thing. Turn to design apps and go for some free templates, stock photos, royalty free vectors, or anything else that will make your schedule so eye-appealing that you will not dare to break the written truths.
Respect your rest
Working from home does not equal working 24/7. You must believe it, your colleagues must believe it, and your boss should also join the believers’ category. Depending on how your working day is measured in hours, or a certain amount of tasks completed, you should know where the slot or slots for relaxation are.
If it’s hours we talk here – perfect. You work as productively as you can, then you devote the free time to whatever your soul craves (no, it can’t crave to have a last look on that excel doc). Another thing when you have daily deadlines, then there is a tempting option to let yourself work late nights and breaks just for the bathroom needs (if any at all).
“I have to finish” is not an excuse. Such a regime will become obnoxious to your organism and it will start rejecting everything that contributes to it, which is work itself. The good thing here is you have your beautifully designed scheduling which prevents you from sacrificing your time for meeting the deadline.
Have fun
All work and no… well, you know. If there is no positive distraction from work, that helps your brain to switch and restrict its activity away from work assignments (when there is a time for that, not during a defined working hour frame). When your head gets refreshed and your mind fills itself with new, exciting (preferably) experiences you feel more enthusiastic about getting down to work again. Having fun guarantees getting a fresh look on finding solutions to things that have seemed to be unsolvable before the fun part got involved.
Fun fuels your productivity big time. Having fun helps to release dopamine which contributes beneficially to learning, planning, and again promised skyrocketing levels of being productive. Joyful experiences, not work-wise, are a prerequisite to a more meaningful relationship with your work.
Break the routine
This one does not mean that you quit and go backpacking. Breaking the routine inclines you to approach your daily work differently. New angles on how you fulfill your professional duties are very welcomed.
The trick is that you yourself know how your working day looks and how you usually approach things you have to do. Given that, find new methods of achieving the goals. Assignments that may hit the boredom category are the most dangerous ones since they are inevitable and must be done. You can’t avoid doing it. However, you are free to develop a new experience around them (Googling it is fine) and turn them into one of the best parts of your job.
Conclusion
Burnout is a dangerous thing to experience since it makes the person question his/her vocation. It might get to the point where unfortunately there is no coming back from. Overworking has become a natural thing. Even a comfy home atmosphere does not guarantee insurance against it. The goal for any worker is to never reach the point where burnout has already paved its way into one’s professional life.
Keep on taking your work seriously. However, put your mental and physical health first. With a smart planning and change-friendly approach to completing tasks, you have your back covered and the door is shut for the “B” word to enter.