CNBC reports that 69% of Americans are feeling burnout symptoms since they began working from home. Stress and anxiety levels are their highest levels since the Great Recession and workers are surprisingly taking off less time than when they worked at the office. When people work from home, the lines between work time and relaxation time are blurred, it becomes harder to place boundaries between one’s work and personal life. The Kaiser Family Foundation reports similar findings, with 57% of mothers and 32% of fathers reporting that their mental health has deteriorated since they began working from home.
Mr. Vela has been working in the remote work industry for over ten years and has extensive personal experience and knowledge on the subject. He has appeared on Fox News, ABC, CNBC, Yahoo Finance, and more. He has eight tips for avoiding negative work-from-home situations:
- Self-care. Stay active with exercise, yoga, meditation, read a book, watch a movie and other self-care routines. Important to stay physically, mentally and spiritually healthy.
- Create a comfortable workspace. One of the advantages to working from home is the ability to set your office up to your liking. Take into account ergonomics, lighting, and temperature.
- Watch out for excessive screen time. Experts suggest limiting screen time to two-hour intervals. TAKE BREAKS every couple of hours.
- Be sure to go outside at least once a day and engage. Working in the same place where you live can create anxiety and burnout, so make sure to walk around the block and see the sun at least once a day. Go to a park or sit by a river or have a picnic lunch on your lawn.
- Communicate, communicate, communicate. One of the challenges of remote work is bridging the gap of distance. Make sure to reach out so you are clear on your objectives so that you are not stressed from not knowing where the goalposts are. By the same token, communication is your best friend in a remote workforce setting—-boss, friends, family, clients and potential clients. Communicate often and use video conferencing to connect. The interaction and connectivity will help decrease burnout.
- Avoid burning the candle at both ends. There’s a temptation to work non-stop, but this will just create fatigue. Set a clear schedule so there is a clear distinction when you are on and off the clock.
- Designate work space in your home versus personal space. It’s important to make a clear distinction between where you work at home and the rest of the house is off-limits for work. If you have a small space, clear the dinner table when you use it as a desk and set it for dinner and vice versa.
- When possible, rotate your designated work area at home periodically to create a new environment and keep it fresh.
