Working from home: Burnout and ways to avoid it

Working from home can be great for a variety of reasons, such as convenience, higher productivity and possibly increases in work-life balance. However, there is another side to working from home: burnout.

Many times working from home means working at home, living at home, being at home and generally staying home much of the time. While that can seem maddening, there are ways to maintain good mental health while keeping the job burnout at bay.

Here are a few ways to use your home to fix your burnout instead of enhancing it:

Exercise

Exercising is a great way to implement self-care, which is imperative for treating reversing “work from home burnout.” However, exercising can also add a layer of stress for those who may already have a heavier workload than usual.

Instead of simply going to the gym, at home or locally, try doing labor-intensive chores around your home during your work breaks. If you’ve been grazing on your lunch throughout the day and have nothing left for your actual lunch break, try tending to the lawn or scrubbing the bathroom.

If you’d rather use the time to get fresh air without getting overly exerted, try a quick pruning session in your garden, removing small flora invaders and other debris.

Garden

Another self-care reminder is to eat healthy. While it’s convenient to have your groceries delivered or simply pick them up from your local grocer, shaving produce off the grocery list is a great way to get active in your home’s outdoor environment.

Try planting a few easy-to-care-for herbs, such as basil, root vegetables or other hearty produce. While you may not be able to make a fine salad within a matter of minutes, you will be able to beautify your home garden while creating a project that only requires a few moments a day to care for.

The best part is, you’ll have fresh, healthy produce right out back that could help remind you to enjoy every facet of your home.

Prioritize

To-do lists are a part of most people’s lives. They help keep things organized but can also add an undo layer of stress, which can accelerate burnout at home. However, it doesn’t have to.

If you’ve been at the keyboard for an undo amount of time and are feeling tired, take a step back and tour your home. Bring a pad and paper, or some other way of taking notes, while you go from room to room, making note of what needs to be done.

Then, take those notes and really assess which projects should take priority. While we may want to get everything done at once, it’s often overwhelming both financially and mentally. You may even surprise yourself by finding some items on your to-do list have already been done or can be done by you and other members of your household.

New projects

Some contributing factors to remote work burnout is simply not being mentally stimulated enough. This is where new projects can come into play. Working remotely can give you an edge on seeing what little projects need to, and can, be done during your workweek.

Does your office need more storage? Try building a small nook during your breaks, making sure to tidy up at the end of your day until the project is finished. You may also start thinking of other ways to get the most out of your home, such as upgrading your entertainment room or creating a den for get-togethers.

Remote work burnout can seem like a daunting side effect of being home constantly. However, there are ways to spruce up your environment while getting the most out of remote life. Just remember to do some deep breathing exercises, stretch and have a little fun with the projects and atmosphere around your home.