Avoiding “Burnout” While Working from Home 

Monday morning seems like a good time to discuss not getting “burnout” when working from home. Even if you did nothing this weekend but stay inside, the weekend is still over. Monday has arrived, and the week stretches (perhaps endlessly) before you. 

Whether you’ve been working at home for months or you just started, remote work brings with it added freedom as well as responsibilities. However, if you don’t manage it as well as you can, ultimately it could lead to you feeling “burned out.” That negatively affects your job performance as well as your life. 

The truth is that we know what causes burnout: stress. If your stress levels are elevated over a long period of time, then you’ll feel burned out. 

We know that many of the folks reading this are either working from home or working from home more than they ever did before. They might even be working somewhere that’s far less populated than it was previously (an office, store, etc.) These are some advanced tips that can help you to do better and more importantly, feel better, too. 

Give Yourself a Personal Performance Evaluation 

“Performance Evaluation.” “Work Audit.” “Productivity Check.” There are many business terms for “See How You’re Working” that bosses have used since the beginning of commerce. You’ve probably been through several of them in the past, as one supervisor or another has gone through your work, how you work, etc. 

When you work remotely, even if it’s for someone else, in a real way, you’re always working for yourself. After all, your boss isn’t going to be in the next room (probably) to see how you’re working, and so forth. So, the only person who can check on how you’re working is you. 

Once every couple weeks, once a month, or some other schedule that works for you, evaluate how you’re working. Sure, see how your productivity is, but more importantly, for the purposes of this exercise, check on how it is you’re working. 

Have you properly separated your “work life” from your “home life?” Is your “office space” in the right shape, and not “bleeding” into your “not-office space?” Do you set boundaries, times that you aren’t available? Have you made it a habit to reach out to someone once a day for connection? Do you do something fun and enjoyable every day? 

You might read the above and think: “yes, of course! And I’ve been doing so since I began working from home!!” That’s fine, but the truth is, as someone works from home longer, they can start to slip. 

Good habits that were developed months ago can deteriorate. A strong start can give way to “just getting by.” 

By doing a thorough, detailed, and yet understanding review of how you’ve been working every now and then, you can make sure that you’re doing your best job. By “best job” we mean “for your company” as well as “for yourself.” 

End the Day by “Packing Up” 

When you worked in an office, a store, or some other location that you may not work at right now, what was the last thing you did before you left? 

Before you left the facility, if you’re like so many of us, you packed up. You got together the items you brought, you set aside the things you’d need for tomorrow (whether it was putting them away or rearranging them in such a way they’ll be there for you in the morning) and then, you went on your way. 

A great tip: do the same at home. 

One of the best ideas for managing productivity and happiness as well as work and life balance is to, when the day ends, “pack up.” Put away everything that you’d use for work. Or, alternatively, set them in such a way that they’ll be ready in the morning. 

You can even “unpack,” too. When you left work and got home, what was the first thing you did? For many, if not most of us, it was “change your clothes.” 

Doing the same now, when you stop working for the day, can provide as clear and definite a break between “work” and “regular life” as any other action. Give it a shot. It’s worked wonders for many of us. 

Always Moving Forward 

To go back to the “self-evaluation” for a moment, that’s going to be critical not just today but in the days to come. The truth is that while this pandemic has been one enormous change for businesses, there will be others in the future, too. 

At Website Depot, we can evaluate your online marketing, too. We can look at what you’re doing, how it’s been working, and then show you how it hasn’t been working, too. From there, we can build on it, till it becomes what you want. To continue the conversation, give us a call at (888) 477-9540.