Remote Work Burnout and How to Prevent It

I know how you felt when you first transitioned to remote work: like you had just won at life. No commute, no office gossip, no dress code, no geographical limitations. However, there's one thing that can still happen: burnout. Unfortunately, you can experience burnout even when working from the comfort of your own home.

Remote work burnout has different causes than office work burnout, but the symptoms are mostly the same. When it comes to physical symptoms, the most common are headaches, fatigue, and insomnia. Emotional symptoms usually revolve around anxiety, depression, and loneliness. Other issues include problems with focus, decreased productivity, and a lack of motivation.

It's important to note that you don't have to experience all of these symptoms to be a burnout victim. Likewise, having just one or two symptoms doesn't mean you aren't experiencing burnout.

What causes remote work burnout and how to deal with it?

Here are some factors that often trigger remote work burnout and ways for you to avoid it.

1. Fuzzy Boundaries

Working from home blurs physical boundaries, making it challenging to mentally "leave work at the office" when your office is in your home. You might start by thinking about work after your work hours. Next thing you know, you're working eight hours a day, but you seem available 24 hours. Have you ever found yourself checking emails or working on projects late into the evening or on weekends?

The solution to this is to set your own boundaries:

• Define clear working hours and stick to them
• Find a quiet space in your home that you'll use specifically for work
• Remove all distractions from the area where you work (yes, this means no TV in your home office)
• Physically log off from your computer and shut down your work-related apps at the end of your workday.

2. Absence of routines and schedules

This one is the double-edged sword, being one the biggest benefits and challenges of remote work simultaneously. In the office, you have a structured workday with specific start and end times, regular breaks. When working from home, it’s on you to define your own routine. This can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially when there are no clear task priorities. It’s also up to you to allocate time effectively, and this can be challenging for those who are not naturally organized or self-motivated.

Most of these problems can be avoided by using the good old plan:

• Plan your workday ahead. It will reduce pressure and help you get a good night's sleep
• Avoid multitasking, especially if you already have trouble focusing
• Establish a routine. Once you find the hours that work best for you, stick to them every day
• Take breaks. This is often overlooked because we see being at home as a break already. Wrong. Remember that you aren't at home; you are just working from home and you need scheduled breaks
• Ask your managers to create a schedule for you until you feel confident to do it yourself.

3. Need to prove productivity

There is often an expectation, both self-imposed and from employers, that working from home should result in increased productivity. Since you don't sacrifice your time commuting, you might subconsciously start using those 'commute-free' hours to work in order to prove that you are more productive. There is also the fear of appearing unproductive or the need to demonstrate that you are as productive (if not more so) when working remotely.

To overcome this attitude, you should aim to achieve productivity through quality, not quantity:

• Test yourself to find your most productive hours
• Tackle the most challenging tasks during your most productive hours
• Break tasks into smaller parts
• Communicate with other team members and ask for help.

4. Lack of social interaction

Working remotely can be a solitary experience, particularly for extroverted individuals or those who thrive in social settings. The absence of social interactions and communication can lead to feelings of isolation, increasing the risk of burnout.

To avoid feeling isolated, try the following tips:

• Go for a walk (you can't imagine how good it will make you feel until you try it)
• Pick up a hobby you left ages ago (you have the time now that you don't commute, right?)
• Catch up with your colleagues (online or in person)
• Spend time with friends and family.

Wrapping Up

In conclusion, while remote work offers numerous advantages, it also presents its own set of challenges, with burnout being one of them.

It's crucial to recognize that burnout can affect anyone.

Experiencing burnout doesn’t make you a bad employee. Instead, it's a sign that working conditions or personal strategies need adjustment.

Once burnout sets in, it can become a complex and lengthy process to recover from. The physical and emotional toll it takes can have lasting effects on your health and well-being. Therefore, the most critical focus should be on preventing it.

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