How to avoid working from home burnout

Many of us have been working exclusively from home for almost a year now. Juggling the demands of work and childcare – not to mention the stress of living through a pandemic – is weighing on us all.

Just last September, a Gallup poll found that fully remote workers now experience more burnout than on-site workers.

But how do you know if you’re even experiencing burnout? The Mayo Clinic describes job burnout as a ‘special type of work-related stress – a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that also involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity’.

Cara de Lange, zeno Wellbeing Coach & Burnout Specialist says, “In order to avoid working from home burnout it’s crucial that you take time to switch off and plan in periods of rest. And combine them with ‘activities that bring you joy’.”

Cara recommends trying the R.E.S.T method to guide against potential burnout. 

The  R.E.S.T Method 

R is for Review your day and plan breaks in advance (plan the night before)

According to research, if you decide where and when you will take specific action you will be closer to it!

E is for Easy to Remember. Make your breaks easy to remember. Set a timer on your phone, put a 5 minute break on your calendar 

S is for Step away from the screen. During your break, make sure you don’t check email or social media. Researchers from the University of Illinois in America found that reading websites and checking email taxes many of the same mental processes that we use when  we are working, which actually makes fatigue worse. So if you want to combat screen fatigue make sure you set regular boundaries around technology !

T is for Tune back in- Refocus your cognitive energy to what you were working on – 

Using the Rest method during your day is key can contribute to  good night’s sleep as well.  It’s what we do (or don’t do) during the day that can contribute to a healthy night’s sleep .

Cara de Lange, Leadership & Wellbeing Coach,  Burnout Expert, and Author of Softer Success: Prevent Burnout, Find Balance and Re-Define Your Success

The collapse of boundaries between work and home life can lead to an increase in stress, so it’s important to create clear distinctions. For more tips and advice on working from home read our best advice on working from home.

At zeno we pride ourselves on whole-person preventative health and behaviour change coaching, where implementation is key, using our multi-award-winning enterprise technology platform, HealthNav.