If you work from home, you understand the perks of the position as well as the downsides. The biggest threat to your productivity is likely either boredom or lack of structure; however, even if you’re organized down to 10-minute increments of your day, burnout can still get you when you least expect it.
Fortunately, home office ennui can easily be avoided! Here are five simple fixes for burnout.
1. Make Your Schedule More Interesting
Do you like to enjoy a long breakfast complete with coffee and a digital newspaper? If your job permits, move your work hours from nine to six instead of eight to five (or later for the night owls among us — people actually can have drastically different circadian rhythms). Additionally, you can take time off here and there to make a meal, watch half of your favorite TV show, or pick up the kids from school.
2. Get Up and Move
If you were working in a traditional office, you may run into a friend from the accounting department. You may chat for a bit, and on the way back you could get a drink from the vending machine. We often don’t think of our homes as being filled with opportunities to change the scenery or do something unexpected, but even getting up and taking a break periodically can do wonders for your health and your concentration. You can even virtually connect with friends over java to keep your days lively!
3. Create a Rewards System
Yes, using positive reinforcement for good behavior is similar to how you may be potty training your toddler, but Verywell Mind explains the same principles of operant conditioning can work for adults! If you’re working remotely with a team, you may be using project management software to keep track of milestones and project progress. Use these set points to reward yourself for completing tasks. This can take the edge off those long days, and moving toward a reward may help you work both smarter and faster.
4. Vary Your View
Working at home doesn’t have to mean staying at home all day long. If you have to remain in the house, ensure that your workspace is clean and clutter-free to avoid frustration and negative energy coming from the space in which you work. Aim for an environment that is peaceful and positive. Once you’ve decluttered, make it a point to get out of the house and work in more interesting places. Check out the park, the library, or a local coffee shop with outdoor seating. Fun new scenery may set the tone for a great day.
5. Take a Nap
Do you need to catch up on sleep while the baby is sleeping? Many parents of young children have caught onto the benefits of working from home when it comes to childcare, but they aren’t taking advantage of its flexibility. Parents of newborns and young toddlers often live in a state of exhaustion. If you set your own hours, tailor your work-from-home schedule to factor in extra rest if you need it so that you can be more productive later.
People who work from home often struggle to find the line between their personal and professional lives, and they can often feel stuck or burnt out when living and working in the same space. If you find that you can’t make your current job fit your life situation, take advantage of job searches or feature your skills on a job specialty database to find remote work that better suits you and your lifestyle. Remember to take care of yourself first to be as productive and as refreshed as possible at your job.
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