Working From Home Fatigue & What To Do About It

As we are nearing one full year of working from home during the covid era, we know that many employees are feeling burnt out, fatigued, and just plain struggling with working remotely. We were too. That’s why we decided to put together our best tips for pushing through this covid fatigue and reenergizing your work life, which hopefully helps you re-energize beyond the office as well! Whether it be making a change to your daily routine, spicing up your home office, or just finding new ways to give your brain a break- this list has something for you.

Your Daily Routine

Before you can make changes to your daily routine it is first important to know you have one. Routines give our mind and body things to expect, things to prepare for. Waking up at the same time, starting your day at a consistent time, and even scheduling a lunch break is important to structure your workday and maintain productivity. If you already have a routine and you’re feeling some of that WFH (work from home) fatigue, it might be time to make some changes.

First is waking up with enough time to really start your day. Many of us have gotten into the habit of waking up 10 minutes before our morning meetings or first calls of the day, it's just not enough time for your brain to really activate. Giving yourself time before your workday helps ease into it, even if it’s just 20-30 minutes of laying in bed awake before you open your laptop. Being fully awake and functioning will make a huge difference in your ability to work in the mornings.

Now, take the idea of starting your day and apply it to the end of your day. With most of your work being done from the living room, people are finding it difficult to actually stop working, even when pre-covid they would have left the office hours ago. Now, this isn’t advocating putting work off until tomorrow, but closing your computer and actually enjoying some down time will help with your productivity throughout the day. Your home is always your home, but avoid it being your home office 24/7.

Changing Your Physical Environment

Similar to how changing up your daily routine helps get your mind right, changing your home office space will help keep your mind right. Our first tip is simply switching rooms in the house. While some of us may have a fully furnished home office, the vast majority of the workforce has been teleworking from their living room couches and kitchen tables. While your living rooms are certainly cozy and your kitchens are probably brilliantly decorated, working in the same space for the last year is bound to get old. Change your workspace and see if it helps break you out of your WFH funk.

For those of us who do have a home office, or who might not have the space to be able to switch rooms, try redecorating. It may not be as big of a change as switching rooms but it accomplishes the same goal- stimulating your brain. Think about working in a cubicle. Nobody wants to stare at a blank wall all day. Spice up your home office or kitchen table and really try and build your ideal workspace. Your coworkers will never see it so don’t hold back! 

Give Your Brain a Break

While changes to your workspace and daily routine should certainly help with your mental health, a few more tips directed at giving your brain a break can do wonders for your WFH fatigue. Tied to the issue of not being able to stop working, experts are finding that the lines between work and home are being blurred. "Working full-time from home during the pandemic makes it difficult to transition between work and home roles,” says Ravi Gajendran, an associate professor at Florida International University’s College of Business, in a recent interview with Kristen Rodgers at CNN. "It's hard to smoothly hop on to a work-related Zoom call right after dealing with a demanding situation with kids at home. Likewise, it's hard to leave behind the stresses and mental worries of work-related Zoom call and instantly switch to being a loving and caring partner or spouse." 

Employees are having trouble separating their role at home and their role at work. One interesting solution to this has been found in “fake commutes”. These commutes can be driving to your office and turning around, taking a walk or bike ride for the same duration of your usual commute, and some people have begun just sitting in their car to listen to a podcast or music and then returning home to start their day. Commutes are time that can be used to clear your mind, process complex thoughts, and ultimately prepare you to shift to your workday. 

Another recommended health strategy is taking short breaks throughout the day to compartmentalize your thoughts and processes. Since the shift to WFH, many of us have back-to-back web meetings followed immediately with follow-up emails and more work. When in-person there are breaks, even if it’s the short walk to the conference room and back to your desk. Pausing to reflect and regroup allows you to reorganize thoughts and slow down the speed of new information. So if you feel overwhelmed, take 5-10 minutes and just relax. Check your phone, take a quick walk, call your mom (although that might result in much longer than 10 minutes). This should keep you refreshed and ready to go. 

We know these tips aren’t a cure-all but we certainly hope this helps those who are struggling with WFH fatigue. Honestly who knows when things will return to normal, but it’s important to keep pushing, and to give yourself a break when things get to be too much.