4 Tips to Block Burnout When WFH

Some of us may still be on a high from our new year intentions, while others may be feeling high and dry the moment February hit. It's easy to keep the momentum alive, but the moment we get off track for a second, we wound up getting dragged 10 steps back.

And while most of the population has been working from home for nearly a year, it's easy to lose sight of our goals and what we want to accomplish professionally. Undeniably, we have all become a victim to burnout, which is why I wanted to shed some light and share a few tips that I do or am going to incorporate into my schedule to refocus.

• Untouchable Day

  • So, what is an untouchable day? Well, it's a day where you are completely unreachable. When in a corporate job, it seems as if meetings, calls, and texts happen every minute on the minute, and honestly, it leaves us feeling drained 110 percent of the time, with tasks still needing to be complete.

    However, the untouchable day combats all of those unnecessary stressors by blocking off one single day in your workweek to get ahead. Now, this may look different for everyone, but maybe you need to get ahead on a project that's due, respond to emails, do paperwork, get organized, etc. This day is OUR day to call the shots. An easy way to figure out when is best to use the 'untouchable' day is by looking either a week before and a month ahead to plan out what's due and urgent in the weeks ahead and plan around.

    • If you want to find out more about this topic, read Why You Need an Untouchable Day Every Week on the Harvard Business Review.

• Breaks & Habits

  • What are your daily habits? Think about this one. What are things you do every single day without question, whether good or bad? It's essential to examine what we do and to ask ourselves, "Is this supporting my new efforts, or is it crippling me."

    When I'm feeling burnout throughout the day, it means I need to get outside, find a release, or get back on a routine. For instance, doing a 15-30 minute workout, going on a walk, calling a friend, following my normal morning routine, or even skipping to the next task are all actionable items allowing me to hit the reset button on my motivation. Those are a few examples of what I do, but find what works and stick to it.

• Our Environment

  • I feel our environment and where we choose to work are factors contributing to burnout. If we're working from home, there are few options we may have for our makeshift office; maybe it's our bedroom, the living or dining room, and if we're lucky, it's an actual office. 

    Our environment has an immense effect on us, which you can read more about here, but it affects our biobehavioral and psychological perspectives. According to an article on the University of Minnesota, our environment can influence our mood, facilitate or discourage interactions among people, and influence peoples' behavior and motivation to act. However, a way to combat this could be to change up what room we're in, reorganize and decorate our space, or get outside and find a coffee shop, bookstore, or even the outdoors (if we have a hotspot).

• scheduling

  • This is essential - scheduling can make or break our day. When we're feeling burnt out, we tend to feel overwhelmed by the number of meetings we have and the numerous action items needing to be complete by x date. 

    A way to fight this is by defining what our day ahead of us looks like (write it out on paper), base tasks off of a timeline (how long does it take to complete x project), do not overcommit (learn to say no), and batch and block as much as possible (more on how to do batch & block here). 

And now, what do you do when you’re feeling burnt out?