The onset of the pandemic in March this year has entirely altered our lifestyle. It has made us question our life choices as we struggle to learn and adapt to the changes caused by the coronavirus. We have started prioritizing our health and our loved ones more than anything else in the world. Our concern for our family members has led us to take significant precautions and comply with social distancing rules. We are slowly getting accustomed to the changes happening around us. Not only has the pandemic impacted our medical problems, but it has brought substantial changes in our professional lives.
As social distancing becomes the norm, office goers have moved out of their workplaces and into their living rooms. Along with increasing anxiety about job security, many employees struggle in this forced shift to an online workspace. Shifting to a digital working space has affected employees’ mental health.
As comforting as the term ‘work-from-home” sounds, it brings along its challenges. And remote work challenges are totally different from anything we have ever experienced. The uncertainty and unfamiliarity of the changing times only add more to the anxiety. As we get our work done from home, not having a set routine may throw our life out of balance. We often tend to lose our sense of time while working from home. It is implausible that everyone has a home office set up in their homes. Mixing professional schedules with domestic chores has made time management the biggest challenge. And an unhealthy work-life balance is the root of many mental and medical concerns. So, for better well-being of our mental and physical health, let’s step back and look at some common challenges of the WFH lifestyle. And ways to resolve them with a problem-solving mindset.
You keep losing track of your day
Now that we work from home, we tend to lose track of everything apart from work deadlines. We spend one-half of our day attending Zoom calls or planning for the next team presentation and the other half beating the Zoom fatigue. This roughly translates to the exhaustion of constantly sitting in front of our screens, leaving us with little to no energy to tend to our different needs and engage in our passions.
Spending most of the day dealing with virtual meetings and hectic deadlines hardly leaves us with finding any time for our personal lives. The line dividing our day’s hours into professional and relaxing hours has blurred. It was easier to simply turn off our work mode when a fixed routine was visiting our workplace. But, the lack of a separate space forces us to manage our daily household chores while being professionally active. Juggling household chores with the concern of family members make it even more difficult. The case is even worse for people living alone. When there is no one to rely on, we get even more negligent of our health. And we often tend to prioritize our work over our wellness, which can be highly detrimental to physical and mental health. Therefore, it is essential to find a solution to find a balance between work and personal time.
Draw up the lines again:
Here we can draw some lessons from our school timetable – prepare a neatly drawn-out schedule for the day. You don’t have to draw a grid filled with daily goals and assign strict hours like school schedules. Be as forgiving as you would like with your time. Find the pace you would that fits your productivity, and prepare to-do lists, which is a great way to prioritize tasks and manage time. But creating a fixed schedule and dividing your time will help you better navigate the day.
Taking tiny breaks from continuous work and straining your eyes for long hours is essential. You can allow leisurely moments between work to water the plants or quickly create a snack. Timely breaks can enhance our performance by helping us focus more and procrastinate less. One thing to remember while making a routine is not to set over-ambitious goals. Rather divide the day artfully and make sure you stick to it, especially those juggling multiple gigs, to avoid overburdening duties.
It is important to remember that we are trying to survive a global pandemic, and it is not business as usual. It is okay to have some bad days. Some days might get overwhelming as we struggle to keep our heads above water while getting inundated with news that has been bleak for most of the year. Remote employees face a more challenging time finding a life balance. The transition from offline to online work has already been difficult. It can get overwhelming to achieve professional and personal goals.
In these situations, feeling exhausted by the workload can is entirely understandable. Especially for women, couples with kids and ailing parents can be a double burden of work. While it assures you to keep your loved ones close during these uncertain times, finding a moment of peace for yourself can get a bit complicated. Which might not only affect physical health but our mental health can also take a hit.
Nurture yourself:
Now, more than ever, we must listen and take care of our body, mind, and soul. As we save the time we spent maneuvering through the morning traffic in the pre-covid era, we should set aside some time to rejuvenate ourselves in the morning before hustling for the rest of the day.
Try to find activities you can enjoy without the risk of going into crowded places. An hour-long walk in the nearest park with your dog, meditating to soothing hymns, or just sipping your coffee while listening to the chirping birds can do wonders to your spirit. Or you can simply allow yourself a rest day. You can even incorporate a little self-care regimen to pamper yourself. Put a few drops of eucalyptus oil in your warm shower, or buy yourself some roses. Watch your favorite movie or curl up with your favorite book.
Nurturing your body and your soul is equally important. So, try to watch what you are eating. Make sure to include healthy seasonal fruits and vegetables in your diet. And try to avoid junk and fast food as much as possible. A stagnant lifestyle combined with unhealthy food can only open the door to multiple health concerns. It would help if you took care of yourself. After all, it always pays to be kind to ourselves. And only by staying healthy can you take care of your loved ones.
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You feel an onset of work fatigue
Going digital has exponentially increased our screen time. Work fatigue is a phenomenon that sets in slowly and incrementally. Other ill effects often accompany it – headache, sore eyes, disrupted sleep, and a prolonged sense of exhaustion. Left unchecked, this may lead to long-term health implications.
Bring back human connection:
While some might not have the luxury to cut off from work, those of us who can, we should make sure that we do so mentally and physically once we sign off from work. COVID-19 has slowed down our lives and created unimaginable hurdles for some, but it has also given us time to reflect and discern the fundamental values of life. It has taught us the importance of human connection, which was missing in our fast-paced lives.
So pull out those board games and enjoy a wholesome moment with your family, watch a movie with your sibling and if you live alone, set up a video call with your loved ones or dust off that ukulele and strum it away into the night. Experts have long stressed the importance of compassion – try sending your neighbor some flowers or a slice of that banana bread you baked, or offer a small gift to someone who works for you.
You struggle with meeting your deadline on time.
Managing time is the most essential yet challenging aspect of working from home. Being a remote worker means keeping track of your time for better productivity and efficiently managing your schedule. Dealing with personal matters can also be a burden when you want to focus on your work. Although sudden emergencies are a different case, keeping time aside for personal chores and meetings should be your priority. It only makes it crucial to divide your time precisely, so you don’t overburden yourself.
Make your planner your best friend.
A fixed routine can make your job easier. And to do that, you can rely on your trusty old planner. You can even use a planner app to keep things minimal. Consider taking help from applications like Google Calendar, where you can benefit from maintaining time aside for any important meeting or task. You can also ask your team members to join a single app so you can be on the same page regarding work.
You lack the motivation to work.
Lack of motivation is entirely unrelated to your efficiency. It is not unusual to feel derailed once in a while when it comes to working. And it is essential to remember that you are not alone. People feel a little burnt out every now and often. The key is not to lose hope. Believe in yourself, that you can overcome the setback, and get back in the rhythm. If it helps, you can consider reporting your issue to your manager. It is possible that receive moral support from your remote team members.
Practice mindfulness and try to add the ‘fun’ in work fundaments.
Working alone doesn’t have to be a drag. Stay connected with team members and talk about your daily lives apart from work. It would be best to engage in group meditation sessions. Or just finding peace among yourself can also be rewarding.
You can even try to plan virtual group activities with other colleagues to boost positivity. Try to develop games and quizzes related to your organization or other familiar topics where the participation rate can be highest. Although not necessary, establishing a reward system can increase motivation.
You lack a good work environment.
Technical hardware and software equipment are necessities for employees to function productively. However, the equally essential and often less addressed concern is the lack of proper work-station. Because when it comes to working, the environment has a significant factor. Not everyone may have a designated work space in their home. It can even be a case that they require additional equipment, which can be as simple as a work desk or a suitable chair. It may not be the most emerging concern, but it is a general issue many can face. People often choose cafes or restaurants as temporary working spaces.
Talk to your employer about your working condition.
It is encouraged that you have a conversation with your employer about your concerns. They can consider getting you the proper access to adequate working equipment. Sometimes, you can even get access to a shared working space closer to you.
You find it difficult to communicate with your team members.
Teamwork, collaboration, and communication among team members are essential for remote employees. It can be burdensome to decide and assume everything on your own. Therefore, every team member must maintain transparent communication with each other. It is an important and efficient way to uphold proper work ethics. Although choosing a single option from a plethora of channels to connect virtually can be a bit confusing. Therefore, it is vital to select an option every team member finds easily accessible and stick to it. It is the responsibility of the team leader to ensure that every employee is okay with the chosen mode of communication.
Provide the essential tools
This solution is for you if you are the manager, team leader, or person responsible for overviewing the team’s efficiency. You should be responsible for providing your team with a solid collaboration tool. Relying on a social intranet can be an excellent choice. For instance, Google Workspace is a safe and impeccable way for team collaboration. Cloud-based applications allow team leaders and members to collaborate efficiently. And work together on documents and presentations. It even offers a well-structured storage system with Drive. The best thing about it is that it also allows offline editing access, which is highly effective for unstable internet issues.
Make team communication a priority.
Every team member should be able to communicate seamlessly. Messaging channels like Slack can offer real-time conversation regarding any project or issue. Email can be another adequate communication mode when immediate response is not a priority. Connecting over video calls is also a promising approach. Where being face-to-face with each other can offer better communication, like brainstorming solutions or more elaborate conversations.
To Sum it Up
For most of us, the work-from-home lifestyle is a new concept, and it may appear challenging at first. However, we as a species are known for our capacity to adapt. So with proper planning, clever time management, and prioritizing of our daily goals, we can turn these challenges around and weave a more balanced and healthy lifestyle.