Remote Work: Holy Grail or Total Burnout?
Let’s face it: We all have dreamt about working on sandy beaches, ravishing locations with exquisite views, ditching the traditional office filled with dull-looking desks, and stressed individuals. I for one know I have countless times. Whenever I was job hunting, the possibility of a flexible schedule and remote work opportunities were always a high priority for me. Why? The answer is easy.
For several years the fight against the menacing open office plan has been simmering. Not without a valid reason: Many employees struggle to concentrate upon endless distractions and loud noises that are inevitable when you put everyone together in a giant room, leaving them without any personal space.
One of the open office’s greatest misconceptions is that it promotes teamwork among colleagues, who — sorely missing walls — will randomly run into each other and have discussions leading to the next genius idea.
This, my friends, is probably the most airheaded thing one could say about working in an office on a 9 to 5. I’m not saying there is zero chance of this happening, but there is zero chance of this happening. (wink-wink)
That’s something most of us, office environment robots instinctively know best: Why on Earth would you disrupt someone with a spontaneous observation, who has no intention of talking to you? Especially if they got headphones on, which is kind of a key indicator that people don’t want to be troubled.
Given these facts and premises, it’s safe to say that before the whole pandemic madness knocked at our doors, we all daydreamed about a little escape from our traditional offices. Hell, I know how stoked I was every time I could work from home, in my pajamas with my dog lying beside me.
In light of 2020 and its rollercoaster of events, we could say that the odds were in the favor of those working in corporate industries or tech agencies, for one reason: no more commuting back-and-forth to the office regularly.
Everyone’s office suddenly became their kitchen, living room, bedroom, or whatever place one found convenient enough. Sounds perfect, right?Except, there’s a small but paramount detail that makes all the difference when it comes to the remote work we’ve all been fantasizing about.
So, you probably have heard the good old saying: “Be careful what you wish for.” No wonder why. There’s always a catch.
Envision this: Your sofa is your desk chair. The whole kitchen is your snack drawer. Meetings are held in your bedroom with your laptop on your lap. Back in the days if someone would have even assumed this, we would all laugh at it. However, reality can sometimes be a mood buster.
While it all sounds great — the truth is it can bite you in the back in no time. A blink of an eye and there goes productivity, motivation, separation of work-life vs. family-life, organization of tasks and the list could go and on.
Needless to say, your bedroom or living room isn’t a proper place for an office setup. I cannot even begin to count how many times I’ve been interrupted by family members as well as flatmates thinking that if I only sit in front of my laptop it’s okay to barge in and ask me to do laundry instead.
And then, there’s the phone. The Majesty of all distractions. “I’m just gonna check this thing on Instagram and then proceed to finish my tasks.” — right, we’ve all been there. It hardly ever happens like this. Is there a rabbit hole more tempting than social media? One random picture leads to another one and then another one, and the next thing you know is 3’o clock in the afternoon and you haven’t completed a single task from your list.
Turns out, it is easy to get off the path when there is no one looking over your shoulder. Often, without a supervisor’s watchful eye or clear expectations about your time, you can feel unproductive and easily distracted.
In-house work brings together business and personal areas of life under one roof. As a consequence, when attempting to complete tasks effectively it is easy to get carried away until you can distinguish work from your personal life. It takes time and patience to be able to fully commit to your work this way, especially if you’ve never done it before.
So, how can you make the best out of it? How can you possibly get used to it and still ace it?
One thing I’ve learned over the last few months is that working from home is a mindset. It’s an exercise that allows you to learn from your mistakes and yourself.
Now, that we’re starting to realize that home officing isn’t quite so dazzling, we might as well just get to the bottom of it and see through the tissue of lies. Having a well-structured work schedule and sticking to it is vital.
If you think procrastinating at the office is enticing, it can be much worse when you’re home. It’s easy to put things off to tomorrow morning or later in the day because you’re not bound to office hours, so the temptation is hefty. That’s why having a clear to-do list and crossing things off of it can be a true game-changer.
Another thing I found helpful is if I incorporate some kind of physical exercise into my daily routine. Whether that is a long walk at the end of the day or a hit workout early in the morning. The important thing is to sweat it out. Not to mention the numerous benefits exercise has over our bodies and minds, engaging in something that gets your body moving and releasing endorphins is key to keeping you fresh and motivated throughout the day.
Next time you get up from the couch and reach for a cup of coffee, try at least to do a few stretching exercises. You’ll thank yourself later.
And what about social media? When working from home, Facebook and Instagram can be major distractions. Remote working or hardly working? You might appear to be working on your laptop, but are you?
When it comes to social media, almost all of us are like drug addicts. We scroll through social media every time we get a chance to. I’m not trying to say that there’s something wrong with this but if we do not set any boundaries we risk losing a sense of reality and overall life pleasures because we keep putting social media platforms on a pedestal, pushing away problems that need to be addressed immediately.
It seems like nothing is worth doing if it’s not getting published on social media. That’s the mentality. And this is why it interferes with our work, our personal life, our relationships, and our mental health.
Allow yourself to take a break from time-to-time. Run an errand instead of posting bathroom selfies during lunch break. Or even better, ENJOY the food you’re eating by really tasting it, acknowledging it, and praising it. Remember that in many cases, less is more.
Final Thoughts
Working from home can be a bit too comfortable, and you can easily get stuck in a loop. Make sure the breaks you take are really about disconnecting and detaching your mind from any work-related aspects. This, in turn, enables free-flowing thoughts to come in and give you a new perspective.
Daydream a little — it may trigger some creativity along the way.
