Working from home? More like living at work. After nearly seven months of working remotely, I’m personally finding it increasingly difficult to not blur the lines between what is work and what isn’t. All of a sudden it feels like my boundaries (and maybe even my priorities) have flown out the window and I no longer have an “off” button. Hello burning the midnight oil.
The good news? I’m not alone. Just last week I had a friend screenshot her calendar for the day and send it over to me with an “LOL”, followed by the nauseated face emoji. She was in back-to-back stand ups from 11-5:30, with some meetings even doubled up. I had two questions for her: how can you be in two places at once? And, when are you going to eat lunch? She didn’t have an answer for either and felt generally anxious about spending her day on calls instead of actually getting work done. When 10pm rolled around, she was just finishing wrapping up her own to-do list.
With such limited IRL connection, it feels like suddenly everyone wants to video chat about things we used to handle over email, a phone call, or even just Slack. The result? Video chat burnout. It’s real, it’s here, and there are ways to avoid it. Wondering how? Read our thoughts below.
Suggest a walk and talk phone call
One of my first bosses had a real thing for grabbing a coffee and walking around our office neighborhood in place of a sit down meeting. He said his brain “worked better” when he was moving his legs. I get it now and I’m more on board than ever. Pop in your headphones and go for a walk during a meeting or two throughout the day. This admittedly works better for 1:1’s and is a great opportunity to recover from too much screen time. Plus, endorphins make you happy.
Turn your camera off
In my opinion, not every video call needs the webcam on. There are plenty of reasons why I’d encourage you to turn your camera off. Maybe you’re having a bad hair day or your unfolded clean laundry is on the chair behind you. Maybe you need a snack to gain some energy mid-day. Whatever the reason may be, try giving yourself a break now and then and only turning the camera on when totally necessary.
Take breaks
Taking a break is hard when your coworkers have scheduled you in meetings from 11-5:30, I know. But seriously...taking breaks is important. I try to stand up in-between video calls and avoid scheduling them back to back. It helps to breathe a little!
All meetings should have an agenda
I like for meetings to be as short as possible and that’s pretty hard to accomplish without an agenda. Try including the agenda, purpose, and time frame of the meeting in the “description” section of the Google Calendar invite. It’s up to you to keep tabs on whether or not you’re in the weeds. Don’t be afraid to speak up!
Communicate
Feeling burnt out from too much video screen time? Let your team know. Ironically enough, video chats are supposed to help us communicate better, but sometimes they can do just the opposite of that. If you feel like the meeting agenda can easily be accomplished another way, suggest an alternative. It can be as simple as -- “Do you mind if we do this by phone or email? I have been doing a huge number of video calls and would prefer we knock this out another way.” Your team may even begin to follow your lead.
Chances are, the people you work with are also starting to feel the burn out of constant video meetings. We all want to do our jobs to the best of our ability, and in the ever-changing world of COVID, it’s important to keep that in mind while also being flexible. Keep close tabs on how the new way of working is making you feel and the impact it is having on your productivity and quality of work. Advocate for yourself! Hopefully the sense of empowerment will follow you long after this pandemic is over.