10 Ways To Avoid Work From Home Burnout

Work from home is probably one of the amazing things that technology has given us of late. If sitting in an office from 9 to 5 is not your cup of tea, you can brew a coffee in the comfort of your house and earn money. While it sounds like a freeing experience, sometimes drawing a line between work and your “me” time becomes rather difficult.  If you are a full-time work from home professional, you know what challenges are most common—monotony, lack of one-on-one team interaction, umpteen distractions, and bad habit of ending up working the whole day! Work from home burnout is real and something you must avoid.

If you do your work at the kitchen counter, getting distracted by your social life during working hours, or checking your work emails during a family gathering, then it is high time for you to do something about it.

Here are 10 ways that will help you overcome your ‘work-from-home-blues’ so you can continue to do your thing just fine.

10 Ways To Avoid Work From Home Burnout

1.  Are you even doing what you want to do?

First things first, you need to ask yourself if you are following your true calling. Putting effort into something you do not find interesting will always be hard. It would not make a difference whether you are surrounded by intimidating strangers in an office or are comfortably stationed at your natural habitat that is your home. Before you choose home entrepreneurship, make sure this is what you really want to do professionally.

2.  Set the Productive Hours

Find the hours when you are most productive. Remember, there is no hard and fast rule about the part of the day you feel most productive working. Some of you will be early birds who shine at the crack of dawn; others might be the standard night owls. If you are getting most of your work done at it, whatever hour that floats your boat is perfect.

3. Invest in good “tools”

Working from the comfort of your own home is wonderful. But if you don’t have all the right tools, it can have a negative effect on your productivity.

Things like good lighting, a comfortable chair, office supplies and storage units are essentials.

It makes sense to invest in a computer that is customized to your needs along with a printer and scanner. You will also need to get an internet connection that gives speed and stability. There are great broadband deals available, make sure you get a good one.

4.   Change your work Spot

You must have a dedicated workstation at home but sticking to single spot effects your productivity making you feel tired. It’s ideal to move to another spot during the day like your garden, next to your bedroom window or perhaps your porch. You can also head to the nearest coffee hour for a change occasionally. Such a change in spot will boost your work capacity for sure!

5.    Exercise

Don’t get bogged down by routine and set a dedicated time for exercise or even a little walk. If going to the gym sounds tedious, download any meditation or exercise app that has guided sessions for a workout. Such activity is a refresher to change your mood, burn extra fat, and allow you to be more productive for the day.  

6.   Outsource

There are always a few tasks that you just hate doing but they must be done in any case. But what if there is an expert and would love to do it for you? Outsourcing gets a lot of burden off your shoulder so don’t try to be all over the place and hand over some operational tasks to the experts. Be smart!

7.   Listen to your body (and to your pet!)

If you are exhausted and feel like taking a small break, take it. It might work as an anecdote to your burnout and refresh you.

Pets know exactly when their owners need a break. So, if your dog says let’s go for a walk, you go.

8.   It’s Okay to say ‘No’

If you are a freelancer and you realize that working for one of your clients is more than you can chew, you need to drop them. You are your own boss now so learn to put your foot down.

9.  Set Daily Personal Deadlines and Rewards

Tell yourself you will get something done by a specific time and treat yourself with things like extra play time with your pet, an extended lunch break or even a bar of chocolate. This is how you add excitement to your work routine and drive yourself to work without external direction!

10.  Give time to your Family

What is the point of working from home if you don’t get to spend quality time with your family? Once your working hours are over, learn to forget about them. Unwind and relish the love that is being showered on you.

Finally, remember that you chose this lifestyle for a reason. Follow these tips and bid farewell to lonely, burnt out homepreneur syndrome!