11 Ways to Combat Work-From-Home Burnout
Chances are, if you’ve worked from home for any extended period, you’ve probably experienced work-from-home burnout at some point. It’s easy to reach digital drain when you work from home because there’s minimal separation between home life and work life.
Your daily commute is literally within steps of where you sleep, eat, and spend time with your family. And while yes, this is an advantage when it comes to those crazy high gas prices, it also has its downside.
Back when I worked outside the home, my commute—after school drop-off—was sacred. I’d jam to my choice of music, have complete, uninterrupted thoughts, call my bestie, or have an ugly cry if needed.
But now, I hop out of bed, take 5 steps and my office is staring me down trying to lure me in early. I’ll be honest, I do miss those solo commutes sometimes, but not enough to want to go back to that way of life/work.
So, What Does Work-From-Home Burnout Feel Like?
I suspect this answer might be different for everyone. I’ve been working from home since 2017 and I’ve had my fair share of burnout moments. For me, burnout typically manifests as daytime blues, being irritable, feeling unmotivated or stagnant, or like I just can’t stop thinking about business-related stuff (even when I’m not working).
Other feelings associated with work-from-home burnout might be a sense of dread every time you look at your office or open your laptop, headaches or mood swings due to too much time behind the screen, or even depression.
How To Work Through Burnout
Over time, I started learning what helped relieve me from these crappy burnout feelings and now make it a point to incorporate some of these regularly, or at the very least, the second I sense a feeling of burnout.
Below is a list of 11 different ways to combat or even prevent (if you haven’t reached burnout yet) work-from-home burnout. These seem to work for me when I need to escape that dreadful funk that sinisterly lurks from time to time
Change Your Office For The Day
For me, this looks like packing up my laptop, grabbing my earbuds, and heading to a new or favorite nearby cafe or coworking space. Since I live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, I typically opt for a cafe with a terrace so I can overlook the gorgeous volcanoes that surround me.
If escaping outside of the home isn’t an option (toddler moms, I hear you), even just relocating to a different part of your home for the day or week can make a difference.
2. Get Out of Your PJs…. Seriously
But wait, that’s one of the BEST parts of working from home… I know, I know. I’m in my Batman t-shirt and sweats as I write this. 😂 But I promise, if you’re in a funk, this will be a game-changer.
Get your arse up in the morning and get ready as if you were going into the office (or even just the grocery store). Put some makeup on (if you wear it), fix your hair, and put some actual clothes on….and yes, that includes a bra ladies.
Every time I do this, it’s a guarantee that I’m more productive that day. I don’t do this EVERY day… let’s not be ridiculous.😏 But doing this even just a few days every week will make a huge difference.
3. Establish A Solid Morning Routine
When I’m on my A-game in life, my morning routine is on point. Having a solid routine in the morning can be life-changing. You don’t think about this when you have to get up in a rush, get ready, and commute to work outside the home- you just do it.
But once you start working from home, it’s very easy to hit snooze, sleep an extra hour, or just jump straight into work (wearing your pjs). When you establish a morning routine, you wake up with a purpose. I like getting up at least 1 hour early, just to have some me time, but even just 10-15 minutes for yourself can make an impact.
Use that time to meditate, enjoy a cup of coffee in silence, journal, roll out your yoga mat, or catch up on a book- whatever it is that would make this time sacred to you- DO IT!
4. Get Moving
If you don’t already do this as part of your daily routine- get moving. Go take a walk, hit up the gym, or do something active at home. Those endorphins will kick in and wash away the funk that you’re feeling.
When you’re already in active burnout this one can be tough to make yourself do- I get it. If that’s the case, I find it helpful to do it first before anything else (don’t give your brain time to reason out of it). Also, prepping everything the night before leaves me no option for excuses (laying out clothes and shoes, making sure the car has gas if you’re going somewhere, packing your gym bag, etc.).
5. Schedule Short Mini-Breaks
This one I have to credit to my husband. He had been telling me to try this probably a year or two before I actually did. I’m not sure why, but It’s always been a challenge for me to make myself stop for a mini-break, especially when I feel like there’s so much to do or if I’m in the middle of something.
BUT, I recently began implementing this and it helps more than I thought it would. I typically take 10-15 minute breaks. The key is to get up and walk away from your work area. What you do is up to you, but it won’t feel like a break if you stay in your office.
6. Schedule a Midday Work Nap
I know, I know—you're thinking, "I don’t have time for a nap, are you crazy?"
But hear me out: studies from American Scientific have shown that a short, midday power nap can boost mood, memory, information-processing speed, and alertness. The key to reaping these cognitive benefits is to keep your nap between 20-30 minutes. By keeping your snooze time down, you’ll experience a lighter sleep avoiding that groggy feeling upon waking.
I can personally vouch for this information. It’s amazing what 20-30 mins of shut eye can do for you.
7. Break Your Work Day Up
One of the biggest benefits of working from home, aside from officially coining PJs acceptable office attire, is the flexibility. Now granted, some WFH jobs do comply to a set schedule, but if you’re fortunate enough to decide which hours of the day you work, I recommend breaking your day up.
For example, rather than sitting at your computer for 6 hours straight, try working 2 hour blocks throughout the day with activities in between, or maybe 3 hours in the morning, and 3 hours at night, leaving the bulk of your day open.
When I schedule work days like this, I find that I’m refreshed and more alert at each session, allowing me to concentrate better.
8. Give Your Home Office a Facelift
It doesn’t have to be a full blown renovation (but totally could be), even repainting a wall or desk, getting your favorite candles, or hanging some new wall art can make a world of difference. It doesn’t have to be expensive or time consuming to transform your work zone into a space that feels fresh, inspiring, and uniquely yours. A little change goes a long way.
9. Go On a Work Date With Someone
This is one of my favorite ways to break free from the feelings of burnout. Let’s face it, working from home can be lonely at times, void of the normal office drama and politics. And not that we’re missing the actual drama and politics, but not having coworkers to chat and bounce ideas with can leave you feeling isolated and creatively drained.
Fortunately my husband also runs his own business, so every now and then, usually when he needs to get caught up on invoicing or other paperwork, we’ll plan an early morning work sesh together at a local cafe. We bring our laptops and enjoy our favorite coffees, cozy cafe vibes, and no kids! If he can’t get away, I’ll schedule a meetup with my other WFH friends.
Doing this though, really helps remind me of why I love working from home.
10. Schedule Yourself a Day Off
Seriously. If you can afford to schedule yourself a day off every week, do it! If not, make sure to prioritize giving yourself a day off (during your typical work week) as often as you can. You’re not a machine, so don’t schedule yourself to work like you are. If you’re not at a place where you can afford to take a full day off, try scheduling yourself an afternoon or morning off- even a half-day can reinvigorate you.
11. Get Some Support
Running your own business from home can feel like a never-ending juggling act. If you're wearing all the hats and approaching burnout, it's time to reevaluate. After all, you probably didn’t start your business to get buried in writing tasks, content creation, and marketing, right?
If you’ve tried all of these above-mentioned techniques and you’re still staring down the scope of major burnout, it might be time to consider getting some support.
JClaire Copy & Creative is a growth-minded team of independent ladies offering digital solutions designed to support and scale your business. Let us handle the heavy lifting so you can reclaim your time and focus on what you do best.
