5 Steps to keep motivated when working from home

By now, there is a high chance that you have experienced the loss of concentration, the tired eyes, daydreaming to be anywhere other than staring at your computer screen. If you haven’t come across this yet, there is a high chance that you will experience this soon, especially if you are working remotely.

Video-conferencing can be tiring work, especially when you have to concentrate for long periods of time and interact with a small group of people on a screen. However, five useful tips can help you to stay motivated and avoid video-conferencing fatigue whilst you are working remotely.

1 – Avoid back-to-back meetings

This may sound like a simple thing to do, however, most of us will try and fit in as much as we can in a day, especially when working from home. In a typical day when we are working from the office, most of us will have 3-5 meetings throughout the day, and if you are travelling yourself between meetings, this may be as low as 1-3 meetings a day.

However, when working from home, most of us will try and fit in as many meetings as  we can. We easily forget that at the office we would be interacting with colleagues between breaks and if travel is involved, this creates a natural break between meetings.

To combat this, we recommend that you schedule 20-50 minute meetings instead of the standard 30-60 minute meetings. This will allow you to have a 10-minute break between meetings, allowing you to clear your mind and focus on the next meeting. Make sure you walk during this 10-minute break and have plenty of water to keep you hydrated.

For your meetings, be clear and structured on what you want to achieve beforehand. Think of three points or actions that you would like to accomplish. Plan with your attendees and set a clear agenda, so everyone involved knows how the meeting is going to take shape.

2 – Collaboration

One thing that is missed when working from home is collaboration. Although a lot can still be accomplished in meetings, collaboration is an essential part when working remotely. Think of how you might work in the office with your work colleagues and use Microsoft Teams or Horizon to do the same.

Collaboration with each other is a great way to get your mind to use different parts of your brain. Having a collaboration meeting in the middle of your day, is a great way to get your mind to think differently and will help you avoid this fatigue when working remotely.

3 – Take a break

We only have finite energy, and we do need to reinvigorate our minds. Having a 10-minute break between meetings is excellent, however, during your lunch hour, try going for a walk. Interact with other people in your household, and if no one is at home, try doing some stretches or have that delicious cookie that you have been saving. Drink plenty of water, as this will help your mind to be fresh, the odd cup of tea and coffee is great too.

Make sure you have your full lunch hour. Many of us start to get bored at home and hit back to work early. Go for a walk, as this will definitely help you clear your mind.

4 – You don’t always have to turn on your video

Video calls are a great way to communicate when you’re working remotely, as so, much of communication is non-verbal. But don’t feel the pressure to always turn your camera on. Staring at the screen and watching everyone’s reactions can sap the energy out of you.

If you are present in an hour-long meeting, it should be acceptable to turn off your camera for parts of the call, especially if you’re not speaking, so you can give your eyes a rest.

Video-conferencing can also feel remarkably intimate. If you’re meeting with someone outside your organisation that you don’t know very well, it’s ok to just use audio.

The most important thing with meetings is to ensure everyone can confidently and comfortably take part. This may mean using video, blurring your background, including real-time closed captioning, or not turning on video at all.

5 – Switch to email or phone/audio calls/team meetings

When you are planning your day, try and have a mix in the way you work and communicate throughout the day. Instead of just having video calls, have some phone or audio calls, arrange collaboration meetings with your work colleagues and give yourself time to follow up on those emails and tasks throughout the day.

Having a mix in the way you work during your working day is a great way to avoid fatigue when working remotely.

The Pomodoro method is an excellent method to adopt, which consists of a 5-minute break for every 25 minutes of work. However, in reality, this can be difficult, so try and have a 10-minute break for every 50 minutes of work.

At Dalycom, we offer a wide range of collaboration tools to meet your business needs. Call us on 01509 410 410 to find out more information!