Podcast
host and writer Morra Aarons-Mele tells about the ways how to stop remote work
burnout and implement them into your life. The new situation due to corona
virus could be challenging for most of people so she advises how you can
protect your energy and work-life balance.
1. Do you have any special rituals before
remote working or studying?
2. Do you manage your space before
remote working or studying or it does not matter for you?
3. Do you have some your owns ways to
avoid remote work burnout?
4. What do you prefer, remote studying
and working or maybe working in the office and studying in the classrooms? What
are advantages and disadvantages of remote working/studying?
Comments
I usually try to change to normal clothes instead sitting in pyjama. Maybe I will need to find something different when I feel it is not enough.
2. Do you manage your space before remote working or studying or it does not matter for you?
I change laptops on my desk between work and study. Usually cleans stuff behind me when there is video call on pjatk because of exam.
3. Do you have some your owns ways to avoid remote work burnout?
Sadly nope, pjakt burnout me long before remote work even and I believe there is not much I can do about that stuff. In case of work I try to do something that will make my brain still work but not directly connected to programming. Some games or projecting stuff for myself or even read or watch something interesting.
4. What do you prefer, remote studying and working or maybe working in the office and studying in the classrooms? What are advantages and disadvantages of remote working/studying?
I love remote study and work. I know there are many disadvantages and I see them clearly now, but I really hated losing time and sleep because of commute. Now maybe I still have some time after everything for myself at home. Maybe not much but at least I can lay down and thing about various stuff or just relax a bit.
Considering management of the working/studying space – it was something that we had organized as soon as we moved into our apartment. We have space dedicated mostly for work (or in my case studying and drawing) and space for more relaxed activities. However, we often talk about moving into a bigger apartment to have a separate room for work (especially in my case, considering the fact that I need space not only for my computer or tablet, but also for other art supplies such as paints or crayons) and a separate room for chill. It was actually something quite broadly recommenced not only during the COVID times, as it is healthier for our head to know, which space is which and what mood or atmosphere can be found while being in a specified space.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any ways to avoid work burnout. I’m just trying to keep my mind as healthy as possible by meeting with few of my friends, that I know are responsible, do a little bit of sports and, as said before, force myself to go out for at least half an hour everyday regardless of the weather and my mood.
It’s hard for me to tell what is better for me personally. I may not be an introvert, but I like staying at home, so remote working and studying is not as horrifying as it may be for other people. I am also well organized and stubborn, so it’s not that hard for me to plan my everyday activities and fulfill them. However, the main disadvantage of staying at home so much is the fact that you are losing the sense of time in my opinion. Hours pass by, and you don’t feel the urge to motivate yourself, because every day and every hour feels identical the same. There is not enough stimuli¬ and activities around us, so concentrating at something is harder and being motivated and ambitious requires more work that it usually would. I do like studying remotely as nowadays our classes are useless and by staying at home, I have time for other activities that I can benefit from. However, I would like to be able to go out, catch up with my friends and change the surroundings from time to time just to stay happy, healthy and motivated.
I'm ashamed to admit, but I don't do it at all. My desk is chaos. However, I have learned to manage the virtual space of my computer. I have 3 monitors for work and I make sure that my attention is not occupied by unrelated things. I only focus on monitors anyway, and the space on the desk is not that important to me.
My job assumes great variety and seasonality. When I have a project, I devote myself to it completely, when I finish it, I have time to rest and reset mind. This way I don't feel burned out, because variety and cyclicality ensure a healthy balance.
I definitely choose remote studying / working. The time that I waste traveling from one computer desk to another computer desk is many hours a week. With my modest calculations, it is 82 hours a month. By switching to work and studying remotely, I save 13 days per semester. I decided to devote this time to creating a video game and it's almost ready while not even one semester passed.
I like to have my headphones on my ears but I rarely listen to music. I like to have some ambient sounds during my work sessions like a library or cafe sounds.
Do you manage your space before remote working or studying or it does not matter for you?
It matters to me greatly. I need to have clear desk before work session, otherwise, I wouldn't be able to think clearly :)
Do you have some your owns ways to avoid remote work burnout?
I try to exercise if I don't feel like working. It clears my head and gives me the feeling of accomplishment which sometimes is just enough to start working.
What do you prefer, remote studying and working or maybe working in the office and studying in the classrooms? What are advantages and disadvantages of remote working/studying?
I like working and studying at home. I have a comfortable and quiet space so I feel no need for additional space like an office or classroom.
In a pandemic, I feel like I'm a master of my own time so I can work or go for a run whenever I want which I enormously value. The only disadvantage of remote studying that I feel is the lack of contact with the teacher. I have to say that I didn't appreciate it as much as I do now.
3. I don't think there is a golden mean to avoid burnout. A lot may depend on stress at work, on how our private life is arranged, or on the results of studies. Personally, I try not to think about it, and after work, I find myself a break from the profession so as not to think about it at all.
4. It may sound laconic, but everything has its pros and cons. I cannot answer which is better, but if I had a choice, I would choose the hybrid mode where I am at home 50% of the time and 50% away from it. The advantage of working at home is the reduction of the time spent on commuting (in my case, I save about 2 hours a day), and in turn, isolation and being alone are a big disadvantage.
2. I only make sure that my desk is clean and I have something to drink near me. I don't need anything else.
3. In my case, it depends on a project I'm working on. Some are a pain in the back and I feel burned out. But if I and my coworkers start something new from scratch and there are only small problems along the way - it's a pleasure to work on.
4. It's hard to tell. By working at home I save up to 2 hours per day. But I noticed that I was a little more productive when working in the office. Also, I had free energy drinks and coffee. Now I have to pay for everything.
Probably getting dressed and sitting at a desk. I think working/studying remotely from bed will always result in a fail.
2.
I think that having a tidy and neat space massively helps with focusing on the work that needs to be done, so generally I try to manage my space and keep a clean desk, but notbody's perfect, so there are days where it's cluttered.
3.
Previously I think I've experienced burnout several times, so it's still my weakpoint I need to figureout myself. The tips provided in the article are interesting however.
4.
I think I prefer remote working, but I can see the appeal in a hybrid approach to mix those two. I think that in IT generally remote working is enough, but in other fields it could have it's drawbacks, like lack of access to specialized equipment.
2. The motto that guides me when working in the mess that is always on my desk are the words of Albert Einstein. Albert Einstein used to say: "If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, then a sign of what is empty?" That's why there's always a mess on my desk.
3. I totally have no way of doing this. I experience this myself and have to use an example.
4.Remote work is great. You don't have to pay for travel. food always at hand. Waking up when starting work. It's only hard to focus on work, but I wouldn't call it a disadvantage.
1. No, I don't have any special rituals before remote work or study. I start work and study when there is such a need. And that's it.
2. It does not matter to me what my work and study space looks like. Usually I try to keep order, but I got used to it. So I don't mind mess too, although I usually like minimalism and order.
3. No, I don't have any ways of my own to avoid remote burnout. I don't think I need to. I am fine and so far nothing has changed.
Space management has always been very important to me, it seems to be essential during a pandemic. I created a space in the room that I only use for work. It helps me to separate home life from work.
I’m not in danger of burnout yet, I think. I learn a lot every day and my tasks are very different. When I start to get into a routine, it’s no problem for me to ask the manager for a new task or project. It’s very important to me that I work in a great team and I can always work with different team members.
Everything has its pros and cons. Taking into account the very busy schedule, I appreciate remote work and distance learning. The time saved on commuting is necessary for me so I can carry out all my plans.
When pandemic has begun working remotely was something new to me. I didn't know that I will need any special rituals. Now I know that there are things that make it easier. First of all I always take a shower in the morning, and prepare a coffee for myself. Also another one important thing is to get dressed and not work in a pyjama or something You've slept in.
2. Do you manage your space before remote working or studying or it does not matter for you?
I try to manage my space all the time so I don't really have to do it specially just before starting remote work.
3. Do you have some your owns ways to avoid remote work burnout?
I don't really know the way to avoid remote work burnout. I sometimes feel it too and I also need some way to fight it.
4. What do you prefer, remote studying and working or maybe working in the office and studying in the classrooms? What are advantages and disadvantages of remote working/studying?
Before pandemic I really wanted to work remotely. It's very comfortable and saves a lot of time because I don't have to drive to work and stay in a traffic every day. Now I really miss being in the office and meeting collegues and in the future I would like to work part time home and part time in the office.
Before work, he does a little strength training in the morning. 100 push-ups, stretching, crunches, when the weather is good, I run 5 km.
Such training makes you connect with work full of energy, ready to act. Of course, I also make sure that I have always on my desk
everything tidy. It allows me to focus on my work.
2.Do you manage your space before remote working or studying or it does not matter for you?
Honestly, it doesn't really matter to me, but I like it when I have everything in order so nothing distracts me.
I can concentrate fully on my work.
3.Do you have some your owns ways to avoid remote work burnout?
Whenever I feel like I'm burning out, I just take a break or a short vacation. It allows me to miss my job.
Additionally, I like to challenge myself. I set myself some goals and simply achieving them brings me satisfaction.
4.What do you prefer, remote studying and working or maybe working in the office and studying in the classrooms?
What are advantages and disadvantages of remote working/studying?
Honestly, I liked working remotely and studying. Thanks to this, I save a lot of time that I would waste on daily commuting and returning.
In addition, I am at home all the time, I just feel good here, I help my relatives, I think what I can change in my home.
Of course, there are days when I'm just fed up with sitting in the same place, however, such days are rare.
No I don't have any special rituals, I just say thanks for myself that I wake up ontime.
2. Do you manage your space before remote working or studying or it does not matter for you?
No I am so used to work and remotely that I don't need anything specific to motivate myself for work or study.
3. Do you have some your owns ways to avoid remote work burnout?
No I don't have, just doing because noone would do it for me
4. What do you prefer, remote studying and working or maybe working in the office and studying in the classrooms? What are advantages and disadvantages of remote working/studying?
I think 50/50 because studying or working remotely save my time and I have more opportunities for something else. However there ere some disadvantages like lack of real communication with others and work from office is more effective
I actually do have, and these rituals/routines allow me to work more effectively and to stress less than I used to. For me, morning is the most important part of the day, the way I wake up and how I feel. To have enough time I have an alarm clock at 7 am. I wake up and I sit in the living room and just drink water or tea for around 10-15 minutes. I take a shower and I go for a walk for around 10-15 minutes. I come back and make a breakfast and then I start working. It is vital for me to start the day this way, because it sets me up for a great start.
2. Do you manage your space before remote working or studying or it does not matter for you?
Definitely I have to manage my workspace correctly before I start working. My desk has to be clean, and my monitor, keyboard and mouse has to be connected to the laptop that I am about to work on, and I need two cups with water and coffee.
3. Do you have some your owns ways to avoid remote work burnout?
I am not sure if this not something too obvious, but I make a couple of breaks during my working hours. I go for 2-3 coffees to the kitchen for a 5-10 minutes break and I make one big 30-40 minutes break for a lunch at around 3 pm. It actually allows me to talk to somebody, have some quick chat at home and to relax for a couple of minutes and eat necessary lunch. One more think that I may add is that I try not to work after 7 pm.
4. What do you prefer, remote studying and working or maybe working in the office and studying in the classrooms? What are advantages and disadvantages of remote working/studying?
I am not sure to be honest. Working and studying remotely really helped me to find enough time for lectures at university and projects at work. Just because I do not have to physically go to the university and to the office, I probably save around 2 hours on transportation from one place to another. So, saving time is definitely the advantage. However, one of the disadvantages is struggling with your work-life balance, because you do not really leave your home for most of the day.
I also always change to normal clothes instead of sitting in pyjamas. It's a good ritual which divides our time that we spend in bed and in front of computer screen.
Just like you I'm not an introvert but I really enjoy working and studying at home. It feels like I have much more hours during the day because I don't have to travel around the city.
For me it's also hard to keep my desk clean, but just like you I have to focus on my computer screens during working and studying so it doesn't really bothered me.
The lack of contact with teacher or with my colleagues is the main disadvantage. I feel like if I don't understand some topic it's really hard to get a proper help.
Haha it's also hard for me that I have to pay for fizzy drinks, when in my office is Lipton green tea for free :(.
First of all, before starting remote work I try to do some exercises to awaken my body. Moreover, I try to take some breaks for a walk in order not to sit on a chair for several hours.
2. Do you manage your space before remote working or studying or it does not matter for you?
No, I do not manage my space before work. It doesn't matter to me.
3. Do you have some your owns ways to avoid remote work burnout?
I don't think I have any special tricks for that. First of all, I will advise you to look for a job where you will never get bored. I work in such a way that every day looks different.
4. What do you prefer, remote studying and working or maybe working in the office and studying in the classrooms? What are advantages and disadvantages of remote working/studying?
In my opinion both forms have their pros and cons. Working and studying from home you have little time to take care of yourself or practice, because then we are more lazy and you know only sitting in a chair. Moreover, we have practically no contact with people. However, when it comes to studying or working in the office, we have spend too much time to commute from one place to another. What’s more we have to wake up earlier, which can be problematic for people like me, because I love sleeping.
I wouldn't call it a ritual, but I wouldn't start working without eating breakfast first. I can't think of anything aside that.
2. Do you manage your space before remote working or studying or it does not matter for you?
I don't, but I'm a person who doesn't care that much about it.
3. Do you have some your owns ways to avoid remote work burnout?
I have a problem with working and studying right now and often I have a hard time concentrating on my job, but I don't think that's because of the work being remotely. I think that a lot of young people have problems with mental health right now because of the pandemic and reduction of social life.
4. What do you prefer, remote studying and working or maybe working in the office and studying in the classrooms? What are advantages and disadvantages of remote working/studying?
I prefer working and studying mainly remotely, but it would be nice to meet with the other people sometimes. I would be really happy with working remotely for 4 days a week and going to the office once a week. If I had to choose between working fully remotely, or not working remotely at all, I would always choose working fully remotely. The only disadvantage is problem with communication - it's a lot easier to communicate in person that via online communicators. But advantages like not wasting your time commuting and better work/life balance outweigh that.
Firstly, I try to wake up 2-3 hours before remote studying, because I want to devote some time to myself. And I don't want to dive into the learning process as soon as I wake up. I also try to clean my room and change my clothes to be more focused.
2.Do you manage your space before remote working or studying or it does not matter for you?
I do clean my desk. So nothing can distract me. It really matters to me, because I can lose my concentration easily.
3.Do you have some your owns ways to avoid remote work burnout?with outdoor activities
Yes. But all of my ways are associated with outdoor activities. A 20-30 minute walk in the park should be helpful. Exercising or just meeting friends is good too. It is all about work/life balance. And of course to have a good atmosphere at work is really important. And a job that you like:)
4.What do you prefer, remote studying and working or maybe working in the office and studying in the classrooms? What are advantages and disadvantages of remote working/studying?
I can say that I would like to have an everyday choice. The main advantage for me is saving time. The downside is that I've never seen the people I study with.
I like to ventilate my room because breathing fresh air improves our efficiency. Besides, I only care that I feel full and start working.
2. Do you manage your space before remote working or studying or it does not matter for you?
I just needed a moment to think. I am definitely trying to hide all things that may distract me from my view. These items include the telephone. I prefer to put it in a drawer so that it does not distract. Besides, I don't think about anything, I just work.
3. Do you have some your owns ways to avoid remote work burnout?
It is definitely worth planning entertainment after work. It is very important to meet people because 8 hours sitting alone in a room can be overwhelming. Having in mind that after work there is a reward or some entertainment waiting for us, it is much more enjoyable to work.
4. What do you prefer, remote studying and working or maybe working in the office and studying in the classrooms? What are advantages and disadvantages of remote working/studying?
I personally prefer to work remotely but I would rather study in the classrooms. I prefer to work remotely because the characteristics of the programmer's work do not require being in the office. The vast majority of matters can be dealt with in on computer while sitting at home. Studies are a bit different. When learning something new, it is worth having physical contact with the teacher. Additionally, meetings with peers at university can improve our mood. Hopefully everything will be back to normal soon.
My working hours are more flexible when working remotely, so I start the day with a walk for coffee.
2. Do you manage your space before remote working or studying or it does not matter for you?
I was working in remote projects before the pandemic and my workspace is always properly prepared.
3. Do you have some your owns ways to avoid remote work burnout?
I don't have that problem yet. I like my job very much and whether it is remote or in the office is not very important to me.
4. What do you prefer, remote studying and working or maybe working in the office and studying in the classrooms? What are advantages and disadvantages of remote working/studying?
Online studies are very pleasant for me and if I had to start another one, I would probably want them online. However, at work, I prefer balance. A few days in the office a few days remotely.
I think the fact that during classes or work hours there's no one around me, breathing down my neck is making me less motivated and productive. It's really challenging to stay focused during classes when there are sometimes much more interesting things to watch just one tab in your browser away. Luckily, I finally learned to leave my phone somewhere else during work hours, so the tasks that would normally take me let's say 8 hours with constant breaks for distractions, now require less time to deliver, so when I'm done I can just deal with my own stuff.
Both remote and onsite studying/working have their own pros and cons. The first few months of lockdown were really hard for me - I moved to different city where I had basically no one, started studying at new uni and got a new job. While I would love to keep studying remotely, the fact that I have never met people I have been working with for past 9 months is really bothering me. To me, they are just avatars, and even though I'm already used to it, it still feels weird.
2.I haven’t change anything as it has been already very comfortable for me. It also doesn’t really matter for me. It’s enough for me just to be alone, it’s a must in my work or studying process
3. I force myself to ger a break in different ways and it’s actually works. Sometimes I feel even better that before the pandemic because then I didn’t realize I had a problem with getting not enough rest.
4. I like the fact to be in class in my bed. Sorry, there is nothing better than that we have to admit. Yes, social interactions are important and enjoyable but still, my bed in just the best in the world and I would spend all my education process there.
I have some regular activities, yes. I must have breakfast before work, otherwise I won’t be able to process any information. I love making hot strong coffee in a cezve, that will count as a ritual for sure. I also pet my guinea pig first thing in the morning. In spring and summer I went for a run before work, too, but now I get up much later since it’s winter and I don’t have much energy for sports.
2. Do you manage your space before remote working or studying or it does not matter for you?
I have my work space set up. Everything is arranged the way I want it to be, that makes me feel comfortable. I don’t need many devices for my work, so my table is usually neat and clean. I also have some green flowers around and a guinea pig that I mentioned before by my side, it makes some of the work calls more fun:)
3. Do you have some your owns ways to avoid remote work burnout?
Whenever I start feeling angry or frustrated more often that usual, I can organize my work so I have a light workload or will finish my workday a bit earlier to have some time for sports. Badminton or a workout help me to get thoughts of my work. But there are evenings when I just want to relax, stay in bed or play video games all night long. And that’s okay. Therefore the best thing that works for me if just listening to myself, emotions, thoughts and body, they’ll tell me what I need the most.
4. What do you prefer, remote studying and working or maybe working in the office and studying in the classrooms? What are advantages and disadvantages of remote working/studying?
Once lockdown is over I’d prefer both options, remote and offline work\study, available. Honestly now, in winter or late autumn, I am beyond happy to work from home since I don’t spend much time to get to the office and I can get up later. Also it gives me opportunity to go to some other activities right away after work is over, that’s another advantage to count. On the other side, I feel lack of socializing sometimes, so it’d be good to go to office\school once in a while.
Unfortunately I don't. Propably it would have made it easier for me to stay focused but I have never really applied a routine to my day-to-day cycle.
2. Do you manage your space before remote working or studying or it does not matter for you?
It matters to me but most of the time I am too lazy to clean up the mess on my desk. But I have to admit that I work better if I have tidy desk.
3. Do you have some your owns ways to avoid remote work burnout?
I don't and often I feel very bored and burned-out during working. Mostly because current project I am working on at work is not very interesting one and all tasks I get are pretty much boring. I will definately try something mentioned in the video.
4. What do you prefer, remote studying and working or maybe working in the office and studying in the classrooms? What are advantages and disadvantages of remote working/studying?
I prefer working in the office cause it is easier to focus. I have to admit though that I feel that studying at university especially, computer science, lost some of its sense. I had so many classes that were only about giving students tasks to do at home that I felt that going to university physically does not make any sense.