Rebecca Muller* says setting boundaries around your work-from-home schedule is crucial for your health and wellbeing.
If you’re feeling the stress of bouncing from back-to-back video conferencing meetings every day, you’re not alone.
Researchers have found that more people are searching for ways to deal with Zoom fatigue — in other words exhaustion from being on video calls all the time.
With so many of us relying on virtual meetings to stay connected to colleagues and collaborate with teammates, it’s important that we’re mindful about our video meeting habits and boundaries.
Here are three tips that can help you get started.
Try a walking meeting
When we have to sit at our computers and show our face on camera for hours at a time, it can be difficult to stay attentive.
It’s also almost impossible to make time for movement.
Thrive Global’s founder and Chief Executive, Arianna Huffington, suggests turning some of your video meetings into walking meetings by taking them over the phone instead.
“One of my favourite ‘micro-steps’ is turning at least a couple of my Zoom meetings into phone calls so that I can take them while walking,” Ms Huffington says.
“You can walk around your neighbourhood, or even just around your house while speaking on the phone.”
Prepare beforehand
So many of our meetings drag on longer than needed because we didn’t take a few minutes to prepare beforehand.
If you’re the owner of a meeting, Ms Huffington recommends sending out some brief materials before the call begins.
This ensures that everyone invited feels prepared, and helps the meeting run more efficiently.
“If relevant, send a pre-read. Every meeting invite must include a clear agenda and desired outcome,” she says.
Give yourself permission to decline
It’s okay to politely decline the meetings where you’re not needed.
In fact, setting these regular boundaries with your meetings is crucial for your wellbeing.
Many remote workers struggle with setting boundaries between their home and work life.
Being intentional about which meetings we attend and decline is a great first step towards improved work-life integration.
*Rebecca Muller is the Community Editor at Thrive Global. Her previous work experience includes roles in editorial and digital journalism. She is on Instagram @rebeccabmuller.
This article first appeared at thriveglobal.com
