Oh good, work from home burnout … something else to worry about 👌

In this era of remote work and working from home, the lines between your work and personal life have blurred to the point where it’s hard to see a line.

This leads, to among other things, an increased potential of BURNOUT!

That’s good and fun, right, because it’s not like we have enough to worry about.

But don’t worry because I assure you that YOU are not alone.

Now more than ever, we’re all at the mercy of hustle culture, comparison culture, and all the other negative cultures that one way or another lead to “burnout”.

It’s hard to navigate, but not impossible.

That’s our focus here … a series of steps you can take to remain in control.

But before we get to the tips, let’s explore WHY all this has become a problem 👇👇

work from home burnout, what art thou?

Working from home has become increasingly popular in recent years. 

For good reason, too, because for the most part, working from home is GOOD!

It offers you greater…

• flexibility, 
• autonomy, 
• and control over the life you lead 👍

However, it’s important to remember that working from home also comes with its own set of challenges, including 

• isolation, 
• lack of structure, 
• and the potential for burnout if you struggle to set boundaries 😞

(more on those shortly)

It’s hard to focus too much on the positives of the global pandemic that left a deep-rooted sense of ‘what the f*ck’ across the entire globe.

It sucked. No trying to argue that fact, trust me.

Yet as with everything in life, dealing in absolutes is a fool’s errand.

There is always good; always bad…

And the good that hitched a ride with the pandemic, few may they be, was an eye-opening revelation that maybe we don’t need to go into an office each day.

Remote working was already on the rise before COVID came along and bitch-slapped us across the face. Yet most companies fought it with all they could because they assumed you workers were…

• lazy
• inadequate
• bone idle
• unmotivated
• untrustworthy
• and basically a terrible human who couldn’t possibly structure your day 💩

For the most part, we proved them wrong — well done 👍

BUT… because we don’t deal in absolutes, remote working isn’t all awesome sauce.

There’s the good and the bad, and the bad in this case comes in the form of Work From Home Burnout  — a somewhat new and growing issue to overcome (yey!).

In fact, a study by Stanford University found that remote workers are more likely to experience burnout than their office-based counterparts.

is this really the case? i don’t know.

are we all doomed? probably.

The point is that work from home burnout is now a thing and it largely comes down to key factors like 👇

• The figurative blurred lines between work and everything else…
• The literal blurred lines because everything we now do is at home…
• The temptation (and expectation?) to just do a few more tasks…
• The slippage of time and how it suddenly becomes 10 pm…
• The way we interact with others or lack thereof❗

There are many more, and the ones specific to you depend on your situation. 

You are unique, and that is ultimately the point of this article.

Because there is no universal solution to any of this.

How we work (and where) has forever changed, and the entire landscape is set to continue its transformation moving forward — especially with the rise of AI 🤖

Much of it is out of our control. but some of it remains firmly in our grasp.

Let’s focus on that, shall we, so you can keep your sanity 👍

how to avoid work from home burnout …

Bosses are gonna boss … capitalism will do what capitalism does … and you will compare yourself to others because you’re a fragile meat human 🥓

For these reasons, and ALL THE OTHERS, you’ll slip into periods of burnout.

Part of the solution to this is to accept it; or at least be aware of it.

It’s a busy world and you lead a busy life. It’s okay. The point of [no hustle] isn’t to eradicate the hustle, but to keep you in control of it so it doesn’t control you.

That’s the aim of these five anti work from home burnout tips …not miracle cures that place you in a place of perfection (that don’t exist!!), but rather facets of life YOU can control and keep some semblance of peace.

Take what you will, use what works, rid the rest…

Let’s dive in 👇👇

1: create a dedicated workspace

When working from home, you must establish a dedicated workspace that allows you to associate it with work and work with it.

Working from your bed, not good.

From the dining table, also not good.

All this achieves is a further blurring of the already blurred lines where you struggle to determine what is and is not working.

Is this easy to do? Well, it depends …

If you have a large house, sure; super easy.

If you have a small, studio apartment, no; not even a little.

But to some extent, you can cater your environment so you have an area (or two) for work that allows you to switch on (or “off”, depending on how you look at it).

Also… have fun with this. get creative. make it feel like a safe place.

Your environment often dictates your productivity and flow, so surround yourself with stuff that soothes your soul: plants, candles, artwork, etc…

Just because it’s a workspace doesn’t mean it can’t be an awesome space!

2: set clear boundaries (with everyone!!)

The aim here isn’t to create balance (more on the reasons why soon).

But that isn’t to say having clear boundaries isn’t important.

They are … more important than ever!

The boundaries you set for others (family, friends, colleagues…)

and also the internal boundaries you set for yourself!

I dive deeper into what this means in *this* video …

What boundaries do you need to set? Well, that depends on you and your situation; as well as the chapter of life you’re currently in.

Maybe you need to be strict with your time because you have school runs and the like. OR maybe time isn’t as big of a factor, but your energy levels are.

• Are you a morning person?
• Do you best work in the evening?
• How long can you work for before the quality slips?

It’s your job to 1) understand these, 2) respect them, and then 3) communicate them to EVERYONE who needs to also respect them (that’s a lot of thems’).

3: touch grass (and other things)

This is a short section because the title says it all.

Get outside. Touch grass. Walk. Go for a run. Socialise, if you happen to like people.

(introverts be … nah thanks)

The point is that just because you work from home doesn’t mean you have to work from home. If you can, venture to a coffee shop, community center, co-working space, or if the weather is nice… a park; or a nice bench; or something that connects you with nature 🌲

When it comes to work from home burnout, so much of it comes down to the fact that people take it far too literally.

Don’t. You get to create your own rules.

It is, after all, the entire ethos of remote working!!

4: fill your cup (mind, body & spirit)

Each day, you owe it to yourself — and those that have to be close to you — to FILL YOUR CUP … not some days or when you can, oh no, you have to do this each day (even if it’s just for a few minutes).

→ Your MIND = read, do puzzles, have a pleasant conversation…

→ Your BODY = exercise, move, work up a sweat…

→ Your SPIRIT = meditate, journal, or just sit there and think…

The secret to escaping the hustle is to do this 👆👆

It also happens to be the best prevention of burnout because the more time you spend (consistently) filling your cup, the more opportunity you have to hone in on what you need → how you feel → where there’s pain or discomfort.

And even though it is, at least in theory, easier to Fill Your Cup while working from home, it’s easier still to get caught up in all your chores and “to-dos”.

So stop it. Take a stand and stop trying to be everything to everyone.

You ain’t special, my friend… just another meat human 🥩

So look after yourself. If not for your self, then for those who f*cking love you❗

5: integrate, don’t balance

So that whole Work/Life Balance you’ve spent forever chasing… yeah, it’s a lie.

Sorry for being the bearer of bad news 😶

This Video dives into the weeds …

Here, we’ll keep it simple 👇👇

1. You have ONE life
2. That’s it!!

The more time you spend trying to be this person at home and this other person at work, and then another around your friends, and another around family, etc…

… the harder it is to be YOU 🫵

and because those lines have blurred and there’s less literal distinction between your work and your “life”, the harder it is to balance them.

Because these days, you can take a call anywhere and at any time.

• You can check your email.
• You can make notes.
• You can check in with your team.

And your team likely lives far away from you (at least some of them), so doing all the *stuff* you need to do between 9am and 5pm … is it even possible for you?

it isn’t for me, and it is not for most people I know.

That’s why Whole Life Integration ✅ is the new work/life balance ❌

You still need boundaries, and you still need a degree of “balance”.

But, for the most part, it’s about integrating your life so you give what matters to YOU the time, energy, and attention it/they deserve.

(even if some of it overlaps with one another)

final thoughts on work from home burnout

The older I get, the clearer I get on this statement 👇👇

THIS WORLD IS GODDAM INSANE!

Don’t get me wrong, we live (probably) in the best period ever. It’s a largely safe world. an abundant one. one full of opportunities.

Still, we don’t deal in absolutes around here, so let’s be real…

THIS WORLD IS CRAY 🤯

Fast. Connected. Exponential. Unpredictable.

and we are, once again, just a single, fragile, slowly evolved meat human 🍖

The fact you’re here and care enough to read an article like this says a lot about who you are and the journey you’re on. You are enough, my friend ❤️ kudos.

Take solace, even if you feel frayed at the edges and close to burning out.

Work from home burnout is just another *thing* for us to deal with.

It sucks, but if there’s one thing we meat-humans are good at, it’s persevering, adapting, and figuring out new ways to keep all that chaos in check.

I hope the tips shared here help in that regard.

If not… well, I tried.

Go do yourself a solid regardless and 1) get clear on your current situation, and then 2) come up with a plan to take the steps you need to.

If you don’t, work from home burnout is coming and would love nothing more than to wrap its nasty little fingers around you. 

So take a step today, so you can have control tomorrow.

hi, i’m turndog and I wrote this article … i am a writer, ghostwriter, anti-hustler & a guy on a mission to ensure you too escape the hustle — come be part of the [no hustle] movement

hi, i’m turndog and I wrote this article … i am a writer, ghostwriter, anti-hustler & a guy on a mission to ensure you too escape the hustle — come be part of the [no hustle] movement