WFH....burnout?

[morgan98]

I have a dedicated office (and two other spaces I work from), three monitors and no kids so I should not have anything to complain about working from home one would think.

But it has still not been easy. While I do not miss the commute in Atlanta traffic at all and everything related to that, I have had a hard time maintaining boundaries. I get some of that is on me. However, due to the nature of my role, we have had so many more projects, initiatives and various other things come up because of COVID. First it was furloughs and worried about clients not potentially paying bills to now being able to find and hire enough staff. And trying to keep staff. Anyway, in my experience working from home has meant calls earlier in the morning and later into the evening. Sure, I guess I could just say no, but I am not ready to do that quite yet.

I also need to take more PTO. While in non COVID I generally on a couple of good vacations a year. Now, not so much.

Over the past six weeks I have taken two overnight work trips and I have to admit that some work travel and change of scenery was very nice.

 

[firefly_ris]

I have been self employed since 2009. Some things I do occasionally --

- Head to a coffee shop or bakery for the first 4 hours of the day and work from there

- Take my lunch break to walk the dog 1 - 2 miles; definitely more refreshed after some exercise and fresh air

- Work outside -- front porch, rear deck, or down by the creek in a beach chair

- Work different places inside -- I have a dedicated home office but I'm actually more productive in the living room, on my bed, or even in the bath tub! I have one of those wooden things that goes across the tub for book and I put my laptop on there.

- Split my time (depends on your work, I don't have the type of job where I have to "clock in" at a certain time) -- maybe I'll do 5 hours then stop and do house chores or go out and do errands then do a couple more hours at night after the kids are in bed

 

[design_mom]

I have worked from home for the last 9+ years and always have enjoyed it but... yeah, this pandemic thing is tough.

I used to have a home office (sort of). It was a dedicated workspace in our basement, but it was where I did all of my work stuff. I got booted out of that when everyone came home because others needed more privacy than I did (more meetings, classes, etc.) and I still haven't gone back down there because there's always stuff going on in the house ("what was that thump I heard?" "please don't yell down the stairs to ask if I'm on a call!" <-- and that's mostly my husband.)

Additionally, even though I didn't go out daily, etc... things changed in the house. The kids got home from school. My husband got home from the office. I had errands to run before everyone got home and it was time to start dinner. Then... nothing. Things are somewhat more normal (kids are back at school, etc) but my husband is still working from home. He *loves* working from home, but I miss the old routine.

 

[Figment of Speech]

I'm a long-term WFHer; between my current remote job, freelancing, and grad school, I haven't had a fully on-premises job since 2004, so I've had some practice with this, AND I got a lot of mentorship from people who'd been doing it longer than me when I started freelancing. The biggest cause of burnout for people who work from home is struggling with work/home balance and boundaries. It looks different for everyone, but somewhere at the core of most issues, that category of stuff is usually what's wrong.

Most of the things I've done for myself have already been mentioned, so this might be repetitive, but consider it additional support for those things.

• Clearly defining "work time" and "home time." At the beginning of the pandemic, I saw so many people excited that they could "work in their pajamas," and I confess — I know this will sound bratty — that all that made me think was, "Amateurs." (I think most people who had to do it for more than a few months ended up discovering that daytime pajamas are overrated.) I get up at the same time and have a morning routine. Like a lot of people in this thread, I give myself defined periods of time when I'm on the clock and when I'm on break.
• Clearly defining "work space" and "non-work space" in the home. My home circumstances don't allow for this right now, but in the past (and hopefully in the future) I've had and will have a designated office space.
• Working at coffeehouses. I also don't do this right now because of the pandemic and because I sometimes need access to a TV for my job, but when I was freelancing (i.e., back when my work didn't need a TV), I would always do the first half of my day out of the house. It would help me launch into productivity to be cut off from home's various distractions. Plus, I got to know a whole bunch of local businesses very well and got to enjoy regular changes of scenery. And their caffeinated beverages.
• Taking a lengthy but structured break or two outside the house or on my feet in the middle of the day. These days, I take a break to walk and another break to feed the cats, scoop litter, and take out the trash. In olden times, I went to the gym. It has to be structured, though, with clear beginning and end times, or I risk not getting back to work until late or doing that half-work, half-other-stuff limbo routine that makes boundary-setting so hard.
• Having an end-of-work routine as well as a beginning-of-work routine. For me, again, it's taking another long walk and then making dinner. Since it sounds like the OP's issue is feeling a distinct transition out of work and back into home life, this might be the critical time to find something bigger than just closing your laptop. Maybe designated child or pet time (if applicable). Or exercise, or an errand, or a snack.
• And one I've never done but that I know some people who have: renting a coworking space. An ongoing pandemic is not necessarily the best time for this (since that's why some people don't have a physical office to go to in the first place), but different coworking spaces may work for different people, and if it sounds appealing, it could be worth looking into and assessing whether their safety measures and available spaces work with your risk or comfort levels. You could have your commute back but only on the days you want it.

A couple tangential musings: Working from home has been especially tough for those whose departments or companies were thrust into it suddenly and against their preference. The company I work for has always been remote, so its entire communication network, meeting structure, and workflow is based on a remote-work model, and everyone who works there sort of self-selected for being comfortable doing it that way. The company knows how to provide support for remote employees, which is something a lot of other workplaces had to figure out very quickly and sometimes haphazardly.

So I do relate to the work/home balance and boundary issues that affect all of us, but I don't really relate to the frustrations some people have about not being able to make virtual collaboration as productive, effective, or enjoyable as in-person. That's not inherent to remote employment, and it's not entirely about technology; it also has to do with group and individual work style, and if an entire group is made up of self-selected remote workers (as opposed to people who are doing it because they temporarily have to), you're more likely to end up with a group whose style works better with the circumstances.

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

It took me a year to learn how big of a deal the separation of work/home space is. When we started WFH I just moved into my normal office that I use for my side business and hobby stuff. After a while I realized I was burning myself out just from being in the same scenery for 15 hours in a day. I have now set up our guest bedroom as my "work" office and I leave all work material in there. It has improved my mental state a lot.

I saw mention of coworking spaces and coffee shops above but I'd like to give a suggestion for libraries. Our local one has a lot of tables/desks with outlets/wifi and it's great to go there and do some "heads down" type work. My office is ~35 minutes away while the library is less than 10 so it also is a far smaller time commitment.

I like the suggestion to take walks or leave the house at the end of the work day to get a break. I'm going to have to try that as it will give a clean break.

 

[DumboDash2006]

I know you didn't ask this question of me, but I'm in the same position as that other poster. I work 30 miles from my home on a large complex that takes at least 10 minutes to walk off of it. There is no parking outside this complex. There is no grocery store, drug store, dry cleaners, etc. Sure I can go walk out and about at lunch, but I can't get anything done. At home, I can use my lunch hour to run up to my local grocery store and pick up things, walk my dog, clean a small bathroom, etc. I am kind of in a prison at work--prison being a huge exaggeration, but I can't do anything there.

Same for me (I love WFH and did two days a week pre-pandemic and still do). I work in a college town on a college campus. I have a half hour lunch and it's a ten minute walk just to get to my car. And the businesses around are mostly restaurants and convenience stores etc. Errands are generally not possible.

Of course I also have two hours of commute each day. I don't think I'd want to go back to full time at home like I was for over a year but my ideal would be three days a week at home. Two days is nice but three would be better. Five however was a bit much after a while. Especially since we weren't going out to other places very often either.

 

[RamblingMad]

Take a long vacation.

What I have found is that since I started WFH with COVID closures, I haven't taken enough time off to relax. You most likely need a good vacation or two or three.

 

[wvjules]

Take a long vacation.

What I have found is that since I started WFH with COVID closures, I haven't taken enough time off to relax. You most likely need a good vacation or two or three.

We were on Maui in July for 2 weeks.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Some of the issues too may come from a forced work from home versus a conscious decision to do so. Sure you might have gotten used to the work from home but if your company was preventing from coming back and you weren't really wanting to work from home in the first place I can totally see how you're just done with it.

My husband worked from home from mid-March 2020 until late August 2020. He enjoyed certain parts to work from home and he got used to how it would go but he missed the office and even when there weren't many people in the office when he was brought back it was still some office-type environment with people there.

 

[RangerPooh]

Why do you not have the ability to run errands during your lunch hour when you're in the office?

I work near downtown in a large city in an area referred to as the medical district which straddles an area that is not very safe, so there's not much nearby. No post office, the closest Target is at least 30 minutes away, a trip to Kroger and back takes the full hour if not more... Where I live in the suburbs Kroger is 2 minutes down the street, Target 7, and a post office 15.

 

[KPeterso]

I am burnt out working at home. I was never a fan pre-pandemic, so being force into it has been very hard. I often say I have hated every minute, but that is not 100% true. I have gotten used to it finally and it is not as bad as originally. But I still can't wait to get back to the office. There had been talk about September, but all plans put on hold due to Delta. Now the word is maybe after the first of the year. I have several friends who have been WFH for a long time and they often ask how much I love it and are surprised when I say I still hate it and can't wait to return to the office. I like to walk around the floor after I go to the bathroom (hey it is extra steps versus the 10 from my desk to the bathroom at home). My commute was about 5-10 minutes so never a big deal. I got to have lunch with friends to gossip about stuff. Just miss the comradery of the office so much.

 

[monsterkitty]

When we went to WFH, our "commute" became a walk the dogs instead of drive to school. We then walked the dogs after school as well. Sometimes DH would go to Starbucks just to drive somewhere. Since I retired I still make sure I go somewhere everyday, usually the store or to the gym to swim or run.

Our neighbor is still WFH and right now she is in the same place as you are. She wants more real face to face interaction with her co-workers than what the WFH can give. She's joining me now on my walks with my dog in the morning, at lunch, and then again after work. She and her DH are going to WDW next month and she is really looking forward to the travel, which used to be part of her job but they still haven't brought back.

The only good part of WFH for us was that we got more than 25 minutes to eat lunch and we could go to the bathroom whenever we wanted. None of the kids cared, and we didn't care, if someone was eating during Zoom classes. We had no hallway supervision duty during passing periods so we could walk the 10 steps to the bathroom and be back to our computer for the next class during the 3 minute "passing" period.

 

[tzolkin]

Why do you not have the ability to run errands during your lunch hour when you're in the office?

I know several other posters have replied stating that their work places are not in a location where they can easily run errands during lunch, but I think time is also a major factor. Most places I have ever known give you 30 minutes for lunch (not an hour+) so even if the errand location is only 5-10 minutes away, by the time you walk out to your car, drive there, and need to make it back in time you would only have maybe 10 minutes to complete the errand so you would be very rushed and only be able to do one task rather than several stops in one trip.

My WFH job is flexible so if I need to take two hours to run errands, go to a doctor's appointment, take kids to orthodontist, etc, that's fine. I can just adjust my work hours accordingly. Some offices are only open set hours so you can't start work at 6am so you can run errands later in the morning. If you need to take a few hours off, you would need to ask permission and use PTO.

 

[wvjules]

Don't get me wrong. I love WFH. I am ok with doing it forever, with the occasional trip into the office. What I am missing is the feeling of coming home at the end of the day. That's what I want to get back. I am reading tips from here and getting input from friends on how to get there. This has been helpful. I'm going to try a few things next week and see if it helps.

 

[NMBCFangirl]

Late to the party, but wanted to share what I do in case it helps. Back when I had a commute, I listened to audiobooks on my drive. So, to put my brain in the same space I now take a quick walk with my dog after I clock out and listen to an audiobook with one earbud in (just one, safety reasons) while we walk. I also set up a dedicated office space, put everything away at the end of the day, and on the weekends I go a bit further by unplugging everything and draping a cover over it all. I use seasonal tablecloths for the drape.

 

[lovesmurfs]

I've attached a great NYT article on "languishing." It really explains what I've been going through.

 

[morgan98]

I've attached a great NYT article on "languishing." It really explains what I've been going through.

This article is spot on for me. It explains exactly how I feel!

I am not depressed, I have a lot to be thankful for and I have enough energy. The paragraph about the foggy windshield really summed it up.

 

[wvjules]

I've attached a great NYT article on "languishing." It really explains what I've been going through.

That article was spot on. This part for me really stood out:

Part of the danger is that when you’re languishing, you might not notice the dulling of delight or the dwindling of drive. You don’t catch yourself slipping slowly into solitude; you’re indifferent to your indifference. When you can’t see your own suffering, you don’t seek help or even do much to help yourself.

Thanks for posting it!

 

[anniemae]

This is why I hope some offices institute more of a hybrid work schedule where you work from home a couple days and go in on certain days. Kind of the best of both worlds. If the whole office isn't in every day, and when you are in it's only half the staff, its more covid safe.

What are peoples office saying about returning? Are you remote indefinitely (for those that are remote) or is there a plan in place to return? Just curious. It seems the delta variant is calming down a bit so I was wondering if people will start heading back.

 

[RangerPooh]

What are peoples office saying about returning? Are you remote indefinitely (for those that are remote) or is there a plan in place to return? Just curious. It seems the delta variant is calming down a bit so I was wondering if people will start heading back.

I work in higher education. Some offices remained open the entire time, rotating who was in the office. A few positions remain remote, but the bulk have since returned. My office returned July 1, and will now begin working remote up to two days/week in October. The Delta variant is still strong here in the south, and there are concerns as vaccinations are not required on campus. I have had a breakthrough case and do not want it again. Especially as I have children at home who are not old enough to be vaccinated.

My employer says to maintain safe distancing and masks are required. I can tell you that when I meet with students we're 2-3 feet apart. I have what feels like a revolving door of appointments, and my office is not notified when a student test positive, and this frustrates me. I truly feel as if staff are not cared for, but hey I like my job. I am grateful for the possibility of working remote again.