Addressing Zoom Fatigue With Alternative Work Spaces
Are you becoming more irritable, tense, or tired after a day of videoconferencing? Perhaps you’ve started postponing or canceling meetings because you just can’t video chat one more time in a day? Work-related burnout isn’t new for anyone, but you may be experiencing what experts have coined as Zoom fatigue, a very real and very new consequence of the remote working evolution.
While remote workers agree videoconferencing is a must-have in their daily lives, just like anything, too much of a good thing can lead to some unwanted side effects.
With video conferencing, we’re experiencing excessive amounts of close-up eye contact, watching ourselves in real-time constantly, limiting our mobility as we work to stay in focus, and carrying a much higher cognitive load by working harder to receive and send nonverbal communication.
Luckily, alternative work spaces like those found on Haymaker’s marketplace make it easier than ever for workers to find simple ways to address some of the fatigue associated with screen-only activities. For example:
Set face-to-face meetings.
If you have local co-workers, try to set weekly in-person meetings. With spaces throughout the city, it’s easy to find a central location to meet and take a break from the screen. Bonus, in-person meetings boost camaraderie, enhance communication, and generate extra participation.Get Moving
Research shows that people are more creative and communicate better when they move around, which becomes an issue with back to back video conferences. Work your schedule so you ensure a buffer between meetings, and use that time to stretch your legs. Getting out of your home office and into an alternative workspace can give you a new building, walking path, or city block to explore and improve your headspace before the next video chat. No time between meetings? Find a Haymaker space that offers treadmill or standing desks so you can get moving while you work.
Create Community
It doesn’t have to be a co-worker that you share a space with. Grab a friend or networking contact and create “in office” days. Finding a space that works for both parties allows you to have old-fashioned interpersonal interactions throughout the day and give your brain the break it needs.
When Zoom fatigue starts to set in, check the Haymaker marketplace to find a short-term workspace that appeals to you. For an hour or a day, a Haymaker space will provide the amenities you want in the location you need. Search now at haymakerspace.com.