What Is Zoom Fatigue?
According to the research conducted by Virtira Consulting, “The Webcam Survey: Exhausted or Engaged”, approximately 40%...
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hat Is Zoom Fatigue?
According to the research conducted by Virtira Consulting, “The Webcam Survey: Exhausted or Engaged”, approximately 40% of professionals who are working remotely experience exhaustion as a result of back-to-back zoom meetings, and long hours spent in front of the screen in place of in-person meetings. This unusual and common exhaustion is categorized as zoom fatigue resulting in employees feeling more stressed, experiencing body aches, and being less productive.
Online learning and remote working allow us to experiment with our day, categorize time, and plan our schedule. It is even better if the classes or our job is asynchronous and we are the boss of our academic or professional life. However, sitting in front of the screen for online classes, or attending zoom meetings is still painful and even more so now that it’s become part of the new normal.
Since COVID-19 has returned with another latest variant, we can confidently conclude that those zoom meetings and online classes are not leaving us anytime soon. Let’s also admit that we’re not only absolutely exhausted, but bored of the mundane 9-5 jobs and classes from home and deeply miss our colleagues, friends, and classmates. Hence, we must healthily combat zoom fatigue for the sake of our physical and also emotional well-being.
To do the same, we’ve put together some easy-to-do ideas together which are convenient, not time-consuming, and will only demand minor changes in your routine practice.
Make Movement Your Best Friend:
First things first, movement is your new best friend!
Easy-to-do physical movements will not only relax the muscles but are proven to help in avoiding zoom fatigue altogether. For this, you can choose to start your day with a walk, jogging, or doing step-ups. Eye movement and hand movement, such as looking at something with attention for a few seconds and using a stress ball will also help your body come into focus.
Physical training and yoga postures, such as wall-sits, jumping jacks, and planks will help stretch the muscles during the day and combat physical fatigue that happens as a result of having to sit in front of a screen for hours on a stretch.
Schedule Breaks as a Part of Your Work Day:
When you sit down to organize your task list for the day, don’t forget to schedule breaks as part of your workday. Think of the pre-pandemic times when we’d take mini gossip breaks, smoke breaks, coffee, and even lunch breaks with our colleagues during our 9-5 office hours? Remember that and plan your workday from home the same way. Leave zoom during scheduled breaks. Whether these are short snack breaks, getting up to make yourself some coffee, using the bathroom, playing fetch with your dog, or sitting down with your family for brunch, it is a break you deserve and must schedule in your day to combat zoom fatigue.
‘Too many breaks’ is a thing too, so be mindful of that.
Meditate with Music:
Power naps are a proven hack to ensure productivity. Do you know what else is very helpful? Plugging inwards with your favorite music and getting a shut eye for 10-15 minutes. It is a meditative practice that will make you unplug, destress, and relax without any external sound irritating your peace.
Practice the 20-20-20 Rule:
For every 20 minutes, you spend looking at the screen or in a zoom meeting, spend 20 minutes looking into the distance up to 20-feet away. Screen time can tire our eyes and cause strain on sight. Suffering from tired eyes is another symptom of zoom fatigue and it causes headaches too. This rule has been researched and recommended by a Californian optometrist and it has proven to reduce strain on the eyes.
Multitasking Does Not Work:
Trust us, it does not. Multitasking is a great illusion of getting more done in less time but in reality, it demands an attention shift every few minutes, making it longer to finish one task more efficiently. According to Stanford psychologists, multitasking affects memory and makes tasks more taxing. We say you dump the idea and kick away zoom fatigue by avoiding attending a meeting and preparing a report at the same time.
