3 Ways to Combat Zoom Fatigue

28-May-2021

Have you ever felt that satisfying relief when you finish that very last Zoom call for the day, then suddenly wonder - why am I so exhausted? What’s happening with you is not anything out of the ordinary from the millions of others within the WFH - work from home, workforce are feeling; it’s called Zoom fatigue - and nobody’s immune to it. With introduction of virtual tools to assist with telecommuting, Zoom fatigue is something many are currently battling during Covid.

Zoom fatigue is sneaky and can be triggered in people just like you who spend profuse amounts of time on virtual meetings, trying to compensate for the loss of face to face interaction. But Zoom fatigue can be beaten to help you enjoy a remote working routine, one that isn’t draining. Although the world of Zoom meetings goes on, here are some tips to avoid Zoom fatigue and have a more productive WFH day:

Try not to schedule back to back calls - Introverts might hate this idea & extroverts may love such calls. But, not only will this give you a video break but it means you can take a restroom break, snack break, or any other break you might do in the real world. We’ve all been in the situation where we just need to get up from where we’ve been sitting. Learn from these experiences - book a 5, 10, or 30 minute slot for offline work or just taking a break.

Don’t Multitask – Multitasking is bad for you, and you know it. The most relevant reasons for Zoom fatigue is that you cannot focus on more than one thing at a time. So, the next time you join a video call but start typing away on another screen / message someone on another platform, stop. If you dedicate all your attention to the video call, it’s easier to follow along, plus you won’t be caught off guard. Your brain doesn’t need to divide your attention span between sources, and you will not tire yourself out. When you focus on one activity at a time, you stand a far better chance of that one thing turning out to be a success.

Set an end time for the meet - As with any meeting in the real world, the Zoom ones are overrunning. Is that because we’re scared of leaving a meeting? The way around this issue is to universally agree an end time. Sticking to your agreed end time can be a challenge in itself but it must be done. This is the best way to ensure the meeting isn’t overrun and that the time is utilized well.

A few other ways to ensure you don’t get zoom fatigued is to turn off your video when not needed. Turning off your camera when not needed gives a much needed break, even if we don’t realise it. Make sure you take adequate breaks all through the day. Switching things up & giving yourself a fresh surrounding in your home will also help.
These were some ways you can save yourself from Zoom fatigue. It is tough and we’ve been doing this for way too long than we’d expected. If you do try out these tips, do let us know how they helped you. If you have any tips of your own, tell in the comments below! We hope you enjoyed this article and will come back for more!

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