The American culture has conditioned us to be hooked on our work, whether we are in or out of the office. Now the Coronavirus pandemic has many of us working remotely more than ever. While employers expect employees to maintain productivity, working remotely doesn’t mean working 24/7. With more video conference meetings and minimal commuting to begin and end the workday, it’s no surprise that studies show people are working more hours per week compared to pre-pandemic times.
Let’s face it: our minds are constantly plugged into different tasks, technologies and more, leading us to think we’re being productive when in reality - we aren’t.
When we’re constantly thinking of work outside of normal work hours - whether it is to check email phones or respond to texts - we can’t be entirely present in the moment at home, resulting in minimal work-life balance.
Aside from work-life balance, there’s more reasons why you should disconnect from remote work:
Increased productivity
Longer hours don’t necessarily equate to more work getting done. Most people do their best work between 2 and 6 of the working hours within a given day and fatigue drastically sets in after 9 hours, resulting in less productivity. Therefore, employees can’t deliver their full potential.
Aside from longer hours leading to minimal productivity, the need to continually be available and respond quickly adds up. While it may seem productive, multitasking also decreases quality of work because our minds are not entirely focused on the task at hand.
Create set work hours and avoid responding to email after hours by shutting down the laptop and turning off the phone notifications. Then, see how your productivity will improve.
Better sleep
Long work hours can negatively affect your sleep. How? Stress from work, hours looking at a computer screen and minimal time to unwind between ending work and going to bed. Minimal sleep in the short-term can affect your memory and consolidation, leading to mistakes or poor quality of work. On the other hand, minimal sleep over time can raise the risk of obesity, heart issues and diabetes
Few people can function effectively off five to six hours of sleep. Develop your bedtime routine and allocate at least 8 hours of sleep each night.
Reduced stress
Most adults experience regular stress from work. Due to the pandemic, it’s no surprise that more employees are stressed from working remotely combined with other duties, such as educating children while at home.
High levels of emotional and psychological stress come with constant connectivity to work. And several studies show that those who are unable to connect from work have higher levels of fatigue and burnout.
But what are even worse effects of stress? High blood pressure and migraines, among other complications. To reduce stress from work - physically disconnect. Multiple studies show that regular exercise helps people become more resistant to stress. Aside from turning off phone and email notifications after work hours, get exercise through a walk, run or bike ride outside.
Need other ideas for how to disconnect from remote work? Contact us for a virtual consultation.