Have you been working from home a lot lately? If you’re like many New Yorkers, you’ve been working remotely since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Since then, perhaps you’ve come to appreciate the many benefits that remote work provides. At the same time, you may have discovered remote work’s tendency to erode personal boundaries and increase working hours. If so, you may be at risk for a condition called occupational burnout, which is marked by increased stress, reduced motivation, and physical exhaustion at work.

Signs you’re approaching remote-work occupational burnout

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If you’ve worked from home a lot over the past year, you may have grown increasingly worn out. Sure, on the surface, you’re still successful in your career. But work feels more exhausting than ever. The schedule you previously adhered to may have gone out the window thanks to 24-7 access to your workspace. Instead of working for a set number of hours each day, you find yourself frequently thinking about work. The feeling that you are constantly on call leaves little time for relaxation, and your stress levels have increased.

It's likely that you’ve become increasingly isolated. You rarely see your colleagues’ faces, with most interactions being via email. The magnetic pull of your round-the-clock work responsibilities may also be preventing you from connecting with family members. Even the simple act of pausing work long enough to sit down and eat dinner with your partner or roommate feels out of reach.

Your creativity and motivation levels have also have taken a hit. Your work doesn’t excite you as much as it used to, so you’ve been turning down projects or taking shortcuts. Things that didn’t previously trigger you—such as minor delays—are more likely to cause frustration. While you still have ambitious career goals, you don’t feel as driven or energetic as you used to.

Why remote-work burnout happens

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If you’re still trying to figure out how to balance work and life effectively, you’re not alone. In fact, people have been struggling to do that since long before remote work was common. Blackberries started encroaching on people’s boundaries more than twenty years ago (before that, it was pagers). The difference between then and now is that most of us still had a tangible geographic boundary between home and work. For the two-thirds of Americans who are currently working remotely, that physical boundary no longer exists.

The lack of a physical work-home boundary is particularly problematic for New Yorkers, many of whom work from home in a small apartment. If the pandemic forced you to work from home for the first time, you might have had to set up shop at your kitchen table or in your bedroom. Unless you’re lucky enough to have a separate home office, there is no boundary whatsoever between your personal and professional life. You no longer have the commute time on your way home to de-stress after work. Without this delineation, your brain can’t easily tell when it’s time to work vs. sleep, exercise, have sex, etc.

Another factor driving work-from-home burnout is boredom. Thanks to the pandemic, you’re not supposed to see anyone, and you’re not supposed to go anywhere. When you don’t have any planned engagements outside of work, there is nothing to force you away from your computer come quitting time. You keep on working, through dinnertime and into the late evening.

How to avoid occupational burnout when working from home

If you want to show up to your desk with energy, enthusiasm, and mental clarity, finding the right work-life balance will be essential. And even more important if you’re working from home. In addition to protecting your health and relationships, balancing personal and professional priorities can boost your creativity and productivity.

If you’re ready to create more balance in your life, we recommend starting with small changes. Here are some suggestions.

Reserve an hour every day when you don’t respond to instant messages.
Put aside your phone each morning until after breakfast
Set alarms to remind you to stop for food breaks to prohibit missing meals
Try limiting yourself to checking email only once during the evening

Recreating a daily routine similar to the one you had pre-pandemic can also help reduce work-from-home burnout. Even if you know no one will see you all day, try to get up and get dressed around the same time. Don’t work from bed, and if possible, create a dedicated space in your home that is only used for work. When it’s time to relax for the evening, shut off your computer, change into something comfy, and do whatever you can to remind yourself that work time is over.

Occupational Burnout and Executive Coaching in New York City

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If your work life is still bleeding over into your personal time, it might help to work with an executive coach in New York City. Our experienced psychotherapists can help you reduce workplace-related stress, balance your priorities, and avoid burnout while working from home. They care about helping professionals find work-life harmony by implementing boundaries and self-care routines. And not just the trendy self-care, but truly taking time for yourself to have a life outside of work. Adding these elements to your life can help reduce occupational burnout and increase your confidence in the workplace.

If you are ready to give executive coaching a try to help with lessening the effects of occupational burnout, please request an appointment for a free 20-minute phone consultation. You’ll get to speak with one of our caring executive coaches to see if our New York City psychotherapy practice is a good fit for your needs.