Restore Your Focus: 7 Tips to Avoid Office Burnout
We’ve all been there. Whether you are working long hours or in a job that requires a lot of time sitting at a computer or under fluorescent lights, more and more employees are suffering from office burnout.
So how do you prevent this and ensure that you and your employees, co-workers, peers, etc. remain focused, productive, and healthy? Start with these tips and see an immediate impact on your mood and efficiency.
1. Take a break
It’s impossible to concentrate on anything for extended periods of time without allowing our brains to re-energize and reorganize the information we’ve just obtained for retention. According to an article by Fortune, you should take a 15-17-minute break every 52-90 minutes. Or if you are working on a task that requires particularly intense concentration, take a 5-minute break every 25 minutes. Walk to the break room, grab a coffee, chat with a co-worker. Even the short breaks can do wonders for your mental clarity & focus.
2. Soak up the Vitamin D
Get some sunshine! Does your company have a greenspace? Use it! If not, take a walk, take a call from a bench in the park, anything to allow you to absorb that much needed vitamin D to recharge your battery and revive your day.
3. Be less flexible/available
Analyze your routine, what things do you currently do that contribute to the burnout? See what you can do to modify those tasks or get rid of them altogether. Keep a standard start/end time to your day. Stop checking emails & voicemails from your mobile at lunch, on breaks, or after hours. Unless something is an emergency or vital to the business, it can wait until tomorrow.
4. Do what you love
Let’s be real, most of us don’t love every aspect of our job. Be sure to take time each day to do something that you enjoy about your job. Spending time focused on these tasks will be refreshing and reenergizing, allowing you to push through the rest of the not-so-fun tasks.
5. Get moving
Do you sit at your desk most of the day? Take a walk, go for a jog at lunch, engage in some sort of physical activity to keep the blood pumping and your mind clear.
6. Use your vacation
So many employees save up their precious vacation time for a once a year extended vacation. Is this the best use of your time off? Or could you use time off more sporadically throughout the year, so you can recharge? Use the time you’re given and use it wisely!
7. Catch some ZZZs
If you’re coming to work already tired and irritable from a lack of sleep the night before, of course you are going to lack focus and feel burnt out! You need a full night’s sleep to revitalize your mind and your body. Though it is easier said than done, it is important that you adjust your schedule and ensure you are able to get adequate sleep at night.
BONUS TIP: Are you a manager? It is not only important to promote work/life balance for your employees, but it is important to demonstrate it as well!
Who would want to be promoted into a role that appears stressful and life consuming? While it is essential for leadership to exhibit a good work ethic and a willingness to pitch in and “get dirty”, it’s just as critical that they establish an understanding of the importance of time away from work. No one wants to work for a workaholic.
- http://fortune.com/2017/11/06/take-a-break-from-work/