Taking a break while working remotely
Working remotely, which for most people means working from the comfort of their own home, has become the new normal since the pandemic swept across the globe in early 2020. Fast forward two and a half years and most people working in the U.K. now operate under a hybrid approach: a mix of commuting to the office and working from home. Generally speaking, though, a number of people are now spending considerably more time working remotely than they ever did prior to the pandemic, and that shift has brought about some huge lifestyle changes.
There are a long list of positive aspects to working remotely, such as the saving of both time and money by not commuting into the office five days a week. That hour which would normally be spent in the car or on the tube can now be reclaimed as more rest or sleep time, or as the chance to have a slower start to the day before the official ‘work’ day begins. It is understandable that people seem to feel more in control of their working hours, having the freedom to start work early or finish later and not be quite as restricted by the traditionally expected 9-5 office hours.
However, any change in lifestyle can have negative features and working remotely is no different. Now, people sometimes find it more difficult to have a clear separation between their work and personal lives, with the divide becoming blurry. Whilst loading the washing machine during the day can be great for ticking off those life admin tasks; the lack of compartmentalisation can affect how ‘professional’ we feel during the day or conversely, can interfere with our ability to fully unwind after work. Before the pandemic, people may not have generally had a desk space in their home and so now have bought a desk for their lounge or bedroom or have to do with a makeshift one such as a kitchen dining table perhaps. Working in a space that was previously deemed for relaxation only can be a mentally challenging adjustment.
As we all continue the path to adjusting to remote working – which does largely seem here to stay - taking a break from sitting at your desk has never been more important. A valuable break should, ideally, be at least 10 minutes long. Without the typical and welcome distractions from co-workers and the casual chit-chat breaking up the silence in the office, remote working can feel lonely and quite intense. In a recent study, two thirds of participants said they sometimes feel lonely and isolated when working from home, with 17% saying they always feel this way. Also, with no one around to remind you, you are solely accountable for your own wellbeing during the working week and managing your work-life balance. Here are some ways that you can ensure that you are still prioritising your wellbeing, focused around the importance of simply taking a break.
Firstly, try to take a literal break at least every 45 minutes. The average adult attention span is a maximum of 20 minutes long and the peak concentration span for adults is thought to be significantly lower at less than a minute. This suggests that your focus and productivity will start to drop off after this much time has elapsed, and your work will suffer as a result. It is unlikely that you are going to be producing an output of high quality if you remain sat at your laptop for much longer than this at once, highlighting the importance of stopping and restarting shortly afterwards. Moreover, it is vital to give your eyes a rest from the screen as frequently as you can to prevent headaches and eye strain. Something as simple as standing up from your chair and stretching or going to look out of the window for a couple of minutes to give your eyes difference distances to focus on would constitute as a very healthy break from your work.
This brings me to my second piece of advice which is around moving your body. Sitting in one position is really bad for your posture; it also is thought to slow down the metabolism which affects the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar, blood pressure, and break down body fat. Humans are designed to move, not sit still for long periods of time. Moving around even a small amount will really help to prevent adverse effects that remote working could have on your physical health. Take yourself to the kitchen to top up your glass of water, or just walk up and down your stairs to get your blood pumping and your muscles working. Don’t worry – if you live in a flat and don’t have stairs, doing some lunges or squats simply walking around your apartment in a lap will be just as beneficial for you.
Thirdly, I think it is really important to get fresh air. We all get tired when we are sat indoors for long periods of time and that has an impact on how efficient we can be with our work. To counteract that mid-afternoon lethargy, take yourself outside for a short walk. If you tell yourself that regardless of the weather, you will at least go around the block once a day, then you will certainly start feeling brighter, more awake and more alert to face the Teams meeting on your return. Indeed, a recent study found that typically just 29 minutes spent outdoors in the fresh air can result in a 45% increase in productivity. Since working from home, one thing we all have in common is coping with ‘Zoom fatigue’ and burnout from too many virtual meetings. Making sure you get fresh air every day is a quick way to fight some of this fatigue, as well as ticking off my two previous points: peeling your eyes away from your screen and getting some physical movement going.
A fourth way that you could ensure that you are taking regular breaks during your workday at home is to set yourself clear tasks for the day ahead and write them down as bullet points. You can reward yourself with a short break each time a bullet pointed task is completed. This not only helps you to feel a strong sense of accomplishment as you work your way through your tasks, but it also provides structure to your day and identifies clear opportunities to take a quick break from your work.
My fifth point aims to counteract those feelings of isolation associated with remote working; it is really important to try and stay connected. Even though you might be alone for most of the day, checking in with friends on WhatsApp or making the effort to see someone in the evening can really help to break up the week, otherwise days can go by where some of us have no real human interaction (unless you live with family or friends).
The next piece of advice is continuing to hone in on the psychology of remote working, as psychological adjustments to promote better wellbeing are just as crucial as the physical ones. Work can be mentally draining at the best of times but conducting your working day within the same four walls all week might take its toll on some people. It’s therefore super important that you can find ways to psychologically switch off at the end of the day and detach yourself from your work. When we were all in the office and the clock reached 5pm, people would start leaving and saying their goodbyes and it helped maintain a clear sense of when it was appropriate to switch off and finish your day. However, at home, there is no ‘home time’ and many people find that they are working into the evening or skipping their lunch break and just eating at their desks. No matter how much work you have to complete, I think it really helps to have a cut-off point on an average day where you promise yourself that you will stop working and start doing whatever you like to do to unwind. It may even be helpful to remove your laptop from your ‘relaxing’ space, place it in a cupboard, or put something over your desk so you don’t spend your evening looking at your ‘workspace’. Another helpful tip is to turn off your email and Teams notifications in the evening, so your own time is not interrupted by colleagues who are choosing to communicate with you after the traditional working hours. You must set clear boundaries that suit your mental wellbeing: no one else is going to set them for you.
Once you have established those boundaries, try to understand what it is you like doing outside of work to make yourself feel good and to stop your mind from wandering back to tasks you need to complete or meetings you have the following day. Of course, many activities that we do in order to relax, such as watching Netflix or Face Timing a friend also involve screen time. That’s absolutely fine but try to find something else that you can do that doesn’t need a screen, just to break up your evening a bit and to reduce the chances of you feeling burned out. During the pandemic, many people turned to exercise and cooking nice recipes, and I personally don’t think those hobbies need to stop just because we are coming out the other end; both are healthy ways to unwind that give your eyes and your brain a break from the blue light of yet another screen!
To summarise, working remotely has been both helpful and healthy for many, many people, but it comes with its downsides that need to be addressed in order for it to be sustained in a way that is productive for wellbeing. The simple act of taking a break from work has in some ways become more complicated since working remotely and this is crucial to address. From scheduling in literal breaks from your screen, to committing to getting fresh air every single day, to making a mental list of how you like to unwind after your day is done, there are many ways you can ‘take a break’ while working remotely. Just remember, if you prioritise your wellbeing then you will most likely perform better and to a higher standard at work anyway – everyone is a winner!