Remote work burnout: how to prevent and overcome it

Probably everyone with work experience has experienced burnout at one time or another. It's logical to assume that it happens to people who don't like their job. But here you are, with the remote job you've always dreamed of - interesting, flexible, at home with a laptop, with the opportunity to spend more time with your family, or add some time to your life. And then the problem comes back. How so? You are happy to work here, at least for a very long time, and at most until you are old. And thoughts of looking for something new again are already creeping in... Now you see how to avoid such a context and what to do if you already find yourself in it.

Let's take a real-life case as an example. The author of this article is not the first to face a similar problem, and certainly not the last. Many people have more or less the same story. Therefore, we can conditionally divide burnout into the following phases:

Phase One: I = Company

I successfully completed the test task, had an interview with the top management and, not fully believing in my luck, got a position as a copywriter in an international educational company. The work is remote, from 9:00 to 17:00 - I woke up, had breakfast, went to my desk with my laptop, and was at work. No need to run, drive, or be nervous about traffic jams. You can do what you love - write texts. What could be better?

It is. To say I was happy would be an understatement. Five days a week for eight hours was not enough for me. Moreover, the company has its own culture - cheerful, even cheerful, meetings between employees and management, both together and one-on-one. They inspired us, asked us how to work - what problems we had, what we liked, and what could be improved. I wanted to dissolve into my work. That's exactly what I did."

I, like all other employees, was given free access to all the company's courses, so I spent all my free time studying to delve deeper into what I wrote about for them. Plus, the company has its own YouTube channel with lots of interesting videos. Therefore, the name of the first phase, as a result of the conflict, without increase, is fair. At first, you dissolve into the company, become one with it.

Phase two: Inertia

Of course, it can't last that long. Some people last for six months, some for a year, some for more. This can be compared to a locomotive that has picked up speed, is travelling powerfully along the rails, sees no obstacles, but suddenly the engine breaks down - there is no increase in the increased load. The locomotive will continue to move for some time. In fact, it's not so easy to stop it, especially if it's going downhill. And if it wasn't for the silence of the broken engine, no one around would have noticed that something was wrong."

And even a person may not notice that something has already burned out and he is already moving due to inertia. The same thing happened to me. I thought I just had a few more tasks, maybe I didn't get enough sleep, or I was sick. Looking back, it helped to recall the feeling of euphoria that accompanied me constantly at first. But the feeling faded from my memory and was replaced by "grey everyday life". During the second phase, in many cases, there is a decrease in performance. This is noticed by both colleagues and management, especially if at the beginning of your career in the company you managed to produce overtime results.

Phase Three: How I was wrong

The second phase flows smoothly into the third. Due to emotional exhaustion, nervous tension increases. What are the results? Deterioration in performance, plus mistakes in work (from which no one is immune) against the background of nervous tension, eventually lead to conflicts with management. The same management that inspired me not so long ago. And then comes the thought that characterises the third phase: "How wrong I was..." About everything - that there is such a job in the world that brings pleasure, that there is a friendly loyal leadership that you want to look up to.

The third phase is a crucial one: your fate in the company depends on how you act, if at all. Of course, you can leave everything as it is and push the locomotive with the engine turned off. You can quit and start looking for a new job again. You can move from company to company with an unresolved problem. Or you can work on your mistakes, stay in the company, and fall in love with your job again."

Phase Four: Working on bugs 

So we have come to the answer to the question: how to avoid burnout when working remotely and what to do if you are already experiencing it. 

Personally, I was saved from the "voluntary" statement by the fact that I suddenly fell ill. I don't advise anyone to do this, take care of your health, but I advise you to do what I did on sick leave. Namely, work on mistakes."

So, by chance, I managed to pause my activities in the company. For the first few days, I didn't think about work at all, and then I started thinking about what went wrong and when it happened. And I came to the following conclusion: it was not my work or my management that was to blame for my burnout, but myself. Recalling the first, seemingly happiest months, I realised that it was then that I made a major mistake - I replaced my life with work."

Do you remember the advantages of remote work that we listed at the beginning of the article? A flexible schedule, more time for family and yourself. Instead, I spent less time with my wife and children than I did when I commuted to work on the other side of town. I completely forgot about sports and my other hobbies. And when the euphoria of the first weeks wore off, the formula Me = Company stopped bringing me joy. But instead of stopping, reconsidering my life, and correcting my mistakes, I continued to move by inertia. 

Conclusion with a happy ending and tips from experts

After I finished working on my mistakes, I successfully worked in the company for more than a year, thanks to the fact that I learned to separate work from life. For more information on how to do this, you can read the article Advantages and disadvantages of remote work: how to find a balance between personal life and career, prepared for you by injobe.com

I want our roads to part ways (not because of burnout), to a new remote job, which, by the way, I found on injobe.com, I came without the burden of unresolved problems. I hope the example from my life will protect you from burnout or help you overcome it.

And finally, additional tips from reputable experts:

Arianna Huffington (founder of Thrive Global): "It is important to create clear boundaries between work and personal life. This means having set working hours and sticking to them, as well as having a physical space dedicated to work if possible."

Lee Flexer (psychologist specialising in burnout): "Structure is crucial. In addition, when working from home, try to follow a daily routine, including starting and finishing times, lunch breaks, and short breaks throughout the day."

Julia Morgenstern (time management expert): "End your working day the same way you would if you left the office. Turn off notifications, close work tabs, and do something that signals the end of the day."

Susan David (psychologist, author of Emotional Agility): "Remote work can lead to isolation. Try to keep in touch with your colleagues regularly, not only on work issues, but also for informal communication."

Brené Brown (researcher of vulnerability and empathy): "Human connection is key to preventing burnout. Don't hesitate to reach out to colleagues or friends if you feel isolated or overwhelmed."