As this pandemic drags on, you’re probably getting tired of a lot of different things. You’re getting tired of the indoors, tired of the same conversations, tired of the news, tired of worrying, and tired of video calls. You have good reason to be tired of these things, and though the situation isn’t likely to change anytime soon, there are some things you can do to improve your experience. Here’s how you can combat your video conferencing fatigue:
Space Out Meetings
When you had back-to-back meetings in person, you got a break between meetings by walking to the next meeting location, which gives your brain a much-needed break. You don’t get those kinds of breaks with video calls. When scheduling video conference calls, make sure to schedule them at least five minutes apart. This will give you time to take a break and get your thoughts together before the next meeting. It will also make you feel less tired after a block of video calls.
Move More
With more video conference calls, you’re moving less. You have to hold a single position in calls to make sure you stay in the center of your screen to appear professional. This removes your natural shifts and movements that happen in an in–person meeting. A few ways to combat this are moving more during breaks or outside of work hours to balance it out, or finding ways to stand up during conference calls. You can get a standing desk or a stand for your computer so you can move a little more during meetings.
Go Easy on Your Eyes
Your time spent looking at screens has probably drastically increased as you use conference calls instead of in-person meetings and have more employees working from home. Additionally, during video conference calls you’re trying to look at a bunch of different people at once, which is exhausting to your eyes. To solve this, try to do quick eye exercises throughout your day and avoid screens when possible. Also, focus your gaze on whoever is speaking during conference calls instead of letting your gaze wander. This will keep your eyes from feeling too tired.
Apply this advice to keep video conference fatigue from making your work less enjoyable.