By: Tony Logan
Technology is a moving train in the 21st century. You either get in, or you’re left out. One huge benefit of technology is the luxury of working from home, connecting with clients, and executing a given task within a particular time frame.
Remote jobs seem to be a viable option for many who can not keep up with the stress and anxiety associated with daily jobs.
Despite its amazing benefits, remote jobs clear the difference between work and home. This factor means that more people are at risk of spending their life trying to please clients without creating room for their development and leisure. The need to frequently unplug, to protect the mental health of remote workers who spend a large part of their days behind the screen becomes imperative.
Here are some creative ways to unplug to increase efficiency, productivity, improve social relations and relieve stress and anxiety.
1. Create work hours
If you’ve listened to Dolly Parton and let your 9-5 drive you crazy, you may need to adopt a similar approach despite working from your comfort zone. Unplugging begins when you have to define your time off work. While remote jobs like freelancing can be a matter of deadlines, it’s your responsibility to create a gap between your work and life. Although freelancers take a lot of pride in their job and try as much as possible not to say no to a client, there are still reasons to believe that stress and anxiety can only be eased when work hours are defined.
2. Create Time for Your Hobbies
When was the last time you hanged out with friends, picked up a book(hard copy) to read, play golf or football with friends or go hiking in the mountains? Creating time for your hobbies gives you an avenue to shift your attention away from on-screen activities. It helps you concentrate better when you return.
3. Time out with Friends
Remote workers are at risk of being socially isolated from friends. Since they work at home, they do not have access to colleagues who might provide some necessary form of reliefs, such as displaying a sense of humor and having a good chat with friends. The truth is, your friends may just be tired of hearing ” the busy anthem” all the time. Your intents may be misinterpreted, but why not, social interactions relieve stress, and it’s a huge predictor of efficiency and productivity.Even in the middle of a pandemic virtual happy hours or even a phone call can do wonders!
Conclusion
In discourse like unplugging, personal interest, and a host of other factors may mean that you adopt a different strategy to the ones highlighted. The most important point is not being caught in the trap of equating work with life.