Combat Zoom Fatigue

Zoom, zoom, zoom...it seems that is all we have heard about for the past 13 months. Just for the record, Freedom Makers has been Zooming and working virtually since it’s birth which incidentally was this past weekend (Happy 6th Birthday to us!!).

But in all seriousness, there is a certain amount of fatigue that has accompanied the increase in Zoom or video conferencing. Prior to COVID, even if you worked virtually, chances are you had in person meetings for some things in life. But COVID changed all of that, people not only worked online but were forced to be social and even attend events like church online. Though things are getting better with the pandemic, the Zoom trend is not going anywhere. Thus embrace it and learn to find balance in your life to counter the strain it could become on you.

After doing some research online, this sort of fatigue brings real health issues like headaches and blurred or other vision problems. Some articles link excessive virtual meeting to depression. All of these are serious and should be checked out by a doctor. A simple solution like glasses or position further from  the screen might help. For depression, consulting a doctor is crucial before it goes too far.

Get in the Virtual State of Mind

They say that it requires more concentionation to be on a virtual meeting because you need to work harder on your non verbal cues. When you are in person, people can see your body language and face clearly whereas online they must decipher between two screens. Thus people work harder to express themselves which can be tiring. The best thing is not to stack too many calls in a row. Give yourself time in between them to relax; maybe take the dog for a walk or grab a snack away from your computer. 

Organize Your Video Meetings

Any meeting is more efficient when it is organized. Having things like an agenda and a clear time schedule helps reduce the fatigue of being online. Instead of a meeting meandering too long, you run through the agenda items and then you are done. We have an excellent blog on how to run a remote meeting efficiently. Check it out here. 

Have Free Days

Laura, the President and founder of Freedom Makers, has meeting free Mondays. I have always loved that about her. She has a parameter and sticks to it. She would rather spend her Mondays checking up on email and getting ahead and ready for the week. I encourage you to find days that are virtual meeting free. I have found myself placing blocks on my calendar so that no one can schedule with me for that time. During that time, I get my work done. Along with all of the other craziness the Pandemic brought, it brought more meetings. People feel the immediate need to schedule a Zoom if something pops. Certain meetings are necessary but schedule at least 3 days a week with no online meetings (weekends can be included in those days). It will make a difference.

In the end, Zoom and other online video meeting platforms are amazing! I grew up in the 1980s and 1990s and have no idea what we would have done back then if a Pandemic hit. We would be so isolated. These video meeting platforms allow us to still meet despite staying at home when we needed to. How fortunate we are to have them. But like any other great thing, they need to be used in moderation and appropriately. Give yourself breaks, be organized and take days off from online meetings to ensure you don’t become fatigued from the very system that is so beneficial to all of us through times like this.