Go on a Media Detox and 4 Other Ways to Learn How to Avoid Work Fatigue

When you’re trying to meet a work deadline, it’s easy to get burned out. You push yourself to the point of exhaustion and then struggle to remain productive.

If you want to avoid this work fatigue, you need to learn how to slow down. Too much any one activity can cause you to lose focus.

This is a common problem in the modern world. Over half of the US workforce feels overworked, at least some of the time.

When you look for ways to reduce work fatigue, the first suggestion is usually to set boundaries, cut your work hours, or find a better work/life balance.

Unfortunately, to remain competitive or relevant, you sometimes have to work yourself more than you’d like.

You need to put in the extra hours to get ahead. It’s part of our work culture. Finding the perfect work/life balance isn’t always an option.

In these situations, you need to look for alternative ways to keep yourself motivated and happy at work. Look for activities and solutions that make work more bearable.

For starters, you could go on a media detox or use any of these other 4 suggestions for avoiding work fatigue.

Avoid Social Media and News

Going on a media detox means blocking your access to social media, news, and other forms of daily media. These distractions occupy a space in your mind that is hard to get rid of during the work day.

If you want to avoid burnout, you need to focus on fewer things.

Along with acting as distractions, media can negatively impact your stress levels. Reading negative news stories can increase stress. This unnecessary stress impacts your efficiency on so many different levels.

Stress impairs your decision-making. This can make it more difficult to make good decisions or find solutions to common problems. Productivity and performance suffer, increasing fatigue.

To go on a media detox, you should avoid news and social media during your work hours – unless they necessary for your job duties.

Start by avoiding these distractions during the day. If possible, try to avoid them completely for several days. You should notice a significant boost to your overall mood, clarity, and focus.

Change Your Environment

Another solution for avoiding fatigue is to change your environment. When your mind constantly drifts off, it’s time to energize your brain. Changing your environment can help.

If you can’t focus, get up and go to a different room. You need to see things from a different perspective. This simple change allows you to regain your focus.

For example, in the afternoon, when all you can think about is going home, work from a different spot in the office. If this isn’t an option, you could get up and take a break for a few minutes…

Take a Short Break

You’ll never be able to maintain productivity during a long work day if you don’t take regular breaks. This is also a good option when you can’t change your environment.

You have a limited amount of energy that you can use during the day. This applies to both your mental and physical energy.

When you work nonstop, you’re using up your reserves. At some point, you need to stop and recharge.

Otherwise, you start running on empty. You stare at the work at hand and can’t seem to take a single step forward.

You should take at least a 5-minute break every 2-hours. To maximize the benefits, you should try to take your break every hour. These short breaks give your mind a chance to rest and recharge for a few minutes.

Identify Your Biggest Workplace Stress

As mentioned, stress can impact every aspect of your work performance. Identifying your biggest stress and addressing the problem can eliminate one potential cause of work fatigue.

Identify your biggest stress and work. Put a label on it and begin thinking of ways to handle the issue.

In most situations, you just need to realize that you can only accomplish so much. Understand that if you stick to your work, you will meet your deadlines. Spend less time worrying about the future and focus on the present work.

Though, sometimes, the biggest stress is related to interpersonal conflicts. If you regularly butt heads with a specific coworker, manager, or employee, your mental energy will get drained more easily.

The first step in dealing with workplace conflicts is to try and look at the situation from the other person’s perspective. Try to see their pain points, even if you truly believe that they are at fault.

You’ll be more likely to think rationally when dealing with the person. You can then talk reasonably with the other person, listen to their concerns, and move on.

Take Up a Relaxing Activity

If work is your life, you need to find a hobby or relaxing activity. Everyone needs an outlet for their creativity or entertainment to uplift their spirits.

You need to actively engage in at least one activity each day that is completely unrelated to work. This can be absolutely anything that makes you happy that has no connection to your work or career.

You could watch movies, read a book, work out, take up knitting, or go cycling. The activity doesn’t really matter.

What matters is that you find a way to relieve your stress, increase your happiness, and enjoy something outside of work. There has to be a reason for all your hard work.

In the modern world, we don’t always have the luxury of being able to take extra time off. When you feel overworked, you can’t just call it quits for the day. But, there are other ways to handle the fatigue.

Give yourself a break from social media and news. Give yourself a break from work every 1 to 2 hours. You could also try to change your environment or take up a relaxing activity.

Though, one of the biggest threats to your happiness at work is stress. Identify your biggest stress and deal with it.