Remote work is widespread today, and this became so popular after the pandemic broke out, but many companies are out there relying on remote work. Remote employees find it hard to manage their personal and professional lives, resulting in blurring the boundaries. Small companies are still hinging on remote work to reduce operational overheads. Although it brings comfort, many of you end up burning out.
Burnout is not a medical condition, but it is described as a state of physical and emotional exhaustion that may force you to leave your current employer. It will not just negatively affect your career trajectory, but it will also affect your financial condition. Burnout is generally caused by prolonged stress at work, lack of team support, heavy workload, and unrealistic work conditions, and these are all problems you may face as a remote employee.
It is vital to address burnout because it will affect your work performance. Symptoms include fatigue, emotional exhaustion, decreased focus and work performance, and job dissatisfaction. Burnout is one of the causes that many people leave their current employer and land new jobs, but unfortunately, work stress does not stop chasing them, and you begin to face the same symptoms.
Burnout can affect your finances because you are prone to illnesses. You will likely take more sick leaves, which results in income loss. Poor work performance can keep you from getting incentives and promotions.
Tips for setting healthy boundaries at work
Whether you are working remotely or at the office, it is vital to set boundaries to avoid financial losses down the road.
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Identify your priorities
One of the main reasons for suffering from burnout is failing to set priorities. You keep taking on tasks more and more in order to earn a lot of money that you forget that you have a personal life and responsibility toward your family members. This scenario is very common in freelancers.
Though money is imperative to fulfil your basic needs, it does not point out that this is your only priority. For instance, if you are a freelancer, you should take on projects that you can easily deliver on time without compromising with your schedule for personal tasks. Try to have “Me time” so you can unwind, pursue your hobbies, and spend time with your loved ones. You should clearly know the boundaries between personal and professional life.
Most of the freelancers take on projects in order to have cash coming in but that can take a toll on your work as well as health. If you need money to buy something, you should prepare a budget, and if it falls short, take out loans for bad credit with no guarantor and no fees with a direct lender.
Likewise, if you are a full-time employee, you should prioritise the given tasks. Complete those that require great attention and finish those that need less energy. Prioritise your work to complete all given assignments by the end of the week. You will have to be mindful and strategic to set priorities, so you do not have to work overtime, which results in unnecessary stress.
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Learn to say no
Even if you are a full-time employee, you can say no to any other assigned tasks if it will prevent you from achieving your goals. For instance, if you already have multiple tasks to perform and are expected to do another study, you can politely say that you will finish your other tasks first and then take on this project.
If you think you are occupied for the entire week, you can deny it by saying that it will not be possible to work on it this week, but next week we can keep it at the top priority. Likewise, if you take a stroll during lunchtime, you can politely ask to schedule the meeting for another time.
Work is essential, but at the same time, mental relaxation is important too. If you are working as a freelancer, your client can ask you to schedule a meeting at any time. They can ping you on your number late evening or at night. Tell them when they are supposed to call you. For instance, tell them when you are available to reply to their messages, and after that time, you do not need to respond to any of the statements they dropped.
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Communicate clearly
Communication is the key, especially when you are working remotely. When you work at the office, everybody knows your log-in and log-out details, but in the case of remote work, it is not possible. Hence, communication is essential. Let your team know when you sign on and off.
Your team must know when you are active so they can approach you if they have any work-related issues or queries. If you are away from work due to a lunch break or have an emergency like your laptop needs an instant repair, you should specify that you are not available at the moment so will not be able to answer any calls or emails.
If you are a freelancer, your client may drop you emails anytime. Specify the timings when you answer emails, so they can patiently wait until those specific hours get over.
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Stick to your routine
It is vital to stick to a specific routine. Make a habit of starting and ending your work at a fixed time. Set a specified time for your breaks. When you have a workload, use your time management skills. Remote working does not mean you will be flexible with your working hours even when you have no emergency.
Think as if you are a full-time employee working in-house. You should log in at short office hours, take a break at a fixed time regularly and try to complete your work by the end of the day so you do not need to do overtime. Try to stick to this schedule to have sufficient time to complete your job. Otherwise, you will find yourself struggling between your personal and professional life.
What if you have overstepped boundaries?
Routines can prevent you from overstepping boundaries, but if you have already blurred the boundaries, you need to look at the barrier. Tight deadlines may be a cause for it. If you are forced to miss breaks, your deadlines may not be realistic.
Set realistic deadlines so you can complete work on time. Freelancers may be tempted to take on more and more projects but this will lead to unnecessary complications.
The bottom line
Burnout at work can take a toll on your physical and mental health. It is intrinsic to bear the workload as per your capacity. Stay organised and use time management skills, so you do not run out of time. If you are working as a freelancer and have multiple projects, use software to get all project details in one place.
You will know which you have completed and which are yet to be completed. It will also set your reminder as the deadline approaches. You can take out instant cash loans to buy them you are facing a cash shortage. However, some software applications are free of cost.