As coaches, we are very used to working through video systems with our customers outside the city or country. Therefore, remote working, which started with the pandemic, did not matter to us. But this was not the case for everyone. Office workers, who hold one or two meetings a day, have increased these numbers while remote working. Sometimes 5-6 or more video calls per day, like with the customers, the boss, HR, sales, and others.
One of my clients told me yesterday; Bozkurt, I suffer from Zoom Fatigue. I don't know how to get over this.
Zoom fatigue is a term of anxiety or burnout associated with excessive use of virtual communication platforms, particularly video conferencing. Although video calls may seem like a fast, simple, and practical solution, they put a lot of strain on our brains. The consensus of experts is that the most crucial reason for zoom fatigue is focusing and the difficulty it brings. This situation wastes a lot of energy on us. You can find many articles on these topics in National Geographic and HBS.
The remote working method, which has increased with the pandemic, will be the usual working method for many sectors from now on. Therefore, video calls will be in our lives more than ever in the future. Especially in a city like Istanbul, where traffic has come to a standstill, it takes a minimum of 4 hours to make a customer meeting outside of the office.
So how can we help our minds not to get tired more in these video conversations?
- if we are not doing other things at the same time (e.g., typing WhatsApp and checking emails)
- if we often take short breaks,
- if we use plain backgrounds (our brain focuses not only on the person on the screen but also on the things which are in the environment)
- if we turn off the screens that do not speak in crowded sessions
- if we occasionally create some little virtual games that provide morale and motivation,
I think that the tedious and painful conversations can ease a little bit.
What would you recommend? What are your methods?
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