Why you’re having video chat burnout
The coronavirus has led to almost everyone working from home. That workplace shift has likely increased the amount of time you’re spending on video chats with coworkers and bosses. If you’re feeling burned out by all those calls, don’t be worried. Here are some reasons why it’s easy to get exhausted by video chats, and how to combat that fatigue.

You’re Looking At Yourself
As CNBC points out, there’s a good reason why your office (or home) isn’t filled with mirrors: It gets tiring looking at yourself. During video chats, you’re constantly seeing yourself and that can be jarring. You might feel pressure to show reactions to conversations. You might focus too much on your appearance. Either way, staring at yourself for long periods just isn’t natural. If you find yourself staring at your image on chats way too often, try covering that section of your computer with a sticky note. You could also try to distract yourself by taking notes during the meeting.

Group Talk is Difficult
When you’re in a normal meeting, people can talk without it being awkward. There’s social cues that are easy to pick up on. In a video chat, those cues are thrown out the window. Sometimes a screen can freeze. Sometimes it’s hard to hear when someone is trying to speak up. Instead of having everyone on the video chat talk as they want, nominate a group leader who will lead the discussion. This will help eliminate the awkwardness of talking over each other and (maybe!) even make the meeting more efficient.

The World Doesn’t Stop
Participating in video chats at home means there’s plenty of room for distractions. Your kids could be yelling, your dog barking and the mailman could ring the doorbell. All at the same time. Do your best to maintain focus during chats by setting up a specific room (or hallway, or closet!) that is for work calls. While you can’t stop life outside that space, at the very least you can have a spot that mentally signals to you “It’s time to focus on work.” And don’t worry too much about distractions anyway. Everyone is understanding during this unfortunate time


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