Zoom Fatigue: 7 Ways to Effectively Combat Your Virtual Work Fatigue

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Have you ever logged out of a Zoom meeting and felt totally drained? 

Fortunately, the virtual Zoom fatigue you feel is not unique to just you. Other users of the platform also report work-based burnout following the use of the tool. Often, they feel numb and exhausted, which affects their virtual work interactions.

Popular video chat platform, Zoom, created an elegant solution for remote work, especially during the pandemic. Unfortunately, the platform has a design flaw that exhausts the user. You must maintain eye contact while still mentally processing the verbal communication you are involved in.

Causes of Zoom Fatigue

Zoom fatigue can best be described as tiredness and burnouts due to the overuse of the virtual communication tool. The systematic deconstruction of Zoom fatigue shows that the psychological fatigue you feel might be due to the following…

Zoom Calls Require an Excessive Amount of Close-up Eye Contact

The amount of eye contact you are expected to maintain while on a Zoom call is unnatural. While in an ordinary meeting, your eye makes rapid movements elsewhere, Zoom calls expect that you keep your eyes fixed to the screen. Besides, having everyone keep their eyes on you can be stressful, especially for individuals with social anxiety. Overall, the setup of the Zoom platform results in further fatigue.

Real-time Fatigue of Constantly Seeing Yourself on the Screen

It almost feels like you are constantly looking at yourself in the mirror, which is largely unnatural. Having to see a reflection of yourself continually is not only exhausting but can have negative emotional consequences.

Zoom Meetings Reduce Our Normal Mobility Significantly

In-person meetings and audio phone calls allow you to move around. Videoconferencing, on the other hand, requires that you generally stay in the same spot. This limitation in movement is unnatural and leads to monotony, boredom, as well as overall fatigue.

Businesswoman giving a Zoom presentation to her colleagues using a computer.

7 Ways to Combat Your Zoom Fatigue

Zoom meetings can lead to an unhealthy amount of stress and anxiety. Still, the tool remains a necessity as workplaces evolve into more remote work. How then do you combat possible Zoom fatigue?

1) Give Yourself Breaks in Between Calls

Granted, it can be tempting to want to schedule back-to-back Zoom meetings now that you no longer have to commute. Still, you need to schedule breaks between these calls. You can take a five-minute time out to walk around your home office or make yourself a snack. Consider scheduling your meetings 10 to 20 minutes apart, as this will provide you with some downtime which goes a long way toward combating fatigue.

2) Set a Specific End Time for the Zoom Call

Often, Zoom calls are scheduled before time. As part of your scheduling, you need to specify an end time for each of these meetings. This should help you and the other participants finish the Zoom meeting strong. Human psychologists cite that when there is an end in sight, our minds stay motivated enough.

3) Turn off Your Camera When an Opportunity Arises

Chances are you have been staring at your screen for countless minutes. Your eyes itch, you have become restless, and you probably are developing a headache. Fortunately, there is a presentation from one of the other team members. This gives you the perfect opportunity to turn off your camera. In this time, you can stretch, walk around or fix yourself some coffee. To do this, click the “Stop Video” button on the toolbar, and you can now have a few minutes to yourself.

4) Improve Your Written Communication

In most cases, Zoom calls are avoidable. Specifically, when you improve your written communication, your teammates do not require a video call to clarify issues. Take time out when writing emails to capture all possible information that is needed. See yourself as the potential recipient of the written communication and address all issues that you would have wanted to be highlighted.

5) Avoid Multitasking

Understandably, it can be hard to resist the urge to multitask, especially now that you are working from home. However, you should probably consider that engaging in other tasks during your Zoom call is a sure way to get exhausted. To help you avoid multitasking, keep the meeting interactive. Avoid situations where one person talks for a prolonged period. Additionally, create a segregated spot within your space for your Zoom meetings. It would be best to stay disciplined about not engaging in any other activities while you are seated at this spot.

6) Turn Off the Video of Yourself

Chances are you are tired of looking at yourself for hours at a time during your Zoom calls. Fortunately, Zoom has a feature that allows you to hide your video from your display as you conduct your Zoom meeting. Note, you can still see the other participants in the forum. To turn off the video of yourself, hover over your video and click the ellipses button on the menu. You can then proceed to choose the Hide Self View option, and you will no longer see the video of yourself.

7) Use a Normal Call Instead

A classic phone call can be a better alternative than a video call, especially when you suffer from Zoom fatigue. Notably, Zoom calls do not offer any additional emotional connection that old-fashioned phone calls cannot. As such, consider more audio calls in place of video calls unless it is inevitable.

Takeaway

Zoom's video chats have kept us employed and connected, especially throughout the one and a half years when we have been isolated following COVID-19. Unfortunately, they have probably left you staring at your screen slack-jawed with your shoulders hunched in fatigue. Fortunately, you no longer have to make excuses for your lackluster during the endless Zoom calls. We hope that the above list of 7 things can help you fight off Zoom fatigue while still maintaining good virtual meeting etiquette.

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Filed Under: Business Tips

About Lindsey Perron

As Thomas’ daughter, Lindsey was introduced to the world of sales and marketing at an early age. Curious about what her dad did, Lindsey would jump at every opportunity to help and ride along on sales calls. Always quick to take charge and lead the group—a trait that has only grown with time—Lindsey was frequently told by her parents that she was destined to be a manager or CEO of some sort. While working toward earning her bachelor’s degree in human services from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Lindsey interned with the UW Office of Equality and Affirmative Action and served on several councils, which gave her the opportunity to develop her persuasive writing skills, researching skills, problem-solving skills, project management skills, and more. After working as the lead teacher of the 4-year-old room at the local daycare center, Lindsey decided to switch gears and join the Viral Solutions team. In her position, Lindsey is able to help clients think through an end goal and reverse engineer it into the steps needed to achieve it.

When she’s not working, Lindsey loves spending time with family, be it traveling somewhere together or just hanging out at home.