Five ways to tackle burnouts and disappointments due to working from home for engineers
Many IT Professionals are complaining about the burnout and inconveniences due to working from home these days. Ever since the lock down began in March, people who were initially enjoying working from home are now having second thoughts about it.
Now, prior to the lockdown imposition, working from home was a very enjoyable endeavor, wasn't it? So, what changed now, why is there a feeling of weariness about working from home? The answer to that question may vary for each individual, so the first step is to drill down and find out why are you feeling like that all of a sudden. Depending on which of your inner demons is preventing you from working, one of the following strategies might help you.
1. Write down the reasons for not wanting to work (The Procrastinator):
The procrastinator is one of the worst demons you have. He makes you postpone important things, especially creative ones like coding and designing, and the reasons or excuses he comes up with could fool even the most experienced detectives of the world!
"Oh yes, this bug needs to be fixed today, I'll do it as soon as I pay the electricity bill."
"That design document needs an update, will do it as soon as I finish with this youtube video, surely!"
OK, how about, "This lockdown is a very huge deal, so many people are affected. Let me worry about this right now, I'll start coding once this is all over. Pinky Promise!"
The procrastinator is too smart and his arguments are ingenious. Is it the procrastinator who is holding you back? The way to thwart him is also as simple and ingenious. The procrastinator feeds on delay, so tackle him head on and ask why should there be a delay? What huge meteorite is going to fall off if you don't pay that bill at this very moment? Which volcano is going to erupt if you stop worrying about a global pandemic right this instant? Don't just ponder on these questions but write them down. The Procrastinator will pack his bags and leave your mind in an instant after that!
2. Get some noise-blocking earplugs (The Sound Distraction):
Professional workplaces are typically quieter and with better aesthetics than home environments. People refrain from making loud noises unless its a boardroom meeting or something, the place is generally peaceful and conducive for a creative art like programming. At your home, a kid might be crying loud about something or a family member might be ranting loudly about a matter and these things will bother your work. Is this the issue happening with you? A simple solution is to use something like noise-blocking earplugs and ask your family members to not disturb you when you're in the zone.
3. Watch a war movie (Freedom Seeker):
Freedom Seeker is an interesting enemy. The phrase "lockdown imposition" in the second paragraph of this article is important here. Are you bothered by the fact that this working from home condition is being imposed upon you and isn't out of your own free will? Were you able to enjoy working from home earlier only because you had the freedom to do it? But now that the freedom is no longer there, you're feeling frustrated due to that? The inner demon named freedom seeker is at play here.
One of the best ways to thwart this demon is to watch a war movie on Netflix, some all time popular recommendations are Saving Private Ryan (1998), Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Platoon (1986). One of them might inspire you into believing that all is not lost yet, especially in the freedom domain!
4. Review your portfolio and github, note down all the good stuff you've created (The Victim):
The victim is an enemy who is a bit difficult to overcome because he has already convinced you that you're a worthless loser. To be able to thwart this enemy, you must believe in yourself and create self-confidence. And this doesn't just happen to newbies or beginner programmers, even the best of them face this enemy many times in their lives.
Revisit your portfolio and github, remember every great deed you've ever performed, every great app or module you've developed for a user, every appreciation you've received, etc. Even if you have none of that, remember that every human soul has tremendous abilities and potentials deep within, we just don't make enough use of that. Ultimately, defeating the Victim is just a mind-game: stop believing in him and he will vanish in a poof!
5. Watch an inspirational movie (The Critic):
Your inner critic isn't necessarily an enemy because he gives a lot of useful advice at times. However, there is a time and place for everything, and listening too much to the critic and taking his words too seriously may cause you to go under depression! So, listen to the critic but to objective and constructive criticisms only, never indulge in what could potentially be self-loathing or self-hatred. If you're too stressed about it, watching a good inspirational movie might be a great stress reliever for you. My recommendations are science fiction movies like Iron Man, Avengers, The Martian, etc., these could be very helpful for creative artists like programmers, designers, etc.
Now, prior to the lockdown imposition, working from home was a very enjoyable endeavor, wasn't it? So, what changed now, why is there a feeling of weariness about working from home? The answer to that question may vary for each individual, so the first step is to drill down and find out why are you feeling like that all of a sudden. Depending on which of your inner demons is preventing you from working, one of the following strategies might help you.
1. Write down the reasons for not wanting to work (The Procrastinator):
The procrastinator is one of the worst demons you have. He makes you postpone important things, especially creative ones like coding and designing, and the reasons or excuses he comes up with could fool even the most experienced detectives of the world!
"Oh yes, this bug needs to be fixed today, I'll do it as soon as I pay the electricity bill."
"That design document needs an update, will do it as soon as I finish with this youtube video, surely!"
OK, how about, "This lockdown is a very huge deal, so many people are affected. Let me worry about this right now, I'll start coding once this is all over. Pinky Promise!"
The procrastinator is too smart and his arguments are ingenious. Is it the procrastinator who is holding you back? The way to thwart him is also as simple and ingenious. The procrastinator feeds on delay, so tackle him head on and ask why should there be a delay? What huge meteorite is going to fall off if you don't pay that bill at this very moment? Which volcano is going to erupt if you stop worrying about a global pandemic right this instant? Don't just ponder on these questions but write them down. The Procrastinator will pack his bags and leave your mind in an instant after that!
2. Get some noise-blocking earplugs (The Sound Distraction):
Professional workplaces are typically quieter and with better aesthetics than home environments. People refrain from making loud noises unless its a boardroom meeting or something, the place is generally peaceful and conducive for a creative art like programming. At your home, a kid might be crying loud about something or a family member might be ranting loudly about a matter and these things will bother your work. Is this the issue happening with you? A simple solution is to use something like noise-blocking earplugs and ask your family members to not disturb you when you're in the zone.
3. Watch a war movie (Freedom Seeker):
Freedom Seeker is an interesting enemy. The phrase "lockdown imposition" in the second paragraph of this article is important here. Are you bothered by the fact that this working from home condition is being imposed upon you and isn't out of your own free will? Were you able to enjoy working from home earlier only because you had the freedom to do it? But now that the freedom is no longer there, you're feeling frustrated due to that? The inner demon named freedom seeker is at play here.
One of the best ways to thwart this demon is to watch a war movie on Netflix, some all time popular recommendations are Saving Private Ryan (1998), Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Platoon (1986). One of them might inspire you into believing that all is not lost yet, especially in the freedom domain!
4. Review your portfolio and github, note down all the good stuff you've created (The Victim):
The victim is an enemy who is a bit difficult to overcome because he has already convinced you that you're a worthless loser. To be able to thwart this enemy, you must believe in yourself and create self-confidence. And this doesn't just happen to newbies or beginner programmers, even the best of them face this enemy many times in their lives.
Revisit your portfolio and github, remember every great deed you've ever performed, every great app or module you've developed for a user, every appreciation you've received, etc. Even if you have none of that, remember that every human soul has tremendous abilities and potentials deep within, we just don't make enough use of that. Ultimately, defeating the Victim is just a mind-game: stop believing in him and he will vanish in a poof!
5. Watch an inspirational movie (The Critic):
Your inner critic isn't necessarily an enemy because he gives a lot of useful advice at times. However, there is a time and place for everything, and listening too much to the critic and taking his words too seriously may cause you to go under depression! So, listen to the critic but to objective and constructive criticisms only, never indulge in what could potentially be self-loathing or self-hatred. If you're too stressed about it, watching a good inspirational movie might be a great stress reliever for you. My recommendations are science fiction movies like Iron Man, Avengers, The Martian, etc., these could be very helpful for creative artists like programmers, designers, etc.
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