24 May 2021

It looks highly likely that video calling and virtual meetings are set to be part of the working day, whether you are hosting a team meeting for home workers or communicating with customers that want to buy virtually.

These are the top ways to beat the fatigue that comes with staring at a screen all day long.

1. Stop staring at yourself

When there is a camera recording your every move it might be tempting to keep your own image displayed on your own screen. However, unless you have a huge mirror behind your audience when you are presenting, this is not something that happens in any other situation in life.

This means that you have a constant insight into how you look while presenting, which adds to the list of potential concerns you might have. It’s also distracting and means you are less likely to focus on the conversation in hand.

Some video calling programmes have a setting that allows you to set it so you can’t see yourself but others still can, making for a more natural and real-world conversation.

2. Try the 20-20-20 rule

Back-to-back meetings might mean that a day at the screen is unavoidable, but it is still possible to give your eyes a break by using the 20-20-20 method. Reportedly developed by a Californian optometrist, the idea is that every 20 minutes you take a break to look at something at least 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds in order to reduce eye strain.

Essentially it goes against all those times that teachers told you not to stare out the window in class – it turns out it was a good thing after all.

3. Resist the multitasking

The urge to get through a few emails and tick off a few other tasks during Zoom calls might be strong, but studies show that there is no such thing as ‘multi-tasking’ and our brains switch between the different focuses. This then puts more strain on our brain, which is tiring but also means you might not be being as productive as you think you are.

According to US studies, multi-tasking leads to a much higher error rate when you are switching between different jobs. Stanford researchers have also found that multi-tasking means you can’t remember things as well, so you may end up having to do the same job twice anyway.

4. Send an agenda

Sending an agenda is a good way of ensuring that a meeting doesn’t drag on, but they tend to be associated more with physical meetings than phone calls, so it is plausible that they haven’t made it into regular best practice for video calls.

Not only should they be de rigueur for internal meetings, but the same should apply for meetings with customers – it lends itself more to the more formal structure of a booked meeting than it would to a casual sit down at a desk.

5. Keep moving

Breaks are vital to any working day, and it hardly needs pointing out that you need to get up and away from your desk from time to time in between meetings, but it’s worth getting away from your screen even in the midst of a call.

Not every Zoom meeting needs to have video on, so can be treated like a phone call. A good pair of Bluetooth headphones means you can talk while standing up and moving around the room, getting blood flowing and breaking the routine.

[YOUR ACTION PLAN]

• Don’t have your own face on your screen
• 20-20-20 – do 20 minutes work then focus 20 feet away for 20 seconds
• Drop the multitasking
• Send an agenda, even to customers
• Get up and move