Six months into quarantine life, many of us are experiencing some side effects of our new work environments. The necessity to transition our lives to the digital realm has caused us to collectively experience a new phenomenon coined “Zoom fatigue,” where we end the workday feeling more exhausted and drained than usual. And while we’ve been video conferencing for years now, this specific fatigue has - not surprisingly - spiked since March. Below are some key reasons why we’re feeling more worn out at the end of our digital workdays, as well as our tips to combat the side effects of our constantly Zooming lives.

1. Overfocus. When we’re on a video call, we’re focusing much more intently on our counterparts than we naturally would in a face-to-face conversation. This is because videos don’t pick up on certain components of in-person interactions like facial expressions and body language, or even the tone and pitch of our voice. So we’re left trying extra hard to identify these non-verbal indicators while also keeping up with the conversation. And, to top it off, you’re often on a call with multiple people - talk about working overtime!

Tip 1: Remember that you don’t have to be constantly looking at your colleagues - or yourself - during these calls. If you’re working through documents and toggling back and forth, move the video to the back of your screen to lessen this distraction.

Tip 2: Break up your video meetings with phone calls throughout the day. This gives your eyes a break and allows you to let your guard down and release that feeling of “being on stage.”

Tip 3: Limit meeting times! While making meetings more efficient is always a goal, this is more important than ever. Reassess how your team is spending its time on camera and see where you can shift some things from video to email. If your team has a big meeting (like one discussing Quarterly OKRs), divide it into sections with clear breaks to create a similar effect.

2. The entire world’s a stage. While we’re working harder to focus on our counterparts over Zoom, we’re also much more aware that we’re being watched, which can lead to that “on stage” performative feeling and heightened stress during meetings.

Tip 1: Again, feel free to take the liberty of minimizing the video’s presence. You can switch off your self-view (did you know that was possible?), or simply minimize or move the video window to the back of your screen.

Tip 2: Work your Zoom angles! The way you present yourself and your surroundings on a video call can really set the tone of the conversation, and can eliminate major distractions for you and others. Rather than parking yourself in front of a white wall - which can be both unsettling and awkward - set yourself up in front of a bookshelf or window (keep in mind lighting changes, of course). A more dynamic background will offer participants something else to focus on, and could even be a good conversation starter.

3. Other computer-based distractions! While we’re on Zoom calls we’re also receiving emails and Slack notifications and reminders of all of the things we still have to do. Watching those numbers rise and hearing interjecting pings can cause our anxiety to skyrocket and our attention to plummet.

Tip: Temporarily mute all other channels while you’re in a meeting. And, while you’re at it, leave your cell phone in a different room. Unless there are immediate matters that need to be addressed through these channels, you won’t be responding during the meeting so there’s little need to keep tabs of growing notifications until you’re back at your “desk.” These small distractions pull us out of the conversations that we’re already battling to comprehend through this new virtual lens and prevent us from fully showing up.

4. Silence isn’t always golden - especially when it’s over video. Gianpiero Petriglieri, an Associate Professor at INSEAD, explains, “Silence creates a natural rhythm in a real-life conversation. However, when it happens in a video call, you [become] anxious about the technology.” When this happens for even a few seconds, we can find ourselves scrambling nonsensically to fill the void and growing anxious about the next inevitable pause in conversation with questions like Will they think I don’t have anything to add to the conversation? Do they think I’m disinterested? A 2014 study in The International Journal of Human-Computer Studies published found that delays in video transmission lead to participants being perceived as less attentive, conscientious and extraverted. No wonder those quiet interludes give us so much anxiety!

Tip 1: If you find your team is struggling to feel comfortable with video delays or pauses in conversation, consider holding “silence exercises” to practice how to manage those moments.

Tip 2: Assign someone to lead the meeting. Acting as the point person, the meeting lead can organize whose turn it is to speak, and (with the help of those silence exercises) can mitigate those moments of silence by interjecting with phrases like, “Let’s take a moment to think about this.” to keep the conversation on course.

5. We can’t really blame it all on Zoom. Our current circumstances as a global community are also feeding this sense of heightened exhaustion. When you’re used to seeing colleagues, friends, and family in-person, having to see them through a screen is an often painful reminder of how it should be, but isn’t. Our contexts for how we interact with different circles in our lives have been severely disrupted, and now many of these aspects have lost that sense of separation. How do we manage our relationships and time - be it work, family or friends - when they’re all occurring in the same space? And, how do we mitigate each of these when they’re constantly crossing over with one another?

Tip 1: Be intentional about the spaces where you work and where you relax, and set boundaries. For many of us, space is limited, so we’ve had to get creative. If you don’t have a separate work space, use furniture as these definitive spaces. For example, this side of the couch is where I sit when I work, while that side is where I watch TV and FaceTime friends. Sounds silly, but it works! It’s also important to know when to shut your computer for the day, and to let your team know when that is.

Tip 2: Be flexible and set expectations with yourself and those joining you on the video call. Remember that adorable clip from 2017 when a BBC reporter’s kids walked into the shot? Yeah, that’s become a daily reality for many of us. That being said, rather than wasting energy anticipating a surprise guest, let everyone know at the start of a meeting that you may need to step away for a moment or you may need to mute yourself or whatever accommodations best suit you, so when the time comes, you don’t have to explain yourself or ignore your personal priorities. Tip for managers: This can feel awkward for employees at first, so normalize it by setting precedence.

At the end of the day, we’re still all learning how to navigate this new normal. Anxiety, exhaustion, and frustration are all reasonable side effects of this daily adaptation. Go easy on yourself and your colleagues, and be intentional about creating a work situation that’s sustainable.

For more information on Zoom fatigue and how to combat it, here are some great additional resources to check out:

“The reason Zoom calls drain your energy” - BBC

“How to Combat Zoom Fatigue” - Harvard Business Review

“Zoom fatigue is real - here’s why video calls are so draining” - TED Ideas

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