5 Budget-Savvy Work From Home Dos and Don’ts to Escape Burnout

Being able to work from home can feel like a treat at first. After a few weeks or months though, working from home can actually leave you feeling exhausted. You may even begin to feel burned out. These remote work dos and don’ts can help you prevent burnout. Plus, each tip is friendly for your budget, which can save you even more stress.

Do Get Dressed Every Morning

Rolling out of bed and starting work in your pajamas may feel freeing, but you should put on some actual clothes if you want to be productive. Doing so will keep you from feeling sluggish and disorganized. Indulge in some retail therapy if your remote work wardrobe needs a refresh.

Worried about your budget? If stores like American Eagle are your go-tos, promo codes and online offers can save you quite a bit of money. You can usually find an American Eagle coupon or even a cashback offer with a quick online search to avoid overspending.

Don’t Mix Your Personal and Work Lives

When you’re looking to create more work-life balance in an office, you may start by turning off your emails at home. If your home is your office, creating this sort of separation can be more difficult. Even so, it’s essential if you want to avoid feeling burned out and overwhelmed.

Since you can’t leave work at the door, try creating a set schedule that includes dedicated work hours. It’s also helpful to avoid checking emails first thing in the morning. You can also use self-care at the end of the day to signal to your brain that the workday is done.

Do Eat Healthy Meals and Snacks

Working from home can also make it more tempting to grab processed snacks rather than taking time for healthy meals. Unfortunately, processed foods like chips, sodas, and even cereal bars can have negative effects on your workday and overall health. You may end up with more headaches, bloating, and feelings of anxiety or depression.

If your schedule during the week keeps you too busy to cook healthy meals, you can always try food prepping on the weekends. Preparing a few low-cost food prep recipes can also help you keep your grocery bill lower. Then you’ll be less likely to reach for processed snacks during the week or splurge on expensive take-out/delivery for dinners.

Don’t Forget to Stand Up and Move

If you have been feeling depressed lately, sedentary habits may be to blame. Several documented studies have found links between a sedentary lifestyle and feelings of depression. Sitting in front of a desk all day can also have adverse effects on your physical health including higher risks of heart disease, heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and other chronic diseases.

You can reduce your risks for both mental and physical health impacts by squeezing in exercise breaks throughout the day. Taking a run or walk outdoors will cost you nothing, but you can also stream free workouts online to shake up your home fitness routine.

Do Get Plenty of Quality Sleep at Night

Sleep is also crucial for preventing both emotional and physical burnout. You need sleep to keep your mind and body healthy. Quality sleep can also prevent most chronic health conditions.

Keeping to a regular schedule can enhance your sleep but there are additional tricks you can also try. Avoid screens before bedtime, including your laptop. You can also try downloading free white noise, sleep, and self-care apps to make relaxation easier during the evening.

It’s easy to feel burned out when you’re working from home, but it’s also pretty easy to prevent these feelings in the first place. You just need to find budget-friendly ways to create work-life balance and to prioritize your health. Then you won’t have to stress about your finances, too.

Tyler York

30 Nov 2020, 3 min read