Doesn’t this year feel like it’s lasted forever? We’ve tried to make the best of it and roll with the punches. But after a while, working from home is exhausting. It’s like a dance marathon–it’s fun for the first hour, and then it gets old quickly.
Welcome to life during Covid. At first, we took this time to reflect on our life, reconnect with our goals, and reach out to loved ones. Then, we fell into a routine and decided to try our nack at breadmaking and synchronize our moves for family Tik Tok videos.
These moments were all profitable. We grew and learned out to live and love differently. However, no amount of enlightenment could conquer our boredom.
If you’re tired of talking to the walls, endless Zoom meetings, and pivoting your life in a pandemic, this post is for you. Working from home isn’t easy. It’s not glamorous. And we never expected to be stuck inside the four walls of our office space for over a year.
Here are some ways that you can beat boredom and feel more inspired.
Take a Drive and Work Out of Your Car
I know this idea seems insane but go with me on this.
On those days where I’m bored out of my mind, I pack myself a lunch, make sure my computer is charged, and tap into my phone’s hot spot. Is it cramped? Absolutely. But, it’s also freeing and fun to drive someplace away from my desk and see a different view.
I’ve held meetings at the beach and near the mountains, all while being connected to Wifi. If you need a landscape that’s more inspiring than your live, laugh, love, poster, think about grabbing those keys and driving off into the sunset.
Host a Backyard Networking Event
There are hundreds of business leaders in your neighborhood that are just as bored as you. If you don’t feel comfortable heading indoors for a meet-and-greet, host your own in your backyard. You can even make it themed.
Change it up and offer a variety of events throughout the summer. Invite a local speaker to talk about marketing and serve wine and appetizers. You can also have an outdoor family movie night and offer hot dogs and burgers. The ideas are endless.
If you’re tired of trying to network via Zoom, you’re not alone. Be the first one to break the ice and host an outdoor event. You’ll be the talk of the neighborhood, and you’ll gain more contacts for your business. So, send out those invitations and create your own networking community.
Redecorate and Declutter Your Space
Your office is no longer just a space that you visit on occasion. It’s your appendage–your 10×10 square foot prison, where you spend your 8-hour daily sentence. Ok. Maybe it’s not that bad. But you get my point.
If you’re tired of working from your home office, then change the way it looks. Splash your favorite color on all the walls, even if it’s bright pink or neon green. Your workspace is your space. It needs to reflect your personality.
If you don’t have a separate working space, redesign your kitchen table or add some throw pillows to your couch. Wherever you work, make it your own. Remember, it’s not about making it Martha Stewart, Joanne Gaines, or Nate Berkus approved. Your space needs to make you feel inspired.
Working from home Doesn’t Have to be Boring
For many of us, this past year has been challenging. We’ve pivoted, shifted, and moved our entire life out of our cubicle and into our living room. It was fun for the first few months, but working from home, parenting from home, and coping from home is the quickest way to feel uninspired and bored.
Working from home can feel inspiring, especially if you take a drive, host an outdoor event, and redesign your workspace.
As a Diversity and Inclusion Consultant and Leadership Strategist, Dr. Colleen Batchelder helps leaders create companies where Millennials want to work. Her doctoral background in leadership and global perspectives gives her an added edge because she approaches generational dissonance from all directions, including from an anthropological, theological, sociological, and ethnographic lens. Connect with Dr. Batchelder on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
