How to fight video conference fatigue

If you’re finding you’re more exhausted after a day working from home than you used to be, you’re not alone. Video conference fatigue is a result of the fact that video calls are more draining than face-to-face meetings. We tend to focus more intently and feel that we have to stare at the screen constantly to signal that we’re paying attention. Here are four tips for making video calls less tiring.

1. Don’t multitask. Switching between jobs constantly can cost as much as 40% of your productive time. Turn off other apps and focus on the task in hand.
    
2. Build in breaks. Even just looking away from your screen for a few seconds now and then, while still paying attention to what’s being said, can help.
    
3. Reduce onscreen stimuli. Research shows that you spend most of the time gazing at your own face, or scrutinising the bookshelves behind your colleagues. Hide yourself from view and encourage people to use plain backgrounds.
    
4. Switch to the phone. There’s a tendency to treat video as the default, but they can feel intimate, even invasive in some situations. It’s okay to suggest a phone call instead.

HOW TO THRIVE IN THESE UNPRECEDENTED TIMES

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