How to manage Zoom meeting fatigue

Working from home means more virtual meetings than ever before. These virtual meetings allow us to stay connected with our friends, family, colleagues and mean we are able to continue working in the current climate. However, have you noticed feeling more tired at the end of the day? 

There has been some research to show many of us may be experiencing Zoom fatigue, but what is this?

What is Zoom fatigue?

• Being on a video call requires more focus than face-to-face as we are working harder to process non-verbal cues.
• We may be feeling anxious, thinking about potential problems like: What if the kids run in? or What if the internet goes again?
• Having meetings virtually means we are more likely to get distracted by emails popping up and therefore end up multi-tasking 
• Silence can sometimes lead to anxiety that the technology isn’t quite working
• Research shows that when you’re on video, you tend to spend the most time gazing at your own face, spending a lot of time noticing how you’re behaving and coming across
• Meeting online increases our cognitive load, because several of its features take up a lot of conscious capacity

5 Top tips to reduce Zoom fatigue

1. Avoid multitasking – Next time you’re in a virtual meeting close down the other tabs and try to stay present
2. Build in breaks – Take mini breaks from video during longer calls by minimising the window or moving it behind other open windows
3. Diary management – Where possible spread out your virtual meetings throughout the week
4. No camera– If you’ve had a lot of meetings in a day where you have been on camera why not try one without camera
5. Hide yourself from view – Cover yourself with a post-it note to avoid looking at yourself throughout the meeting