Life Hacks during WFH | How do you avoid burnout?

I got hit by WFH cabin fever as badly as anyone via the combo of never leaving my apartment, and hours and work volume spiking overnight. My realization several months in was that pre-covid, I was very serendipitous and spontaneous in social activities (i.e. waking up on a Sunday morning and deciding to buy Broadway tickets for the matinee). Since that's no longer really possible between the elimination of most activities and the encroachment of work into all waking hours, I had to become more intentional and structured in separating work and life. Sounds robotic, but I fell so easily into the WFH slump that I had to take regimented action to force myself out of it.

1. Take a deep breath. I'm extremely guilty of being "on" all the time. I always strive for inbox zero, and that can include 20-second response times on emails, pulling even longer hours to finish backlog tasks just to get them off of my queue, and dropping non-work priorities halfway through (think cooking, working out) to answer work questions. The best thing you can do for yourself, and admittedly also the hardest thing, is to develop a mindset that most things can wait 10 minutes. I read this on a different thread years ago, but the phrase stuck with me: you need to develop a healthy respect for yourself and your time. I think a common perception of senior managers is that they're sitting by their computer waiting for your email back, waiting for your pitch deck, waiting for your answer. No doubt, there are sporadic tasks that require such urgency, but usually, as the low man on the totem pole, you have 1-3 things that require immediate attention, and your staffer or VP or MD has at least 25. They aren't going to notice 10 vs 20 minutes of turnaround time.

2. Incorporate physical activity into your routine, and stick to it. Morning stretching routine? 10 minute walk each way to pick up lunch? Late-night Peloton sprint? Find something to incorporate habitually. It becomes part of your daily schedule, and it helps clear the mind.

3. Invest in your home. You'd be surprised at how many people are still holding out on spending personal money on their WFH setups and apartments, 10 months into this situation. Yes, it's annoying, but you need to take the view that you aren't going to miss the marginal $1k, $5k, $10k on home improvements. Now that you spend 18 waking hours per day here, you should make it as comfortable and convenient as possible. There are tons of ways to do this:

• Food and beverages. Buy any (healthy) snacks you like online and keep them stocked. Get a high-end coffee or espresso maker, or a Sodastream with flavorings. Upgrade your glassware and home bar offerings.
• Fitness. Anything from bands to dumbbells to a Peloton, as long as it encourages you to work out.
• Desk setup. Do you have a standing desk yet? What about an ergonomic office chair (Herman Miller and the like)? Large monitors and monitor stands? What about your sound situation? This could be a good chance to invest in quality speakers or headphones.
• Bedroom / sleep. Are you happy with your mattress? Should you install blackout curtains? Any interest in something like Eight Sleep?
• General home ambiance. Hang a couple pieces of art. Install those color-changing smart lights. Set up an Alexa or other to integrate with everything. Buy a more comfortable couch. If you have any musical instruments, buy proper stands for them and keep them on display.
• Comfort purchases. This can be anything that makes you happy and eliminates a little bit of stress. You probably aren't wearing your watches as often as you used to -- purchase a watch gyroscope to keep them set. Do you have time to go to Chelsea Piers on the occasional weekend? Grab a new driver. Get a bespoke blazer or suit for when the world does open back up.

Again, you're going to be spending a good chunk of money here, but you'll be much happier to be working from home when you can turn around and enjoy your own office perks, so to speak. Moreover, these purchases will last you for years, and they'll pay unexpected dividends. What if you decide to start an ecommerce business in a few years and suddenly find yourself working a few extra hours at nights? You'll be happy you have the standing desk and office chair. And anyway, you'll make the money back pretty quickly.

4. Host friends. This by itself has done a ton for me. Have your close friends over on Friday or Saturday nights! It's not like anyone really wants to do outdoor drinks and dinner in January. The beauty of this is twofold: if you've invested in your living setup, people will want to come over, and if any work fire drills come up, you can handle them without ruining your night. I've enjoyed having people over for cocktails (thanks to that home bar investment I made), for example.

You'll notice that most of these don't relate to the work itself. IMO, there isn't a ton you can do about the actual tasks. What you can do is keep your general mood and affect as positive and healthy as possible. In short, I essentially found myself optimizing along two axes: one, making the job as comfortable as possible, and two, deliberately creating room for my mental and physical health.