Well, the year anniversary of the pandemic and working from home has come and gone without much fanfare. Virtual meetings are probably here to stay. After a year of working virtually, I can tell you I have learned a lot.

Last March my day looked like I imagine many of yours did. A fast and furious pace of back-to-back-to-back virtual meetings. I often found myself running for a bathroom break, to let the dog in, or get a drink of water between meetings. I wasn’t immune to an army crawl every now and then to avoid being in the shot of one of my partner’s or kids’ virtual meetings as well. #EpicFail

At times, I felt like I was on a mad hamster wheel.

Often it didn’t seem like much was happening, but at the end of the day, I was utterly exhausted. My lunch hour had disappeared into a snack grab, and the end of the day had bled into the evening with no discernible difference from home and work. I was always ‘on’. 

Now, I recognize what was happening. As I was going from back-to-back meetings, I was leaving no time for myself. I would arrive at the end of the day frayed and fried staring down my inbox, then spend too much time in the evening answering emails before falling asleep. Day after day, became the cycle of rinse and repeat.

Being an academic, I went to the research so I could understand what was happening.

In a recent article in the Journal of Accountancy, the author noted:

“It is actually exhausting, more exhausting, to be watching what we call the ‘Brady Bunch’ view on a video conference than it is to actually be interacting with the same number of people in person…You are trying to focus on each and every one of those boxes. So, if there are 16 people on a videoconference, and you can see all of their faces at the same time, your brain is trying to read their body language, all at the same time, and it is exhausting.”

Researchers have coined a term, technostress, to explain what is happening to us. I would love to say that this is a new phenomenon that has risen out of the pandemic, but the truth of the matter is technostress has been around for decades since being identified in the mid-1980s. Technostress is “a modern disease of adaptation caused by an inability to cope with new computer technologies in a healthy manner.”

Once I realized that some virtual work is here to stay, I decided it was time to organize myself in a way that allows me to do my best work throughout the week and combats any technostress that I may be feeling. Here are some of the rules that I made for myself that have made all the difference.

Rule 1.  Leave space for quick actions

I eliminated one hour of virtual meetings as much as I am able. My longest virtual meetings are now 45 minutes. This allows me the final 15 minutes for the actionable follow-up items or note-taking that I need to do immediately following that meeting. By giving myself 15 minutes, I’m leaving myself space to think about that follow-up note I need to send; jot down any tasks that are mission-critical; or, take immediate actions that get tasks off my plate. Shorter meetings are now 20-minutes instead of 30-minutes.  

Rule 2.  Leave space to breathe

I scheduled no more than three virtual meetings in a row without a micro-break. I allow myself a 15- to 30-minute break to collect myself a few times each day for stretching my legs, hydrating or unwinding. I allot 15 minutes after three shorter sessions and take 30 minutes after three long meetings in a row. Taking micro-breaks refreshes and energizes me. I feel more engaged, creative and able to hear others more fully when I keep to this practice.

Rule 3.  Leave time for strategic thinking

I’ve set aside strategic planning time during each week. At least a 90-minute section three times a week that is sacred and protected time for thinking and giving my undivided attention to complex problems. Across industries, research shows that it takes 25 minutes to return your concentration back to an original task after a significant interruption. Protect this window by perhaps taking it in another space or away from your phone. This chunk of time will move projects and initiatives further ahead and truer to the target in the long run. 

Rule 4.  Leave room for overflow

I leave my Friday afternoons open. I guard this time. I don’t let it get filled with other pressing issues and challenges. Friday afternoons are primarily for wrapping up the week’s work or addressing crises that need my attention before the weekend. I always seem to have an emergency pending where people are trying to find me this time. By avoiding filling Friday afternoons with additional agendas, time stays protected so that you have it for spontaneous ‘urgencies’—it hasn’t been programmed away.

Managing your time in the virtual environment will help you become a more effective leader. It’s not going to happen by accident. Be intentional about creating the space to do your best work. Don’t spend all of your time sorting the operations of today. High-performing, strategic leaders are thinking about the operation of next year and five years from now.    

#YouGotThis