3 Tips to Avoid Web Burnout

“It has become a permanent fixture in most of our lives, the Internet and the tendency we have to remain online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. While some of us do it for pleasure and entertainment, the rest of us are duty bound to the Web because we are involved professionally in developing content for this intricate network in some way or the other. At first the work is interesting and exciting, so much so that you cannot bring yourself to even go home at the end of a day and can’t wait to get in to the office the next day. And when you do go home, you carry work with you.

But as time goes by and the first assignment turns into the hundredth or thousandth (you’ve lost count by then), you seem to have reached the point of stagnation and find yourself going round and round in circles rather than advancing any further in your enthusiasm and professionalism. Soon the day comes when you find reasons to avoid work, when projects start piling up, and when you want to tear your hair out – welcome to the world of web burnout. It could happen to the best and most enthusiastic of us, so if you’re worried that you could end up being a victim of web burnout, here’s what you could do to avoid it:

• Don’t let your life revolve around work: Work is important, but it’s not all that life is about. It’s best to treat it like just another part of your life, one that helps you earn your bread and butter and be independent and able to support a family. It’s ok to be passionate about it, but when you let it dominate your every waking hour (and minimize sleep in the process), you’re going to end up burning yourself out and running short on creativity and innovation, both of which are absolutely essential to holding your head above water in the competitive world we live in today. Take time to enjoy your family and build and sustain your network of friends; get out and do the things you want to do and some that you don’t want to do but that are good for you (like exercise), and look forward to something other than work in life.
• Keep learning something new: When you do the same thing (or similar activities) over and over again, day after day, your brain does not get the stimulation it needs to remain fresh and active. Even if your work does not allow you to get creative, take up an activity that does, and watch the difference it makes to your ability to work with more confidence and efficiency. At the end of the day, if your job is not stimulating and interesting enough, it’s not worth the grind and the burnout that comes with it.
• Take a break from your computer: Yes, I do really mean it – go ahead, switch it off (don’t put it to sleep or hibernate) and go a day or a whole week without staring at your screen. It’s not enough to just take a break from work; you need to stay away from your computer during your time off. When you’re glued to it all day long at the office and for the better part of the time you spend at home, you need a clean break in order to prevent web burnout. It will be hard not checking your email or keeping tabs on what’s going on at work; but the break will do you good when you get back, refreshed and rejuvenated.

The best jobs are those that are kept fresh and interesting, even though you’ve been at them for years; and if you’re lucky enough to find one that lets you avoid web burnout, well, all I can say is hold on to it tightly”

To connect and network with Kim then she welcomes your feedback at KimPeterson2006 at gmail.com

One thing I would add is always remember with any relationship ‘Absence makes the heart grow fonder!’

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