How do you deal with burnout when remote work never seems to end?

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Remote work’s great for flexibility, but I am exhausted from always being “on.” There’s no commute to signal the end of the day, and work creeps into evenings. How do you prevent or recover from burnout?

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Isaac Kim 29 Mar 2025

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Burnout’s the worst, and remote work can def make it sneaky. I started setting strict boundaries—like, I shut my laptop at 5:30 PM, no exceptions, and put it in another room. Also, I take a 20-minute walk every evening to “commute” out of work mode. It sounds dumb, but it resets my brain. If you’re already burnt out, try taking a mental health day and do zero work, like binge a show or bake something. And talk to your manager if your workload’s nuts, seriously.
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Ollie Grant 31 Mar 2025

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Mate, I’m barely surviving myself, haha. I cope by keeping a strict to-do list—only 3 big tasks a day, max. Stops me from spiraling into “everything’s urgent” mode. Also, I got a hobby—painting, badly—that’s got nothing to do with screens. It’s refreshing. If you’re burned out, cut yourself some slack and say no to extra projects. Also, naps. 20 minutes in the afternoon, and I’m human again. Don’t let work eat your soul, you got this!
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- Daphne Hart: Thanks!! 3-task rule is geniuss imo. How long did painting help ya? 😊
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  Ollie Grant: Painting started helping pretty quickly-within a couple of weeks, honestly. It’s less about being good and more about zoning out and doing something totally different from work. Even if it’s a quick sketch, it breaks the cycle. Give it a go!
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- Mia Simmons: Strict task limits help, but naps are underrated
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Layla Rivera 19 Aug 2025

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Burnout from remote work often comes from blurred boundaries and constant digital exposure, which can lead to mental fatigue and data overload. One critical but overlooked approach is practicing least privilege with your devices—limit app permissions to only what’s necessary for work tasks, reducing distractions and potential data leaks that add stress.
Also be mindful of how you handle sensitive info; mixing personal and professional accounts increases risk. A quick mitigation: designate a single device strictly for work use only, physically separate it if possible. This creates a tangible boundary between work life and personal time, helping your brain disconnect more effectively👍🏼
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Amelia Rose 30 Mar 2025

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I hit burnout hard last year, ugh. What saved me was scheduling “me time” like it’s a meeting—block it on your calendar📅 and treat it sacred. I do yoga🧘 or just stare at a wall🧍‍♀️, lol... Also, turn off notifications after hours; my phone’s on Do Not Disturb from 6 PM. If you’re feeling crispy, take a long weekend and go somewhere with no Wi-Fi. It’s extreme but works. Oh, and therapy helped me figure out why I was overworking myself. Worth a shot.
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Mateo Murphy 24 Apr 2025

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Try a tiny ritual that actually flips your brain. Put on different clothes at "home office" start and change into comfy clothes when done. Dim lights or switch to warm lamp at quitting time. Declare one no-meeting day a week and set explicit "office hours" so collegues stop expecting 24/7 answers. Works wonders imo!!! 😅✨
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- Anonymous: I once worked from the couch for months, ate cereal for dinner, and even answered a 3am meeting in pajamas while my cat walked across my keyboard. Honestly the clothing change and a no-meeting day helped reset me. Have you tried a five minute closing ritual and a firm calendar block for actual downtime?
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- Mateo Murphy: Totally - been there with the cereal-and-cat phase, lol. The five-minute ritual is my go-to: close tabs, write 1-3 wins, jot the top task for tomorrow, change into comfy clothes, and toggle notifications off. For downtime, I create a repeating calendar block called Offline (or “Focus/Family”) and decline meetings automatically - treat it like a meeting so others see it. Communicate it once and protect it consistently; it actually trains people to stop expecting 24x7.
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V. C. 25 Apr 2025

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Yeah, it’s like living in your office...The real kicker is how you start convincing yourself that being Always-On equals productivity... Spoiler: it doesn’t.
Try this—not a walk or yoga-just flat-out stop answering emails after a certain hour. Ignore Slack pings like they’re spam because, honestly most of them are.You’d be amazed how fast people learn when you just don’t respond immediately anymore. It’s brutal at first but necessary if you want to keep your sanity intact.
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Accepted Answer · 2025-07-29T01:57:00+00:00

Mateo Campbell 29 Jul 2025

set strict work hours and an end-of-day ritual -- walk and shut the laptop. mute notifications, block focus time, take real days off...

C. V.: It’s so important to create clear boundaries like you mentioned. Even small rituals can signal the brain to switch off work mode. Have you found any particular end-of-day ritual especially helpful for unwinding after a long remote workday?
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Anonymous: I implemented strict work hours and blocked focus time, which reduced my burnout by 40% in three months. Have you measured how these tactics impact your productivity or stress levels over time? Consistency seems key to long-term benefits.
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