Video call fatigue can ultimately be an alarming call to your health and drain out attentiveness
The cognition levels being utilized during a video call are much higher than in personal interaction
Even with physically before COVID, we had breaks in between our meetings, and we need to find a way to recreate this in work from home scenarios as well
It has almost been a year since video conferencing has become the lifeline of every business and industry. People spending time on video calls is much more than the time spent without it. This exponential increase in video calling is a sheer result of human’s instinct to survive, and that too in its full glory. Individuals are now well-accustomed to remote working, learning, relaxing and grabbing those chances to stay fit and experience leisure. They can do it all because of the convenience video conferencing platforms are providing.
The video conferencing features and applications have been growing; every now and then, we witness a new application designed which establishes its new core user base in no time. So, even when one is not working, they are video calling their fitness instructor, teacher, trainer, friends and family or attending virtual events. The ultimate joy of furnishing a social bond even during these challenging times is yet another factor driving the growth of diverse video conferencing platforms.
However, every coin has two sides to it. While we appreciate the utility of these applications, video call fatigue is an undeniable occurrence; it is because cognition levels being utilized during a video call are much higher than in personal interaction. Also, to add to it, in a video call, you are constantly watching yourself, which can be very distracting and intimidating, so much so that your constant attention to what other participants are discussing or saying is likely to deter.
Video call fatigue can ultimately be an alarming call to your health, and to have a healthy mind and body, we must take cues from the following tips, which will help reduce video fatigue.
- Schedule the calls in advance
Scheduling the calls in advance means a week ahead; only keep limited space in your daily calendar for urgent meetings. Otherwise, try initiating conversation over texts and emails. They are much less tiring and structured form of professional conversations; this gives you an upper hand to plan your day, work, and other household chores well in advance. Everyone is juggling between getting the balance between work and home life, and nobody needs a video call fatigue to hamper their spirits.
- Plan the meeting agenda
Plan the meeting agenda so that every participant is prepared with their share of work and updates; nobody likes waiting for someone struggling to find a particular work document. Keep updating the tasks completed and pending as the meeting culminates towards the end; this gives each participant a fair opportunity not to miss the upcoming meeting’s agenda.
- Always seek breaks in between two meetings
It may seem easier to participate in virtual meetings, but it is so not true. Slow Wifi, Freezed screens, disturbing background noises are strong enough elements to shake your work spirit. Even when we were meeting physically before COVID, we had breaks in between our meetings. The mind needs that. So, try to keep the meeting time crisp for 50 minutes instead of 1 hour, or 25 minutes instead of 30. These breaks will give you time to stretch, look away from screens, or enjoy a quick snack without scrolling with one hand.
- Control the urge to multitask during call
Even though it feels like one can multitask while other participants continue to speak, this is just now how our brain functions. So, it is better not to involve yourself scrolling or updating other documents while on a video call as there is a fair chance of making an error. The video conferencing format already requires too much of your attention to allow for effective multitasking.
- Healthy diet and meditation
Last but not least, 8-9 hours of sleep with a healthy diet and exercise will give you the mental strength to understand and tolerate the non-verbal cues of your colleagues, slight delay in responses and all other communication limitations that concern us, which were unlikely to happen if we interacted with the individual personally.
