For many of us, the pandemic has forced Zoom calls to become a daily part of life. This has led to the rise of the term Zoom fatigue, the feeling of being drained of energy and focus after partaking in online video chats.
It may seem impossible to avoid Zoom fatigue if you have to take online calls every workday, but there is one way you can get around it: dialing into Zoom from your phone while you take a walk. This is the recommendation of Zapier blog editor Deborah Tennen, who says there are a lot of reasons to try this out.
Firstly, it encourages you to exercise, which is especially good for those of us who aren’t quick to go for a walk whenever we have a break. Secondly, dialing in by phone is also useful because you can’t see the other participants, and allows you to focus more on the content of the meeting. It can be fun to see what other people have going on in their Zoom backgrounds, but it can also be distracting. Calling with your phone also keeps you away from other computer-related distractions such as checking your Facebook, Slack, or email.
Before you head onto a trail or quiet street for your walk-and-talk, keep these tips in mind to make sure your call goes smoothly.
- Wear headphones: To keep your hands free and your attention focused on the call, wear headphones (make sure you have the kind of headphones with a built-in microphone).
- Mute yourself when you’re not talking: Being outdoors during a call makes you more susceptible to outside noise while you walk. To spare your fellow callers of any distracting noise, mute yourself when you’re not talking.
- Let people know ahead of time: It’s possible the person you’re meeting with was hoping to share their screen with you or ask you to share yours. That’s not possible if you’re dialing in, so make sure to give people the heads up.
Remember, remote working doesn’t mean you have to stay still in your disk at home all day. You are free to go out and combine your Zoom calls with your daily walks. It might just spare you of Zoom fatigue at the end of the day.
