You have /5 articles left.
Sign up for a free account or log in.
Meetings are the price of administration. I knew that when I made the leap. But Zoom meetings in rapid succession are something else altogether.
Zoom fatigue, I think, is an issue of quantity over quality. The meetings themselves can be great; I’ve had a few this week that would make my personal highlight reel. But after a while, even the good ones start to blur together.
I smiled ruefully at one point in reading the recent Chronicle piece about why freshmen at residential colleges are struggling this year. The usual antidote for a sense of isolation at college is involvement, and many clubs and such have moved online. But after a while, the last thing many people want to do after a long day of staring at the laptop is stare some more at the laptop.
It’s true.
I’ve already tried to move one-on-one meetings to old-fashioned voice calls whenever possible. With voice calls I can stand up and move around, which helps. There’s also less lag, so awkward moments of talking over each other are fewer. If nothing else, at least I get to look away from the screen for a while. It helps, as far as it goes, but most meetings involve larger groups.
Most of the time, I don’t turn off my camera for longer than a minute. (The most common reason is a need to stand up and stretch.) In the context of most meetings, leaving the camera off would be considered rude. I’ll admit liking the mute function when I cough or sneeze; in that instance, it strikes me as refreshingly civilized. But that’s a small consolation.
Wise and worldly readers -- especially those of you whose days are chockablock with meetings -- have you found effective ways to combat Zoom fatigue? I’d be happy to engage on Twitter (@deandad) or via email (deandad at gmail dot com). The best answers will be shared!
