As all of us have probably experienced, working on a computer over extended periods of time can leave us drained, parched and surprisingly exhausted. There are a few easy steps you can take to minimise this effect.
Physical Considerations
- Make sure you build in breaks into your teaching schedule on top of prep and evaluation time. You should aim to have 15 minutes away from your screen every 2-3 hours.
- Consider what you’ll need with you in terms of food and drink. It’s easy to make a coffee and then get stuck at your desk without a hydrating drink and quick healthy snack. Try and make sure you have a bowl of healthy snacks (dried fruits, nuts, seeds, etc) that will sustain you and not give you the up/down of a chocolate bar and a hydrating drink.
- Consciously try and move your point of focus to a window and the view outside. This will help your eyes not to become fatigued by focusing on a bright close screen for extended periods of time. I actually warn my students that I will be doing this at times but I will still be listening.
Psychological Considerations
- While we teach, we are always trying to read our students and their experience. Music teachers can be especially tuned in as we often teach 1-2-1. On a digital platform, the experience of talking to another person is slightly out of time and the image is a poor substitute for a real life conversation. Our brains are still desperately trying to pick up on these subtle social cues causing fatigue. Some awareness of this shortcoming of video communication can help you relax and accept the medium’s limitations.
- Do you need your camera on? Perhaps there will be times when you can share the screen for a short while or when you are both really concentrating on sheet music. At these times, switching your camera off can be a welcome break from constantly being filmed.
- Don’t jump online too quickly. Get ready and prepared for your lesson and online in plenty of time, even though you could in theory roll out of bed!
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