An Unexpected Zoom Visitor
It’s been nearly one year since COVID-19 related lockdowns have begun, and we all have experienced the joys that come with Zoom meetings. Whether using Zoom to talk with family and friends or having virtual work meetings, you’ve likely experienced some form of technical difficulty. Maybe your microphone wasn’t working, you couldn’t share your presentation, or Zoom just crashed in the middle of an important meeting.
What if you were representing a client in a legal proceeding and were stuck with a cat filter on your face? That’s exactly what happened to lawyer Rod Ponton on Tuesday, February 9th.
Ron, bottom right quadrant.
During a hearing at Texas’ 394th District Court, Ponton unexpectedly showed up to the call as a cat. Even worse, he wasn’t sure how to remove the filter. Ponton stated, “I don’t know how to remove it…I’m prepared to go forward with it…I’m here live. I’m not a cat.”
This provided the court, and the internet with a good laugh. Ponton reported to the New York Times that he was “mortified” by the mistake, but “if I can make the country chuckle for a moment in these difficult times they’re going through, I’m happy to let them do that at my expense.”
You can watch the full video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDNP-SWgn2w
You can read the full New York Times article here:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/09/style/cat-lawyer-zoom.html
Splash Coworking Tips to Avoid Zoom Fatigue
While Rod Ponton was able to provide us a good laugh and relief from the stress of Zoom, his mistaken cat filter won’t always be there to save us. Here are four tips to relieve Zoom Fatigue:
1. Invest in a Pair of Blue Light Glasses
Blue light glasses have lenses that are specifically designed to filter the harmful blue light given off by our phones and laptops. These lenses help protect your eyes against the blurry vision and headaches you get after staring at a screen all day. Here’s a list created by Forbes of the best blue light glasses for your needs:
2. Don’t Multitask
It takes much more brain power to stay concentrated during a Zoom meeting than it does a regular, in-person meeting. When you check emails, write another report, and check off other activities on your to-do list, you have to concentrate even harder, making you even more tired at the end of the day. Try to focus on just meeting related activities; minimize your emails, put your phone face down, and close other chats.
3. Take Breaks
While it may seem obvious, everyone needs a break. Whether it’s five minutes or an entire hour, a break from your screen is essential in reducing Zoom fatigue. Get up, walk around, and stretch. You’ll be surprised what a short break can do for your mood. Here’s a link to yoga you can even do at your desk:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-8FvC3GD8c
4. Schedule “Screen-Free” Downtime
As stated earlier, the blue light emitted from laptops and phones can put a lot of strain on your eyes. Often we get off Zoom and immediately check our Facebook for updates from friends. This can actually make you even more exhausted, so make sure you’re giving your eyes time to recover.
5. Don’t Live and Work at Home
Living, working, and sometimes going to school all in one place can make it hard to separate work life from home life, and makes it hard to turn-off at the end of the night. Luckily, we have the perfect solution! Whether you need a change of scenery for the day or a dedicated desk space you can use anytime, Splash provides the perfect space to help you separate your work life from your home life. Look into the memberships we offer today!
https://members.splashcoworking.com/account/memberships/change
