If you are experiencing the following symptoms, you may be suffering from webinar fatigue.
- Do you feel an irrational need to sign up for more webinars than you can reasonably fit into your schedule (or your brain) because they are FREE?
- Do you experience a strong (or slight) feeling of nausea when another FREE webinar pops up in your email queue or during your online browsing?
- Do you suffer from headaches or blurred vision induced by too much screen time?
- Do you contemplate your ability to catch up on webinars now that summer is here, followed by a wave of anxiety and sense of inferiority because you will never be able to watch them all, and you may miss that important gem of information that would have helped you improve your online teaching skills, boost your immune system, or avoid economic disaster? Or perhaps all three at once!
Please know you are not alone. Webinar fatigue is a growing epidemic. I began suffering these symptoms early in the Covid-19 pandemic quarantine. I had a sense that I should have more time since I couldn’t go anywhere, yet I was continually double booking webinars over Zoom coffee dates with friends while having difficulty fitting in all the online shopping induced by the numerous sales and special offers that would in expire in 24 hours if I didn’t act immediately.
Everyone is adjusting to dealing with the economic ups and downs as well as working from home, schooling from home, cooking more and dining out less, and turning our garages into mini gyms. Innumerable webinars have appeared to help us navigate these challenging times, but they can become overwhelming and leave us with a feeling of never catching up. For that reason, I have created Five Tips for Coping with Webinar Fatigue.
5 TIPS FOR COPING WITH WEBINAR FATIGUE
- Just Say No - Press delete and don’t look back.
- Procrastinate - Many webinars are live which can cause the added stress of needing to rearrange your schedule to accommodate them; however, many of these information sessions also offer a recorded option after you sign up or sometimes even prior to signing up. Take the recorded option if one is presented and then wait a week. If the need to watch the webinar has passed by then, follow tip #1 and delete it.
- Multi-Task - Watch the webinar from that mini gym in your garage while you lift weights or do your lunges. That way if the online information turns out to be a recap of every other webinar you have watched, you haven’t wasted an hour. If you find that the information is redundant or not helpful, follow tip #1 and press EXIT.
- Remember that Nothing is Truly Free - Put a price tag on your time and ask yourself if the hour you would give up is worth it.
- Pay the Price and Get What You Really Want - Rather than focusing on free webinars, consider attending that big national or international conference you’ve always wanted to go to, but couldn’t afford because it’s usually $500 plus airfare plus lodging. Many of these conferences are now available at a fraction of the cost. Because they are online, the travel expense is eliminated. A few of my favorites are below.
I hope these tips have helped you deal with the symptoms of webinar fatigue, or put it into perspective, or at least has given you the opportunity to laugh at the experience. After all, laughter is the best medicine.
SOME EVENTS YOU MAY WANT TO CONSIDER
The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) is offering their summer conference as an Online Summer Spectacular from July 31 - August 4 with recordings available through the month of August. The cost of the SCBWI conference is $100 for members and $175 for nonmembers. Membership is only $80 and anyone can join. SCBWI has also been offering several free webinars only for members. Children’s authors speaking at the online summer event include Kwame Alexander, Philip Pullman, Laurie Halse Anderson, Judy Blume, Grace Lin, Jane Yolen, and Jacqueline Woodson to name a few. A host of editors and agents will also be presenting. To find out more GO HERE.
The International Dyslexia Association will host their annual conference - Reading, Literacy, and Learning online November 13-14. The cost is $179 for professionals (access to 56 sessions) and $79 for parents (access to 11 sessions). Session recording will be available for 72 hours after the conference. Networking and a virtual exhibit hall will also be available. To find out more GO HERE. Visit the IDA website to find out about the many free webinars they have made available recently at dyslexiaida.org.
Recordings for these types of events usually come at an additional fee. They are extremely valuable because they allow you to listen to the information at your own pace and to catch sessions you were not able to see in person.
