How not to get tired at work


How to Stay Awake at Work: 17 Tips

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Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could take a quick break from work to nap every time you felt you needed it? Unfortunately, this is not the reality for most people.

Tiredness at work is common whether you work part time or full time, day shift or night shift. It can harm your work performance and make work less enjoyable. And in some careers, it can be downright dangerous.

If you’re struggling to stay awake at work and the coffee’s just not cutting it, try some of these tips:

1. Go for a walk before work

Getting some fresh air and moving your body before work can help keep you awake. A walk is especially effective at increasing your alertness if you take one when the sun’s up.

2. Take a nap before work

While it’s often impossible to take a nap on the job, taking a nap before work can help increase your alertness. This is an especially important tip for shift workers, who may be required to work odd or alternating hours. Napping for as little as 15 to 20 minutes before work can help improve your alertness throughout your shift.

3. Take activity breaks

Sitting or standing still for too long, such as at a desk or cash register, can make you feel tired. Staying active can help you feel more alert and think more clearly. Get up and take activity breaks every few hours if possible. For example, try walking around your office or workplace while you take that phone call.You can also try these exercises you can do at your desk.

4. Keep your workspace bright

If you work during the day, keep your workplace window shades open to let in sunlight. If you’re working when it’s dark or dim, turn the lights on to help keep you awake and alert.

5. Drink water

Sipping caffeine can give you a temporary energy boost, but drinking water throughout your shift is much healthier and is also effective in keeping you alert. That’s because dehydration can make it more difficult for you to concentrate on your work.

6. Drink caffeine early in your shift

Consuming some caffeine early in your shift can boost your alertness early in your day. Be sure to consume it only at the start of your shift, though. Caffeinating too late can interfere with your ability to sleep after work.

7. Keep snacks handy

Eating healthy snacks during the day can help keep your blood sugar — and attention — steady all day long. Look for foods with a mix of protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats. Good snack options include:

  • peanut butter and whole wheat crackers
  • granola and yogurt
  • nuts and fruit
  • baby carrots and cheese

Avoid consuming foods and beverages with added sugar, such as candies, energy bars, and soda.

8. Get the easy stuff out of the way

It can be hard to focus on complex tasks when you’re tired. If possible, complete the easiest tasks when you’re tired, such as replying to emails, filing documents, or reorganizing your computer’s desktop. Usually your energy will return as you complete these simpler tasks.

9. Use energizing scents to wake you up

Keep scented candles or an essential oil diffuser at your desk. Look for scents that are strong and energizing, such as jasmine, citrus, or peppermint. You can also rub essential oil on your hands and temples to help keep you energized.

Shop for an essential oil diffuser and essential oils now.

10. Turn on some tunes

Listening to loud, energizing music such as rock or pop can sometimes help increase your energy level. If you work in a shared space, make sure to wear headphones so you don’t disturb your coworkers.

The above tips are great short-term fixes to staying awake at work. But to help stay alert at work in the long term, you need to make some adjustments to your daily life.

Here are seven lifestyle changes that can help increase the quality of your sleep, making it easier for you to stay awake at work.

1. Avoid light before bed

Your body’s production of melatonin, which helps you sleep, is influenced by light and dark. It can be challenging, especially for shift workers, to avoid light before bed. Sunlight can make your body feel more energized when you’re trying to wind down.

Reduce your exposure to light before bed by limiting your screen time from your TV or cell phone. In addition, try wearing an eye mask or hanging darkening shades on your windows if sunlight keeps you up when you’re trying to sleep.

2. Avoid consuming stimulants before bed

Don’t consume caffeine or other stimulants during the second half of your shift. Doing so can make it much more difficult for you to fall and stay asleep at bedtime.

3. Make your bedroom quiet

Turn off all electronic devices, such as your TV, and use earplugs to keep your bedroom quiet. Use a white noise machine to drown out loud or distracting noises if necessary.

4. Make napping part of your routine

Setting up a nap schedule can help regulate your sleep.

5. Limit your shift changes

Changing shifts often makes it harder for your body to adjust. Limit these changes when possible.

6. Pay attention to your body when it comes to exercise

Exercise is helpful in promoting sleep. However, for some people, exercising right before bed can make it harder to fall asleep. For others, exercise may not affect their sleep patterns at all. Get to know your body and what feels best.

7. Avoid smoking and drinking before bed

These habits can make it more difficult for you to fall and stay asleep.

Feeling tired at work can make your workday less productive and less enjoyable. Luckily, there are things you can do today to help make you feel less sleepy and more alert at work. Making certain lifestyle changes to promote sleep after work will help you stay alert at work in the long term, as well.

Tired at work: 5 ways to fight work fatigue

Tired at work – we’ve all experienced it, and we’ve all tried to deal with it. It’s normal to have a little “slump” from time to time or feel sleepy at work on Friday after a challenging week. Yet, a feeling of seemingly never-ending fatigue at work is something completely different and requires one’s careful attention. 

Why?

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A prolonged period of feeling tired at work can easily lead to complete job burnout, which is much more difficult to overcome. Plus, the brand-new era of remote work comes with a fresh set of challenges that can lead to severe work fatigue if left ignored. 

So, to avoid job burnout dangers, tiredness at work – both in remote and office settings – needs to be taken seriously. What to do if feeling tired at work has already caught you, and you can’t shake it off? And what are some of the don’ts when dealing with work fatigue? Let’s dive right into this article and find out!

Is this work fatigue that I’m feeling?

First things first – what actually IS workplace fatigue and what isn’t? Well, it’s a fine line between one and another. However, according to this study:

Work fatigue represents extreme tiredness and reduced functional capacity that is experienced during and at the end of the workday.

It’s a mix of physical, mental, and emotional tiredness that isn’t removed by adequate rest and sleep time. Such fatigue reduces one’s ability to focus, perform tasks and lowers motivation. There’s a variety of stressors that lead to being too tired to work, and experiencing a time of crisis, such as a global pandemic, undoubtedly is one of them. Luckily, there are ways to help yourself if seemingly neverending work tiredness has put a spell on you. 

What to do if workplace fatigue symptoms have already caught you

1. Maintain work-life boundaries

Even though you’ve probably heard this advice oh so many times, the message doesn’t lose its significance. Healthy work-life boundaries are THE thing to keep in mind when dealing with work fatigue. Even if you genuinely love your job, your mind and body still need a decent time off to restore their capabilities.

Leave work at work. Don’t check your email after working hours. Be aware that you’re not obliged to be accessible to your workplace 24/7 (unless specified otherwise). A well-rested and energized worker, both physically and mentally, is far more valuable than an overworked person. Being available for work-related requests at all times doesn’t leave you enough time to recharge and leads to workplace fatigue symptoms.

When it comes to remote work, boundaries between work and “no work” undoubtedly get blurry. We find it harder to unplug and end the workday on time, as the only evening commute we do is from the home office desk to the sofa (if so).

To help yourself draw the line, consider inventing an end-of-workday ritual. Turn off the computer, go for a walk if possible, or break a sweat at home. It can be anything that marks the end of the workday to you specifically.  

2. Take care of your health

Work fatigue can also be caused by ongoing health problems, which undoubtedly need to be addressed by a healthcare specialist. If you’re confident that your general health indicators are within the normal range, it is worth reviewing your daily habits

Poor diet, lack of exercise, and deprived sleep undeniably contribute to your daily energy levels and productivity at work. Not getting enough sleep heightens the risk of dehydration, which has a direct impact on your performance.

When your body isn’t hydrated enough, you can feel weak and tired. Therefore, water is essential for carrying nutrients around the body and getting rid of its waste products. Make sure to drink plenty of beverages and eat water-filled food during the day. If staying hydrated seems challenging to you, consider using a hydration app to help you stay on track with your water intake.

Your diet is another aspect that affects your energy and productivity levels more than you may think. For example, consuming a lot of carbs – bread-oriented, sugary products – can give the energy boost at first, yet the effect afterward is the opposite. Your brain is overflooded with hormones related to sleep, and you begin feeling tired. Maintaining such a diet pattern daily can cause fatigue as well. 

When it comes to exercise, it can significantly reduce work-related fatigue by increasing one’s energy levels and strength. Moreover, regular low-intensity exercise, such as a walk, light jogging, or a casual bike ride, decreases fatigue, reduces stress levels, and improves sleep. Not a fan of exercising? Again, there are plenty of tools and apps that make the physical activity fun and easier to maintain.

3. Plan your schedule according to your productivity patterns

Another cause for feeling tired at work may be working on a schedule that doesn’t align with your individual “biological clock” and productivity patterns

We all follow an individual internal cycle of wakefulness and sleep – circadian rhythm. It’s relatively easy to conclude whether you’re, for example, a morning person or not without a specific analysis. But when it comes to being aware of your productivity peak hours, you definitely can use some guidance.

DeskTime’s automatic time tracking tool not only helps with managing work hours and projects but also provides a thorough analysis of your productivity levels. Reports on your productivity and efficiency are available in a daily, weekly, or monthly format. The monthly analysis may be the most useful to fully explore your productivity patterns as it shows you big-picture trends on how you spend your day. 

Knowing when your creative juices flow better or being aware that you have a daily efficiency bump at a particular time can significantly help in planning your work schedule. 

  • Easier to concentrate in the morning?

→ Schedule your meetings in the afternoon and dedicate the early hours to deep work. 

  • Productivity peaks in the afternoon?

→  Consider your options of starting the workday a bit later, so you don’t torture your body and mind with early morning sessions.  

Remember – it’s all about being aligned with your body’s inner clock to reduce the risk of feeling tired. 

4. Sleep the night away

Another essential aspect when dealing with work fatigue is making sure you’re getting a good night’s sleep. Sleep deprivation impacts your energy levels, cognitive functions, and motivation, which can quickly turn into general fatigue, affecting your work performance as well.

Have you ever experienced waking up in the morning after you’ve just slept for 8 hours, yet feeling, well, awful? This signifies that your sleep isn’t adequate, as the power of sleep lies not only in its amount but also in its quality.

While there can be various conditions affecting your sleep adequacy, one thing you can take care of is sleep hygiene. What can you do about it? Small changes bring great results:

  • Stick to a consistent sleep schedule and have your pre-bedtime routine
  • Don’t overdo naps during the day
  • Dim the lights and ditch electronics (it’s tough but worth it)
  • Make your bedroom your sleep temple – comfortable mattress, nice bedding, calming scents, etc.
  • Don’t let light and noise interrupt your sleep; use earplugs and heavy curtains or an eye mask

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Additionally, one of the key improvements you can make to boost your sleep quality and reduce work fatigue is prioritizing your sleep. It may sound pretty self-evident. However, many people don’t pay enough attention to the link between sleep and their well-being. Are you feeling constantly tired at work? Examine the quality of your sleep. 

5. Consider taking a day off (and remember to take breaks during work)

Taking breaks at work are just as necessary for work performance as keeping up your focus. According to research, the most productive employees work for 52 minutes and then break for 17. Working in such sprints gives their cognitive functions and body enough time to rest so that the next work session can be “kicked off” with excellent efficiency.  

In case none of the methods of dealing with work fatigue seem to be working, you may want to consider taking a day off. Routine can be an enemy for creativity, motivation, and productivity. Having a day for yourself is crucial for your well-being and recharging yourself properly is significant in avoiding severe consequences such as chronic fatigue or complete burnout.

Whether you decide to “embrace laziness,” engage in fun activities, or deal with chores, make sure work stays at work and your day off is as present as it can be.

Bonus: What NOT to do when feeling tired at work

You know how sometimes we think that we know what’s best for ourselves, but in reality, we’re completely wrong? To make sure you don’t harm yourself when trying to overcome work tiredness, have a look at these few mistakes you may be prone to meet down the road.

Don’t push yourself

You may think that the key to overcoming work fatigue is to bear yourself even harder into work. “Pushing through” won’t solve the big issue of feeling tired at work in a way a proper rest would. So, instead of torturing yourself with an attempt of “full gear”, try dividing your tasks into smaller parts and setting priorities wisely. 

Don’t punish yourself by working overtime

Of course, there are deadlines in this world that need to be met. Sometimes we all work longer than we should to finish some urgent tasks or compensate for a slower day with added work hours. But it shouldn’t become a regular occurrence. 

Working overtime kills productivity. Your productivity levels begin to drop as soon as you’ve reached the 8-hour limit and continue their downfall till the very end. Take a look at this video to find out more about why working overtime is, well, nothing but a bad idea:

Don’t overconsume stimulants like caffeine, sugar, nicotine

Even though these stimulants seem to be working for some time after you’ve consumed them, their effects wear off pretty quickly. You may find yourself reaching for another cup of coffee or a piece of chocolate only to experience the same loss of the effect again later. Excessive caffeine consumption and other stimulants can disrupt sleep, heighten blood pressure, and cause other health issues that certainly won’t help overcome work fatigue.

→ Last but not least–don’t ignore the tiredness

Occasional fatigue at work can be linked to various causes, such as lack of sleep on the night before, a heavier workload, and such. However, if you’ve noticed feeling exhausted for a prolonged time without having a clear explanation, don’t ignore that. Fatigue can be a symptom of many physical and mental conditions that need proper medical attention. Be aware of how you’re feeling, and don’t be afraid to seek help if needed. 

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What to do about chronic fatigue due to work

Anna Sokolova

full of energy

Author profile

Even if you work sitting at the computer, this does not mean that by the end of the day you will not die of fatigue.

Fatigue appears not only from physical work. And not only because of the large number of cases. It may also indicate that you have not replenished the resources of the body, have distributed the load incorrectly, or do not see much point in what you are doing. Life in constant stress and work in emergency mode is harmful to health and leads to burnout. Let's talk about how to save energy.

Why do we get so tired at the computer

Psychologists have a hypothesis about why mental work is so exhausting. If a task doesn’t particularly excite us, the brain has to put in a lot of effort to focus on it. And there is a lot of interesting things around - from news and Internet discussions to new collections of your favorite brands. This constant struggle with temptations exhausts a person. But without it it is impossible - otherwise the work will not be done.

This version is partly confirmed by a study conducted several years ago in Canada. Scientists monitored the condition of 156 students for a week: they constantly asked what they were doing, how they felt, what they really wanted at the moment, how much effort they had to make in order not to follow these desires and continue to study. It turned out that the more temptations the students had to resist, the more tired they felt.

/no-willpower/

How can the weak-willed and lazy survive? Molecular biologist Irina Yakutenko answers

According to one of the authors of the study, psychologist Michael Inzlicht, this phenomenon has an evolutionary explanation. In order to survive, a person as a species all the time needs to do something: sleep, look for partners for procreation, get food, clothes - and so on ad infinitum. And if at some point he forgets about one of these tasks, then he simply will not survive. Therefore, the body has developed a biological mechanism that makes us switch from one to another. The psychological fatigue that we feel by the end of the working day is a signal that it is time to switch to another activity.

Tip 1

Increase your motivation

In 2019, British scientists published the results of a study in which they observed the behavior, physical and psychological state of 100 nurses during their 12-hour shift. And as a result, an important correlation was found: those nurses who were more involved in their work, knew that something depended on them, and received inner satisfaction in the process, were more energetic and less exhausted than the rest.

The explanation is simple: if we consider our work to be really important, then we are more motivated to do it and it is more difficult for us to get distracted. This means that the brain does not lose interest in it and gets less tired.

/hate-work/

Why people don't quit jobs they hate

To increase your motivation, try this exercise: at the end of each working day, for a couple of minutes, reflect on how your work is useful for others. If helping others is not part of your duties, remember that work allows you to pay for housing, feed and clothe loved ones, and financially support older relatives.

This simple action will have a beneficial effect on more than just your motivation. According to research by psychologists Adam Grant and Sabine Sonnentag, people who are clearly aware of the impact their work has on others tend to be less distracted while doing it. And in general, they feel happier and more satisfied with life.

Tip 2

Don't get distracted too often

The human brain is not a computer. It's not designed for multitasking. Therefore, when the brain has to do several things at the same time, it spends too many resources. And as a result, he gets more tired and starts making more mistakes.

How can I fix this?

  1. Try to plan your day so that you have a few free hours to devote to something important. If possible, ask colleagues not to distract you at this time. And turn off notifications in mail and messengers. At the end of the 20th century, an Indian software company introduced a rule: no one bothers anyone on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, all important issues are resolved on other business days. As a result, overall productivity increased. And most importantly, the psychological state improved: by coping with work faster, employees received more positive emotions, and this charged them with additional energy.
  2. Reduce the number of things you can get distracted by. During business hours, block access to news and games apps, as well as social networks. Ideally, remove your smartphone from the table altogether - you won’t have to fight the temptation to pick it up. Open only the tabs you need in your browser. And when you're done with them, close them immediately. And even better, if there is a financial opportunity, use the laptop only for work - install only the applications necessary for the business and do not log in to social networks. For everything else, get another laptop.

/how-to-focus/

5 tips to quickly focus on work

Tip 3

Take Breaks

Research shows that several regular but short breaks throughout the day can be better for rejuvenation, cognition and stress reduction than one long one. In 2014, specialists from DeskTime, a developer of time tracking software, analyzed the data of many users and found out that the most efficient ones worked in cycles. They immersed themselves in tasks for 52 minutes, and then disconnected from tasks for 17 minutes.

These data correlate with the modern ideas of scientists about the basic cycle of rest - activity: at night, on average, the body goes through all five phases of sleep in 90 minutes, and during the day it experiences a peak of activity at the same time, followed by 15-20 minutes of decline. And it is better to spend them on rest.

/chill-out/

How to rest: 5 tips

Things to do during a 15-minute break:

  1. Sleep. There is evidence that a short daytime nap restores strength, improves cognitive abilities and eliminates drowsiness. But if you sleep for more than half an hour, the effect will be the opposite: due to the inertia of sleep, instead of cheerfulness, you will feel sleepy until the evening.
  2. Walk. Better in the park. A lot of research confirms that this increases the production of mood-enhancing endorphins and restores attention.
  3. Chat about personal things. In 2007, a group of American scientists found that a 10-minute conversation with pleasant colleagues about something that is not work-related improves cognitive performance.

What not to do during mini-breaks? Check social networks and messengers. This can deprive the rest of the strength. According to researchers from the American Psychological Association, excessive use of gadgets increases stress levels and greatly spoils mood.

Tip 4

Start working less

It often happens that fatigue at work is not due to psychological problems. But simply because you are overwhelmed. In this case, all the previous tips are unlikely to help you. There is only one way out: discuss with the manager.

  1. Write down all the work you have, including small tasks. It is especially important to do this if you communicate with your boss orally, and not in a chat. When another request appears, specify in what order to fulfill it and, if the matter is urgent, what can be postponed until later. This will help him to assess the volume of your load and you to properly distribute it.
  2. Think about how you can plan your day to distribute your energy. Try to complete complex tasks before noon - this is the time when cortisol peaks in the morning, adding determination and energy, so there is a chance that you will cope with them faster than in the evening.
  3. Do not work more hours than expected, do not take work home, do not do it at night, on weekends, on vacation. And do not be afraid that such behavior will negatively affect your career. Research tells us that bosses often don't pay attention to how often employees overwork, and do not consider it necessary to somehow reward it.
  4. Try not to think about work after hours. Studies show that emotional distance from professional activities helps to recover faster and relax better. So don't check your work email on weekends.

/time-to-rest/

“I close my laptop and start living”: 7 ways to quickly switch from work to leisure

Tip 5

Take care of yourself

When the resources of the body are at zero, it is difficult to cope even with work that does not require serious mental effort, and fatigue sets in faster. Therefore, it is so important to regularly recover physically.

The rules are simple:

  1. More sleep. Studies show that its deficiency leads to a decline in strength, a decrease in creativity and inattention, and an increase in the number of errors. Studies show that an adult needs 7-9 hours of sleep a day. This is the minimum task. The maximum task is to observe sleep hygiene: even on weekends, go to bed and get up at the same time, do not exercise two hours before bedtime, do not eat or use gadgets. These basic rules will help make your sleep better, which means that in the morning you will wake up alert, full of energy and in a good mood.
  2. Less coffee. Its invigorating effect is achieved by blocking brain receptors that report fatigue. At the same time, strength is not restored: we kind of borrow from the body. There are studies showing that excessive coffee consumption can potentially cause increased fatigue and drowsiness. It’s not worth giving up coffee completely, but keep track of how you react to it. And try to limit yourself to four cups of Americanos or five cups of espresso a day. This amount of drink contains approximately 400 mg of caffeine. This is the maximum dose for healthy people and adults that the European Food Safety Authority considers safe.
  3. More sports. Lack of movement can be as exhausting as hard work. And regular physical activity, on the contrary, helps to relieve office fatigue, reduces the level of anxiety and stress, energizes and improves mood.

10 ways to unwind before bed

According to the World Health Organization, adults need 150-300 minutes of moderate exercise or 75-150 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise to maintain good health.

/sport-every-day/

5 tips to make physical activity part of your life


How to get less tired at work

This article is for those who work in the office and want to know how to get less tired at work . In this article, I will share principles that help me feel less tired after a hard day's work.

Office work is, in principle, a rather tiresome thing. Although it may sound strange to some. How can a person who sits in one place all day get tired? In fact, fatigue accumulates due to the constant look at the monitor, eye strain, monotony, the abundance of incoming information, noise and stress. All these factors are components of office work.


Tiredness after sedentary work is more like nervous fatigue than physical fatigue in the original sense of the word. Symptoms of fatigue are heaviness in the head, irritability, bad mood, etc. It's not like everyone's (hopefully) pleasurable fatigue after physical activity.

It is not possible to completely eliminate this fatigue. Working for many years for 9 hours a day, 5 days a week plus the road to the office can tire even the strongest organism. But this fatigue can be minimized. Next, I'll tell you how.

Principle 1 - Rest more - work less

If you have the opportunity to take a break from work, use every opportunity to recuperate and shift your eyes from the monitor to something else. When I say take a break, I don't mean quit your job and start checking your responses on social media or browsing the internet. Move away from the monitor, walk down the street, breathe. Or just move away from the computer and try to relax, free your head from thoughts.

Working in front of a monitor makes you tired, whether you're reading work papers or studying a blog post. Let's take a break from this.

Go outside at least once every two hours for 5 to 10 minutes.

Lunch time can also be used for walks. Do you have an hour for lunch? and you manage to finish your meal before this time expires, then do not rush to return to the workplace. Walk and stretch your body. You can hang on horizontal bars. Physical exercise is great for relieving stress. Only do it preferably before lunch or a few hours after it.

Try to work less. Don't try to get as much work done in one day. If you can work less without hurting your paycheck, work less. This will save you some of your health and nerves. Work is not the most important thing in life.

Principle 2 - No multitasking!

I've noticed that if I'm not trying to do a lot of things at work at the same time, I feel a lot less tired in the evening. But if I jump from one task to another all day: answering mail and comments, then writing a couple of paragraphs of an article, then sending a Skype message to a friend, then by the end of such a day I usually feel pretty tired.

The brain gets very tired from multitasking. In addition, if you try to deal with several tasks at once, then the efficiency of each of them will be less, the greater the number of these tasks. When I am constantly distracted, I manage to do much less on each of the cases than if I were doing these cases separately from each other.

Therefore, try not to be distracted by extraneous matters whenever possible. Turn off ICQ and Skype, deal with work tasks sequentially, you don’t need to strive to satisfy requests from other employees as they arrive (unless, of course, they require urgent attention), finish first with your current affairs.

And, of course, take rest breaks.

Principle 3 - Follow a routine

A work routine will help you use your energy effectively. Do the most difficult and time-consuming work in the morning, when you have the most energy. (I also wrote about this in the article on how to make yourself work) If you delay the completion of tasks for later and are lazy, then you may have to do them at a time when you already have less energy and the work will go harder, and you will get tired.

If you have work to do by tomorrow, don't put it off until the evening. In the evening you will want to relax a bit. Therefore, do everything as early as possible. Do not waste the morning on all sorts of nonsense, try to do everything as soon as possible, and only then, relax.

Principle 4 - Work remotely

Why not try asking your boss to move you to remote work? If your work activity does not require a constant presence in the office, then transferring you to remote employment will only save your company money! There will be no need to pay for your workplace, rent extra space of office real estate, carry out cleaning and other maintenance there, etc. Why not?

Remote work will save you a lot of effort, time and money that you spend on the road. At home, you will be much less tired, even if you do the same amount of work as in the office! Why? Because at home you can always lie down, relax, stroke the cat or take a refreshing shower. If you have completely finished work, let's say at 16:00 and you have nothing to do that day, then you do not need to pretend to be active and wait 18:00 to leave the workplace, as if you were working in an office.

Besides, an ordinary office is a public place. Employees scurrying back and forth, endless other people's telephone conversations, extraneous sounds - all this creates an unpleasant distracting background that affects you with fatigue. Add here the road to the place of work and the constraining business style of clothing. The average office worker sits on a pins and needles at work, spending days on end in a public place with a bunch of strangers, inside the constant fuss. In such an environment it is very difficult to relax!

Someone will answer me that he cannot work at home because of laziness and lack of discipline, while there is a boss in the office who watches you and, if necessary, will urge you on with an imaginary stick. There is nothing good in the fact that you cannot organize your work on your own, in the absence of bosses and colleagues. People drive themselves into office walls due to their lack of independence: “We need a leader, an uncle with a stick! We cannot work on our own!” It's time to learn to be independent and organized. Develop willpower and self-discipline. Create a daily routine and follow it. Learn to work without an overseer and a drover.

Why not ask your boss about telecommuting? Just ask, they won't do anything to you!

Bosses know that most office workers are as undisciplined as children. They must always be urged, praised and scolded, monitored and kept in constant tension so that they do their job. For this, they are ready to pay the costs of your workplace and bear other costs. Prove to your superiors that you are not like that and can work on your own! Then you are more likely to get remote employment.

Didn't work? Well. This is not your last work. You can always find a place where you will be allowed to work remotely. Does the profession not allow? Change her. Learn new skills that will allow you to work remotely. If you set such a goal for yourself, follow it, and not just complain about the circumstances, then you will definitely get what you want.

Imagine how good it will be when you do not stand in traffic jams, ride public transport, listen to colleagues' conversations and sit in the office from call to call.

Principle 5 - Minimize the amount of stress at work

The less stress you get, the less fatigue you get - a proven fact. Stop participating in intrigues, gossip behind the backs of colleagues. Take it easy on the work itself. Remember, at work you just make money. You do your job and you get paid for it. That's it, you don't owe anything to anyone.

Don't worry about things not working out for you, that your boss isn't happy with you, that you're letting someone down. The worst that can happen is that you will be fired, and if you are not on probation, then by law you will be required to pay compensation. Don't think about anything else, take all personal relationships out of the brackets of work.

Management wants to keep employees on an emotional leash, so they try to instill in employees some sort of sacred relationship to the job function and the company they work for.

Treating your work the way your boss wants you to treat it can cause you a lot of unnecessary worries and stress. You will think about work night and day, thinking only about making the client of the company happy, so that an error does not suddenly creep into your calculations, so that the boss does not scold you. It's all superfluous. Treat work as a means of earning money, and not as the meaning of life, a matter of your honor and your sacred duty.

This will help you feel less nervous and stressed.

Principle 6 - Improve the quality of your holiday!

Many people forget that your level of fatigue is affected not only by what you do during work, but also by what you do outside of it. In order to be less tired at work, it is necessary, first of all, to rest better. Rest is perhaps one of the most important factors that determines your fatigue.

Spend time after work in a calm, homely environment. Read, lie in bed. Go for light walks, bike rides, or runs. This will help relieve fatigue and relax.

Avoid public places after work, because you spent the whole day in such a place! Take a break from the people and the noise. Take a break from information! All day long your brain was just processing data. Save him from this work, at least in the evening. No need to sit at the monitor and read the Internet all evening. This will only lead to more fatigue!

On weekends, try to dedicate at least one day of good rest, and not trips to shops or relatives. If you have a cottage - great. Spend time in nature and in silence. Remember, noisy parties, a large amount of alcohol - are not a good rest. Alcohol, only draws out of you the strength that you will need at work!

If you follow these tips, you will notice how much easier it is to work and how much better you feel at the end of the day! Yesterday I spent the whole evening after work at home. Before going to bed, I lay in bed and listened to calm music, and now, on Friday, I feel full of energy, despite the fact that the end of the working week is coming and I have less energy left ...

The same cannot be said about other days this week. I prepared for the holidays and went shopping after work, buying camping equipment. It exhausted me a lot, which had a very bad effect on my tone the next day. It was much more difficult to work and write articles and I was very tired.

Principle 6 - Don't stay late at work!

This, I think, is obvious, but anyway, this paragraph will not be superfluous. Remember, you are entitled to a 9 hour work day (including lunch) and nothing can force you to work overtime, and for free! Free processing is the exploitation of employees by bosses who speculate on the human sense of responsibility (I wrote about this in the article how to learn to say no). Working 8 hours every day, except for weekends, is already quite a lot, not to mention working beyond this time.

Therefore, spare your health and get up and leave at the end of the working day. It's your right. If you do not have time for something, although you worked properly, then this is the problem of a company that recruited few employees and gave them too much work, not yours.

Principle 7 - Drink less tea and coffee

Ironically, the caffeine in tea and coffee makes you tired and drains your energy. I wrote more about this in the article how to stop drinking coffee. The more you drink coffee, the more you get tired and the more your efficiency decreases.

Lack or low amount of caffeine at work helps to evenly distribute forces throughout the working day. But if you consume a lot of caffeine in the composition of various drinks, then after a burst of energy, a period of fatigue quite naturally follows. The tone you get from a cup of coffee doesn't just come out of nowhere.

If you can't do anything without a cup of coffee, it's an addiction. If you get rid of it, you will no longer need caffeine at all.

Principle 8 - Strengthen your body

The more physically fit you are, the more energy and strength you have and the less tired you are. Exercise, quit bad habits, eat healthy, get enough sleep, meditate. All this will help you always be in good shape and get less stress.

This is the last tip, but one of the most important! Please take the time to take care of yourself and your health!

Closing Words

As I said at the beginning of this article, office work is exhausting, no matter what you do.


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