So are you tired? Tired of the long hours that start well before 9am on Monday and extend well after 5 on Friday? The travel that doesn’t seem as fun as it used to be? And the seemingly bottomless inbox that only gets longer?
More and more workers are feeling “tired” because of their inability to unplug and recharge. The pace of work over recent decades continues to accelerate. The information age has erased the boundaries once defining the work day. Even people who manage their own schedules or work from home clock almost 50 hours per week on average.
It is not a question of working vs not working. I truly believe people fundamentally want to work, to contribute, to have structure and a purpose in their lives. It is a question about working in a way that is fulfilling and enriching vs depletive and exhausting.
The key is to make sure that the work you do 80% of the day taps into the best of your skills, aligns with your values and engages your interests. The focal point of your energy and attention should be focused there. Too often people get swept away by the superficial busyness of their job or caught up in the politics of the office, all contributing to a chronic level of fatigue. Time, attention and energy spent on things that are counter to what you want to do is tiring.
You don’t necessarily need to quit working or leave your job to reclaim the energy, you just need to pause and make sure on a daily basis you are focusing on the things that matter.
