How to Not Be Tired After Work: 10 Reasons and 10 Solutions

Does your job leave you exhausted? Do you just heat up some food and watch Netflix when you come home from work every day? Are you wondering if there is a way for you to not be so tired after work?

A lot of people are exhausted after work and the mere idea of working on your side hustle or learning French or starting some new project sounds insane. But you probably want to do more than just slouch on the couch when you finally have some free time.

Life can be hectic and your job may be hard, but there are some things you can do to make your workdays more enjoyable and yourself a bit more energetic in the evenings. In this post, I’m going to cover a number of possible reasons for why you are so tired after work and how you can fix these problems.

Remember that you’re not supposed to be tired all the time. It’s not good, it’s not normal and it’s not necessary. You deserve a good, enjoyable life. You deserve to spend time on things you like and you should build the future you dream about.

Is it normal to be exhausted after work?

You might be wondering how common it is to feel really tired after work. After all, it seems like so many people have a lot going on and somehow they manage to do it all. They have second jobs, side hustles, volunteer work, school, courses, hobbies, and friends and they do all of that after work.

But how many people feel exhausted after work? Well, a lot of them. It’s definitely common to not have much energy for anything else but watching the same old shows on TV and scrolling through Instagram.

So if you are one of these people, you’re not alone. I also want to say that there’s no need to worry: there are plenty of things you can do to make life a bit easier.

How can I recharge after work?

Most people simply slouch on the couch and watch TV to relax after work. But is this a good way to recharge? Well, not really.

You can of course watch some TV if you like. But after watching one episode of the series you like, you’re not going to reap the same benefits by watching the next episode. At that point, you’re just letting yourself be lazy.

Instead of always doing the least energy-consuming thing, how about you try something new? Some great ways to gain energy are going for a walk or for a run (even if you don’t feel like it at first), studying something you’re interested in, or doing simple tasks, such as doing backups or something else easy.

Notice that none of the things I suggest sound very easy or fun. The gist is that when you do something that is different from your work, that alone energizes your brain. You don’t necessarily need a break – you just need a change.

You have to figure out why exactly you are so tired

To make your evenings better, you first have to figure out what is the reason you are so tired. There can be plenty of reasons and chances are that more than one thing on the list applies to you. Go through all the possible reasons for your exhaustion below and ask yourself if there could also be something else to blame.

1. Difficult job

If you have a demanding job, it’s no wonder you don’t have much energy afterwards. Sometimes your job maybe isn’t even that difficult itself, but you have a hard time fitting in with your colleagues or dealing with angry customers. It can be very draining.

2. Boring job

Not all jobs are too difficult. Some of them are too simple and repetitive. Funnily enough, these jobs are also not good for your energy levels, even if you’re barely doing much. A boring job will make you feel frustrated and uninspired.

3. Too long working hours

Even if you like your job, it can wear you out if it takes too much of your time. Everyone needs breaks and enough free time, but some jobs won’t let you have much time off.

4. Perfectionism

If you are a perfectionist, you might wear yourself out simply by trying a little bit too hard. This can even be the norm in some very competitive fields.

5. Long commute

Do you have a long commute? I know how annoying and frustrating it can be. Spending two hours on commute every day is such a waste of time and while it’s “free time”, there’s not all that much you can do on the bus or in your car.

6. Bad habits

Do you have any counterproductive habits, like snacking on sugary foods or checking social media every chance you get? This can make it much harder for you to do anything productive that you’ve been meaning to do.

7. Going to bed too late

This may sound obvious, but if you go to sleep too late every night, chances are you will be tired the next day, even if you don’t feel exactly sleepy.

8. Bad schedule

Do you have unusual working hours? Do you tend to go to the store every day? Are there a number of projects you want to take care of, but you don’t really have a schedule? This can add to your mental load.

9. Not having something to be excited about

This might be a surprising one, but not having something that makes you especially happy to look for, can be one reason that you feel like you have no energy.

10. Too many responsibilities

Do you have a side hustle, volunteering commitments, a few personal projects and you have a habit of promising to handle everything? That’s amazing, but it will also definitely drain your energy levels.

As you can see, there are many reasons why you might be feeling exhausted. Of course, you also want to make sure there is no health problem behind your lack of energy.

What you can do to be less tired after work

Whether there are only one or many reasons for your tiredness, you’ll of course want to fix them. Here are some solutions for the problems you may have:

1. Difficult job

If your job feels really difficult, ask yourself why that is. Do you just need more experience or do you maybe demand too much from yourself? If the job is difficult for your coworkers too, the best thing you can do is to tell yourself that this isn’t supposed to be easy and you just need to do ok. Don’t stress yourself out by trying to be perfect.

2. Boring job

Is there any way you could make your job more interesting? Maybe you could listen to podcasts while you work? If you have a job you simply don’t like, it might be best to actively try to find a new one. You don’t want to stay too long in a job that isn’t right for you.

3. Too long working hours

Usually people have to work full time and there might be little you can do about it. But if you can, see if it would possible for you to reduce your hours. When I reduced my hours from 8 to 6 per day, I felt like my whole life changed. There’s just so much more time and I have way more energy!

4. Perfectionism

Perfectionism doesn’t help you, it just holds you back. Try to overcome your fear of failure and focus on making progress instead of worrying about the tiny details.

5. Long commute

Moving closer to work would of course be ideal if that’s possible. But in many cases it isn’t, and that is why it’s best to try to make your commute count.

You can do something fun, like watch Netflix on your phone, or you can do the opposite and study or work on your side hustle. This works by keeping you in a productive mental state until you get home, which makes it easier for you to stay active and not slouch on the couch all evening.

6. Bad habits

If you have a habit of skipping lunch or endlessly scrolling through Instagram, that alone can be the reason you don’t have much energy or interest to do much else. Quit these bad habits and replace them with positive ones, such as making a smoothie or reading a chapter when you come home.

7. Going to bed too late

If you often go to bed around midnight or even later, it’s no wonder that you are tired the next day. Try to go to bed earlier. You’ll get the added benefit of waking up early.

8. Bad schedule

Try to create a good schedule for yourself. This can save you a lot of time since you can group similar tasks together and you don’t have to worry about things that you’re not supposed to do this day.

9. Not having something to be excited about

If your life revolves around work and you have nothing to look forward to when you come back home, that alone can make you feel more tired and unmotivated. Try to come up with a new hobby or a project to make your days more fun. Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn how to code or play the piano? Try anything that sounds interesting to you.

10. Too many responsibilities

If you have too many responsibilities, you want to prioritize what really matters and let go of some of the less important commitments. Having a lot to remember and to stay on top of can have a bigger toll on you than you’d think. Try to only have a few big commitments in your life. A job, one hobby, and a side hustle are plenty enough already.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are many ways in which you can make your evenings a bit better and not be too tired after work. You want to start out small though. You don’t have to make big changes right away. Instead, you can let yourself think carefully about what exactly you want to do and then start implementing the changes.

The important thing to keep in mind is that always being tired after work isn’t simply what life is like. Try to do your best to make your evenings better. You deserve it.  And the more energy you have, the easier it is to spend more time working on your goals.

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