Tired of Being Tired

I travel between 3 countries, one of which is Spain. It really makes life a lot better; in the south of Spain people are so incredibly more relaxed that you first get frustrated with that, but rapidly take over that life style as being frustrated doesn't make much sense. Example: you can be in the supermarket, in a queue behind the cash register and no-one sitting there. You look outside and he/she is standing talking with the neighbor. 10 people in front of you waiting. The foreigners/vacation goers sighing, grunting, annoying and just going away after a while, the people who live here just talking. Doesn't matter if it takes 1 minute or 2 hours. People don't care. And yes they have jobs, but it's so ingrained to work like that...<p>Another example; you're driving on a one car road and suddenly end up in a jam, you check what it is ; someone is standing still and talking to someone. No honking, people shut their engine and go talk to each other.<p>This way of life makes you realize what kind of crazy stuff we are doing 'up north'; like every second matters. It does, but not for work. For work, really very little matters. Your clients can wait for a bit. That site that 'must go live tomorrow' really doesn't have to go live tomorrow in almost all cases. If you live 3 months/year in Spain, you'll be well rested and viewing the world more for what's important which are things like rest, your family (however configured), your friends, eating and making quality food, hobbies, and telling people to <i>fuck off</i> for trying to stress you out.<p>No amount money is worth wrecking your health over and in some cultures they know that; we seem to have forgotten.

Depression may be another reason one feels tired all the time. Proper diet and exercise helps, but it's best to seek medical attention.

One of the biggest changes in my life when I left my job to work on my startup was the freedom to not be pinned in a chair from 8 AM-5PM. If I get tired, I go take a nap. If I get stiff and sore, I go for a walk. If I can't think, I go do something else.<p>The net result is that I'm able to be productive 100% of the time that I actually am working, and I can work <i>more</i> than I could otherwise, if so needed.<p>If you have the luxury to set your schedule, listen to your body, do what it asks, and you'll find yourself operating much more smoothly than you're used to.

That proverb at the beginning is great ("A man grows most tired while standing still."). It reminds me of the quote, "If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it."

I agree that working out is essential, but I believe that putting the right type of food in your body is equally important. For many people, decreasing the amount of carbohydrates after breakfast can provide enormous energy gains. I recommend reading Tim Ferris' 4 Hour Body for some interesting advice on diet, exercise and a very detailed chapter on sleep.

Just gonna say this outright...<p>I've seen colleagues who are constantly on the verge of falling asleep and the common thread has always been that they are fat.<p>3+1 guide to productivity: Exercise, Eating Right, Sleeping Enough, and, as a bonus, no long commutes.

He's ignoring the main reason why Britain and America are so pro-work and anti-rest, and why Italy and Spain aren't.<p>(It's also the reason why the med is comfortable with nudity and the Anglosphere isn't)<p>Protestant ascetic work ethic: no pleasure is allowed. first toil then the grave.<p>The med is Catholic, and so far more comfortable with resting.

"By the time afternoon rolls around, you’re in caffeine withdrawal. This is often why people are sapped by mid-afternoon."<p>Actually, no. You feel sapped in the afternoon because you need a 15-20 minute nap. That's normal. Take the nap and you'll feel energized for the rest of the day.

I went through a period of being tired all the time - so tired that I found it hard to stay awake in the afternoons. And close friends would mention that I looked like I was putting on weight. I felt confused most of the time. It was lousy.<p>Turns out it was a thyroid problem combined with myxodema (water retention on the face). My GP diagnosed it after blood tests. Now I'm on life long medication and I have yearly blood tests -but the fat-face has gone, and I feel normal. Also, I get <i>all</i> my prescriptions free. (I'm in the UK.)

"By the time afternoon rolls around, you’re in caffeine withdrawal. This is often why people are sapped by mid-afternoon."<p>In my experience this has a lot more to do with carbs-heavy lunches than caffeine.

What are your metrics for this kinda thing?<p>Tiredness and productivity seem like very subjective things, hard to measure. Don't get me wrong, there's some good points there, that aren't hard to believe. But i'd love to know how i can measure this kind of well being stuff so i can better myself.<p>* as the saying goes, "what gets measured is what gets improved"

"Be less busy. Seriously, we’re too busy these days. Cut back on commitments, put space between things, allow yourself to have a slower pace. Your energy levels will thank you."<p>I think the key here is not to fill the "space" with directionless Internet/Twitter/Hacker News perusing. Easier said than done.

Sorta/kinda relevant: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nncY-MA1Iu8" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nncY-MA1Iu8</a><p>It's a TED talk about a woman claiming that sleep is the secret to success. (I only sorta/kinda agree with her but it's still an interesting point of view to consider)

How does Zen Habits keep making it to the top of HN?

Why quote a psychotic like Jim Jones?

A Jim Jones quote??

"Feeling tired? Drink this Koolaid." - Jim Jones

Exercise and allowing myself, which is SO difficult, to take that afternoon power nap has saved me. I find an extreme amount of gilt when I attempt to force myself into that afternoon power nap, but when I do, and wake up afterwards, I'm 100 times more productive than I ever was before, or if I had skipped it.

Sounds great, until you have kids...

I just recently suffered a terrific burnout at the end of the university semester. Forcing myself to take a couple of days off to just hit the painkillers and play Minecraft is one of the most sensible things I've done for my health in recent times.

good article, but it left out a major factor. food. eating right is so important for energy. i went from normal everyday lebanese food to eating mostly high raw vegan foods and i cannot get enough day for the energy i have. i'm never tired in the afternoon, i don't drink coffee, i get most my protein from spirulina, and i juice every day.<p>drinking a lot of water is super important as his mentions, but, try to drink 1-2 liters before when you wake, before anything else goes down your throat and you will noticed a drastic change in your body.

These are all good tips, but you should also watch out for sleep apnea. Its incidence increases the more overweight you are, and it's a silent killer.

Couldn't agree more on this, throw out your alarm clock, it's killing you. Remove stress from your life, take a shotgun to stress and refuse to accept stressful situations / people. I've lost 100 lbs in the last three years, here's how and how much weight I lost (I tend to have long plateaus).<p>I started on Nov 25, 2008: 285 lbs<p>Nov, 08: First Step, got Divorced: Lost 10 lbs - 275 lbs<p>Jan, 09: Job tells me I have to be in at 9 am or will be fired. Gained 10 lbs - back at 285<p>Mar, 09: Haven't really been in by 9am, hand in my resignation as part of the earlier agreement. Lost 10 lbs - 275<p>Apr, 09: Job agrees that I can come in when I'm well-rested. Lost 10 lbs - 265<p>Aug, 09: Burning Man Lost 15 lbs - 250<p>Sep, 09 - Jan '10: Start seriously cutting refined fructose Lost 10 lbs - 240<p>Jun, 10 - The 30 people they hired to rewrite my code are finally done, I get fired. Lost 5 lbs - 235<p>This is the point at which I really start losing weight as I'm sleeping much more naturally<p>Jun, 10 - Mar, 11 - Sleeping completely naturally and start cooking all my meals Lose 15 lbs - 220<p>Mar, 11 - Startup Bus - Having a blast helps! Lost 10 lbs - 210<p>Jun - Jul, 11 - Spend two months in SF, eating mainly homemade veg tacos (walking more) Lost 10 lbs - 200<p>Jul - Aug, 11 - Get back from SF, get an office downtown, start trying to get in by 9am. Gain 10 lbs - 210<p>Aug, 11 - Now - Give up on 9am, walking more, eating a little more veg Lost 20 lbs - 190<p>Pretty much everything that's led to weight loss for me has been all about enjoying life and cutting stress. Small improvements to diet and exercise as well but I don't go to the gym or stick to any sort of diet plan.

I cannot stress how much I agree about exercise. About 6 years ago I started going to the gym regularly* and lifting. That was really one of the best single changes I've made in my life. I feel more energized during the day (no more coffee!) and I feel like my mental acuity is higher. My memory seems better and I'm generally in a much better mood (partly because I look so much more fit!)<p>* When I say regularly, I mean I went every other day for 6 months without missing a workout. I made it a high priority. After 6 months of that, I felt so guilty if I missed a workout that I've more or less continued that schedule for the last 5.5 years.

I use to not eat breakfast everyday for 18+ years. it was something I just didn't do. It wasn't until 2 years ago that I started feeling the effects: chronic fatigue, I was always feeling lethargic, etc. eating breakfast changed everything (a healthy diet really).<p>Check out this book about Willpower and the role of glucose. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Willpower-Rediscovering-Greatest-Human-Strength/dp/1594203075" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Willpower-Rediscovering-Greatest-Human...</a>

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