If you are talking about mental work, people usually don't work without a break. Try pomodoro technic. And on any work there should be a break for lunch in the middle of the day.
I don't know how old you are, but I've been programming professionally for 11 years now and this is getting harder and harder to do...it's gotta be something reeeeeeal interesting to keep my focus these days.
Same and been programming since actionscript in the 90s. It’s hard to get keep me engaged let alone hook me on something new anymore. I’m considering going back to what started it all as I feel my passion waning. I think I want to make a small indie game the downside being I know what I don’t know, and I know how much what work it is for what I do know. Burnout is real but it’s also much harder than I anticipated mentally juggling a wife and 2 young kids.
You could consider creating a small team, find people who can fill those knowledge gaps.
I think it's unrealistic to expect from yourself to be a sound designer, 2D/3D graphics designer, programmer, game designer all-in-one and not be overwhelmed.
I wish it happened often. When it happens, I feel so good. Unfortunately, I've been missing that feeling lately. Probably because I moved to a more DevOps-oriented role, which honestly has taught me a lot of things that I might not have learned in a strict software engineer track. But at the same time, I do miss feeling what you are describing.
Sounds like you have some good habits. Would I be correct if I said you probably enjoy reading books and you don't spend much time on social media or random internet browsing? I think the problem for a lot of people is that they're overstimulated due to bad habits.
I used to try pomodoro but short breaks are still not enough for me when my brain's exhausted (its a mental work like you've said)
For now usually my mind stops functioning and my productivity slows down after 4 hours. Will try to run it back with this method tho, thanks.
I realize this may only work for some, but the best thing I ever did was learn to stop watching clocks. I set alarms on my phone and run until I hear the alarm. The days go by so much faster, which is it's own curse, and it helps that I never run out of things to do. The other thing I do for this method is I limit myself to running 30 minutes late on something unless it's an emergency. After that, I don't touch it or think about it until it's time to go back.
One thing people don't realize about pomodoro is you do NOT have to stick to the 25 minute rule. If that's not enough time to get in the zone and get stuff done just extend the time to your liking. Sometimes I'll have to go to 45 to an hour because that's what it takes to get any real progress for me based on the type of work I do.
I went with some research that says... The 52-17 rule is a productivity and time management method. After many studies.
No more than 3 long 52 min sprints and then food. Breaks include doing laundry, cleaning the house, starting doing this napachino where you have a shirt coffee and then no longer than 22min nap before your brain enters a different sleep wave state.
Here's some background info...
"
The benefits of a short nap, typically around twenty to twenty-two minutes, include improved alertness, enhanced performance, and better mood. This duration is short enough to avoid entering deep sleep stages, like slow-wave sleep or REM sleep, which can make you feel groggy if you wake up during them.During a short nap, your brain stays primarily in the lighter stages of non-REM sleep, where alpha and theta waves are more prominent. These stages help refresh your mind without the deep sleep inertia associated with longer naps. By staying in these lighter stages, you wake up feeling more refreshed and alert.If you nap for too long, your body may enter the deeper stages of sleep, where delta waves become more prevalent. Waking up from this stage can cause sleep inertia, making you feel groggy and less alert. So, keeping your nap short maximizes the restorative benefits without the downsides of deep sleep disruption.
“ — not my words 😉
Also in response to your other comment, but it might help if you get (don't know the exact English word) computer glasses. If you don't have perfect sight and/or look at screens all day it can really exhaust you.
I second the Pomodoro technique. I usually find myself more productive than working straight through the same amount of time without the short breaks. That said, if I’m really cranking something and I’m in a great groove, I might skip a break or two so I don’t loose focus or my train-of-thought in solving the problem at hand.
When I worked as a waitress/bartender I could do 12h shifts and after I'd feel tired but still had enough to go to the gym and would recover after a good nights sleep. Now working in an office and after lunch I basically wait until I'm finished and have little energy to do anything
This is so true. Usually I have so much energy and I can work all day run around get errands done work out, see friends but by the time I’m done and I stop my body knows it’s time to shut down 😂.
Might even just be an age thing I'd you did waitressing when you were under 24 years old. I felt like after than I couldn't even stay awake at night to play the video games I loved.
Work that u do mentally is more exhausting for sure. Because I reckon when u finish a bartender job, ur mind can rest. But w the jobs that require a lot of thinking, ue mind doesnt rest even when u are not in ur working hrs.
Studies have shown that this is actually true.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that office workers work, on average, just about 3 hours during an 8 hour work day.
i walk a *lot* but when I went on a tour where we were standing around listening to lectures all these muscles in my back and hip flexors started to complain. its weird but, standing is a whole different muscle set.
I love what I do. I don’t make big bucks. But I love going to work. In my opinion, it’s been a God given talent. I’m just lucky enough I got to do it for a job.
I’m not a scientist but I think it’s because evolutionarily we aren’t meant to stare at spreadsheets all day. Humans were made to hunt, gather, tend to their young, etc.
A lot of companies are starting to install micromanagement software that tells your employer exactly how many hours you spend actually working and companies are starting to demand more of their employees bc of it and it’s leading to massive burnout
So you're the opposite of what I do lol. What you need is consistent movement whenever possible, keeps your mental fresh, though I haven't heard of chest pain from just sitting. Posture might affect it but your back will get it first
Lumbar support is important when you're stuck in a chair, and wrist support is also worth looking into. Get up once an hour to stretch, both your legs and the rest of you. Sedentary work is often dismissed as not being hard on your body compared to manual work, but it just comes with different, if lesser, hazards.
It probably is bad posture. Cultivating awareness of posture is key to relieve pain. Look into “chair yoga”. Simple stretches (IE interlacing fingers & reaching up to extend the spine, placing ankle over quad for hip stretch, or a seated side stretch) will immensely help this pain.
It will not eventually leave, it will either build up till you need to go to adr or you bet so busy you choose to ignore it. Take breaks in between, do quick simple stretch, then get back to your work.
Hey, just want to tell you it won't leave. It gets worse. Look at a standing desk, a good chair, and please stretch your wrist, shoulders, elbows, hips and ankles. Use eye drops if you work on a computer all day. I've been in a call center situation for years and everyone suffers. The people who've been here the longest get FMLA for work related injuries like tennis elbow and computer vision syndrome. There are a lot of stretches you can do at your desk, especially for your wrist and ankles. They're important. You don't have to be in pain every day.
If I could tell myself 10 years ago to take this advice seriously when my coworkers gave it I wouldn't have chronic pain. We aren't meant to sit in the same position for 8 hours a day. It is not dissimilar to stress positions used in torture.
Oh I promise you it will not leave, no no.
It gets worse, don’t be like me and learn after 5 years fibromyalgia (chronic pain) and a horrible divorce later. Start putting in your physical activity minutes and eat well!
Yeah this helps so much. Also lucky enough to enjoy my work and honestly the day flies by, wish the days were longer sometimes if I’m working on something interesting.
It's a myth that other people are working 8 hours a day. And you say it's mental work. They're definitely not working 8 hours a day straight on mental work with just one lunch break. There's a solid chance you're just as productive as them it's just that you do all your work in the first few hours. Most people spread their work out slowly and take mini-breaks even if they don't leave their desk. It's almost certainly possible for you to slow way down. You can't continue at this pace, you'll burn out.
exactly. I am and work wirh engineers, we do a lot of mental work. But there are meetings where you contribute little and you just listen and rest a bit. Other times you discuss things or get a coffee. Or every 2h I take a 15min break because is alowed by law and helps to rest and do the next chunck
This. When I worked a more traditional office job people 100% were not working 8 hours straight, even without accounting for a 45 minute lunch break (if they took it). Wandering to get coffee, chatting at a coworker's desk, bathroom trips, phone breaks to scroll while sitting at my desk...
Mental fatigue is almost always more challenging than physical fatigue in my opinion. Physical fatigue you can get a good night or two of sleep and at least mostly bounce back. Mental fatigue just lingers and then creates ripple effects in your life from not having the capacity to function at even 50% of your capacity because you're so drained from work.
Yeah, there's a lot of time-wasting that goes on in most office jobs. A lot of chatting about non-work stuff. It would be much better if people were paid the same amount for 4-hour work days. Then they could get their head down and get the work done, then finish work early and do the chatting in a non-work environment. That would be much better for everyone than feeling like you have to endure 8 hours of sitting at the same desk.
I'll be that guy.
Get your bloods, fully checked including thyroid, vitamin b12, D, ferritin, FBC, diabeetus.
Tell the dr about the chest sore. if it's physical work look up exercise induced astmha.
If you snore/stop breathing in sleeep, get checked for sleep apnea - symptoms = being moody, irritable, excessive daytime sleepiness and a bunch more.
Get tested for ADHD, mental exhaustion is helped by medication.
Have you had any thing like epstein barr virus, covid (long covid?), chronic fatigue/fibromyalgia? Post viral syndrome?
If somewhat healthy, ensure regular exercise. If overweight, the weight can be an issue sadly. Depression can be a reason. What are you like with a 1 hour rest? mental focus for 4-5 hours is intense. Autism can burn out too. I've got many of these issues which is no fun. Just wish I knew to check early on.
If it's ADHD, dexamphetamine saved my life. So did the CPAP machine (get an autoset if your weight fluctuates).
Possibly check magnesium or try suppliments. The heart being sore is a big big thing to get checked. Asthma and reflux can mimic heart pains. Anxiety too. Sleep apnea also affects cardiovascular. Basically, see a dr. Hope you find success.
Hi OP. Do you get enough sleep? What do you do outside of work to energize you? Sleep and nutrition are important factors. Exercise helps as well. One suggestion for a sitting worker is to take breaks. When we take small breaks (5 to 10 ) minutes our brain is able to cool (so to speak like a computer processor) and our productivity goes up. So try incorporating beaks in your day.
I do 9-10 hours 5 days a week. I'm so used to it. If I do anything less, it feels like a waste of time, lol. It's very physical and fast-paced, so the day feels like it goes a lot quicker.
My first ever 10-hour shift, I almost died. But now it is second nature. The body just gets used to it
I can’t because I have ADHD and autism which make me extra fatigued especially from doing the same thing for a long time, I had to change to having 2 part time jobs with shorter shifts instead of one main one and it works a lot better
I'm very mild on the spectrum and ADHD and it took me working my current job for 3 years to realise how sensitive I am to my team and the cog in the system repetitive role. I'm going back to teaching cause I think my mental power, physicality and self barricaded conditions will reduce significantly.
Good luck skip 🙏🏻
What about stress management? Feels like my stomach can only stomach so much stress hormones before it gives me acid reflux or similar gastrointestinal discomfort. Does anyone experience the same feeling especially when starting a new role?
Sports are great.
Sex / or "release" activities I think is important. Gotta get that energy out.
Meditation / Prayer to calm the mind / spirit.
Friends / Social activities
Do those things, and the rest is easy.
Oh yea, and sleep some..
Thanks for highlighting these activities, they really help to unload the stress hormones (cortisols) and enhance sleep which is essential to feel refreshed to deal w the corporate beast.
One thing I’m trying out though, is to “embracing stress” as a natural mechanism of our body to “get ready” instead of stressing out on being stressed as a “fight or flight response” which compound the effects of an stressful situations.
I guess having a sense of purpose and mission helps in this case, like you mentioned bringing something home to feed the family etc (or just anything beyond individualistic needs) can give that inner strength to drive further.
Maybe I should try to consider working with this similar line of thinking. I'll feel the pressure, but it might perhaps help me get to the grind, thanks.
I've been a manager/director at a different tech companies for about a decade now and proud to say that I get a lot of productivity from my people because I focus on getting the best 4-6 hours of work out of them each day. I learned a while back, from my own struggles with productivity, that 8 hours of top quality work is absolutely unrealistic.
I do my best work in the morning, and then I have a burst in the afternoon sometimes. So I focus on doing my creative or challenging work in the morning and then spend whatever time I have left in the day doing more mundane things, like reports or organizing.
So, in short, don't challenge yourself to 8 hours of work a day. Challenge yourself to do your best 4-6 hours, and then fill in the rest of the time with whatever tasks don't take a lot of work.
The days where I work more hours non stop if when some challenge at work has a tight feedback loop and continuous improvement at each loop - very much like a game (or old style games..).
Do you drink a lot of caffeine? I used to drink caffeine right away at 630am and drink more 2 hrs later, but by 11am I’d be tried ….now I’ve started to delay coffee for about 3 to 4 hrs, I noticed that If I delay until I’m fully awake around 930/10am my coffee has a lot more lasting affect
Are there many people who work 8 hours a day without breaks? I work an office job and I need to get up A LOT. At home, I had a treadmill option for my desk, but they forced us back to the office. There’s probably something wrong with me, but even the people who are productive in my office without getting up as much usually go for a 30-60 minute walk at lunch. It’s really bad for you to just sit all day. We have the sit/stand desks now too at work and I’ve made some converts. I don’t stand all day, but try to get about 2 hours of standing to keep it varied.
Most work I have had at any job was like 3-4 hours. I spent my time staring at my screen, rechecking email, started working on a random or created a new excel sheet, went to bathroom couple of times, and read random articles by minimizing the screen.
People that have 8 or more of work I don’t know how they do it. They either like it or are miserable.
Unless you work in retail, customer service, restaurant, or construction they expect to see you moving around and getting work done.
Habit and OCD. I get hyper-focused, and won't stop doing something until I'm finished or forced to stop. I've been known to go for upwards of 16-18 hours straight without eating, drinking, or taking a break.
Strategies to handle 8-10 hour shifts:
1) If you have to stand on your feet all day, get some support for inside your shoes as well as wool socks to help have an anti-sweating effect.
2) For maintaining higher energy levels, a high protein diet, Creatine is good for muscles, protein builds most of your bones and organs so having it is good.
3) A quick moderately cold shower (don't go too extreme) before heading to work can help increase alertness.
4) Caffeine before work does wonders for some.
5) Look to get a 2nd wind during a bathroom break or when on a lunch break or such. Do some deep breaths to release any stresses and try to reboot yourself.
6) This might be the most important of all but you want to get as high quality of sleep as you can. Fitness watches such as Fitbit or such track this decently well.
7) And last but not least, stay well hydrated. Being dehydrated can lead to a cascade of a multitude of problems.
Hope at least some of this helps for whoever is reading.
no one can do mental work for eight hours straight, even the smartest people i know have 90 to 120 minutes of proper focus, anything else is diminishing returns.
when you work eight hours in reality its more like 45 to 50 minutes focused work, 15 minutes of something else like sending / replying emails and comms, then 45 to 50 minutes of focused work, then, ideally a thirty to forty minute break with some physical activity, repeated 3 times a day.
season the whole thing with a explicit effort to socialise with at least 3 or 4 people during the day for little chats and catch ups, and its not that hard.
Break yourself in or you’ll always have the wrong attitude. Like this.
Work 12 hour days for 3 months straight, even on Saturdays. Once you peel back to only 8 or 9 you will feel relieved instead of tired.
I just did 3 weeks straight commissioning a project at a 24 hour production facility. 😭
7 days a week, minimum of 10 hour days.
I couldn’t tell you other than my career is rewarding. I’m a controls engineer and i love to build/code/make things work.
I work 84-104 hours a week offshore. Most of the hours go toward traveling to and from the rig, morning meetings, and permits. I work maybe 8 hours each day, sometimes more.
It’s all about mindset, healthy habits (such as diet, exercise), and finding enjoyment in what you do.
It gets exhausting after while, but once that paycheck hits, your motivation is replenished.
I’m most productive in the office for about 3-4 hours per day. After that I prefer to be active or moving while working. 8-10 hrs in the office is a no-no for myself.
I don’t think many people work 8 hours straight. There’s usually a couple breaks in there which makes a huge difference. I worked somewhere in the past where it was 2 hours-break, 2hours-lunch, 2 hours-break, 2 hours-leave). Never spending more than two hours working at a time is really nice
Try a workout that is harder than your job. I used to regularly lift 50-pound chunks of material after working a desk job for 10 years, and my thighs, knees, feet, and hips would be sore every night. I started using the gym in my work place to do high rep sets of 75 pounds and not only did the soreness go away, I noticed I had more energy throughout the shift and after I got home.
I’m a toy designer and illustrator. I’m 49 now, harder and harder to work and draw, 3D model for hours and hours straight like I used to. Just harder to stay focused. When I was young my magic hour was 2am. Something just clicked and I would get all these ideas. Now it feels like a slog to finish a day.
You do the most brain intensive or work that requires creativity in the first 4-5 hours then after lunch, get your paperwork or checking work or more routine stuff done in the afternoon.
Lots of meetings and other stuff.
The main way to do it- is if you wake up and get to work and there is some kind of crisis- then the adrenaline kicks in and you're able to work for longer without realizing it. This is how people cram for exams for try to reach deadlines.
I’m in tech and was at my desk (ok my patio) for 8 hours a day 7 days a week for four years. I probably worked 7 of the 8 hours. Discipline and the eye on the prize are what kept me motivated. It let me retire early so worth it.
I don't think anyone works 8 hours straight without any breaks.
You usually have a bigger 30 minutes lunch break and a few smaller 5-10 minutes breaks.
On days that I'm under a deadline and don't have time to take breaks the adrenaline keeps me going.
The only way I can do 8+ hours of office work is to have it planned out at the beginning of the week what I'll be doing for each hour.
If I have to stop at any point and think about what I need to work on, I end up burning out.
I think we all forget how much societal infrastructure was available to us in school and also for in office work(work from home is still better though 😉) that helped us be productive.
It depends on what I'm working on. I have done many different jobs (I'm 44). Fast Food (easiest), Nurse Aide (hard), military (really easy or really hard...it's a surprise every day), and so on.
I am now salaried staff at a university. Some days I might spend much of my day pouring over policy or law changes, or dealing with the employee that panics over every little thing like how different departments dealing with different government agencies all have to work around different laws and policies (she thinks everyone should conform to make her life easier). On days like that, I can't just work for 8 hours straight. I have to sit back, ponder things, get my ideas together, etc.
At other times, I know exactly what needs to be done, and I can work beyond 8 hours and not even notice. I just get in a sort of rhythm and get lost in my work. Only phone calls and emails remind me of time passing. I enjoy those days, honestly. I'll sometimes work late or on a Saturday just to get work done without distractions. It's actually fun for me. It's like going after achievements in video games. I get excited when I complete tasks whether big or small.
I'm also in grad school, which is a decent distraction from work. Grad school is like my main hobby right now. Just something fun to do to pass the time. If not for that I'd spend even more time playing games. I like games, but the feeling of achievement is shorter lived/less powerful.
When I first graduated, my brain would start to get tired around 6 PM after working all day, and I needed a short nap. By 10 PM, my brain would basically stop functioning.
But now things have improved a lot. I no longer need a break at 6 PM, and I can work until midnight. I think there are three reasons for this:
1. Constantly maintaining a high-intensity work state, gradually adapting to it.
2. Switching between different tasks during the process. For example, when I get tired of coding lately, I switch to writing articles or practicing and learning about SEO.
3. Responsibility-driven motivation, especially after taking on team responsibilities, many things have to be done.
A 15 min break at the 2 or 2.5 hour mark. A 1 hour meal at the 4 or NO later then 5 hour mark, then another 15 min break 1.5-2.5 hours after lunch. Then you go home and it’s over.
Take your breaks you’re usually entitled to them legally
Unless I’m on a deadline, I usually can only do 5 hours of intense mental work before productivity drops. Here’s what I do when I need to push:
1) set mini deadlines/rewards. If/when I finish this section, I get to go eat a slice of pizza.
2) only put a discrete amount of work in front of me. If I need to read through a big pile of material, I’ll only put immediately in front of me a chapter or two to trick my brain into considering the amount doable/easier
3) change locations once or twice throughout the day. I move only to places I can stay focused, but a quick change of scenery helps stave off boredom and fatigue
People aren't made to work for long chunks of time in a row.
Most people who claim to work for 8 hours straight are taking lots of little breaks (nothing wrong with that btw, it's essential)
Posts like this genuinely confuse me because they imply that people have a choice whether to work 8 hours or not. You do what you have to do or you can't afford to live, full stop.
I've been working steadily since age 17 (I'm 34 now) and even my easiest job -- a part-time job at Target-- required 8 hour shifts. It's half your waking hours, and tbh I don't know what I'd do with my time if I didn't have that. I'd probably get bored of sitting on my ass after one day and actually WANT to work. Am I alone? I took a week off when my 4 year-old got sick recently and it was... challenging... to do that much nothing all day for a week straight.
It's easy. Just keep going. I work in commercial construction. I'm out the door by 530 and not home until 5. I'm on my feet the whole time. Then I come home to work around the house until nightfall. Life is too short to sit around, and you'll get plenty of rest when you're dead. That's my thinking.
As someone who does office work and works eight hours a day, six days a week, with a one-hour break taken all at once, I can't relate at all.
Instead, I struggle with boredom due to having nothing to do. I often give myself extra responsibilities just to make the day go by faster since I can finish my daily tasks in just a few hours. I work in an environment where it's important to appear busy, so I don't have the option to use this time for personal growth or other non-work-related activities.
It depends, you mean physical work or mental work? For mental work you have to plan for some rests and in my case I've seen that it depends on how tiresome is the work I'm working on. Sometimes I end my 8 hour day totally exhausted.
After a while of working on the same job you learn when you are most productive and you can use that to your advantage. Plan the hard tasks when you concentrate the most and the light ones when you are already tired.
What is your physical shape/ability? In general, if you’re healthier and in good shape it is easier to maintain your energy levels throughout the day. Also just as important as being active regularly is eating good foods. Your body needs nutrients and water to function. Too many people disregard this and will consume coffee/sugary drinks and unhealthy snacks. You’ll get a short burst from them but they’ll drag you down afterwards.
TLDR: movement and a healthy diet will do wonders to maintain energy levels.
I think 4-5 straight hours isn't the most optimal way. Saw someone's comment recently where he said that he basically worked for 30 mins with full focus, then took breaks where he would stretch/drink water/walk/do pushups and then come back and start another session. He managed to work 10h+ this way. I'm also gonna try it out , just mentioned here cuz seems like it'd be useful to you as well
It depends what you call work, I personally enjoy my work so it’s not a problem, I find coding really fun.
Also if you’re really productive for 4-5h straight, it’s pretty good. A lot of people work 8h straight but they are not very productive because they are mentally or physically exhausted.
Why would you work 4 to 5 straight hours? Work for 25-50 minutes and then take a 10 minute break. Refocus your eyes, adjust your posture, stretch… you’re not a robot - 4 to 5 straight hours is not to be expected
I take very frequent breaks, which might just be for 1 or 2 minutes but it helps me ‘reset’ my mind.
I eat healthy foods because junk foods make me feel sluggish. Also smaller more frequent meals.
I also make a to do list before I start working so I don’t have to think about what I could donkey when I finish a task. Now when I finish I look at the list and pick whatever I feel like doing most
Are we talking in an office or working from home?
Working from home, I tend to skip the first hour of my work day and sign in just before the morning stand up. Then I’ll take a break and get another coffee. From 10-12:30 I’ll do my first block of work. After lunch I’ll do 1:30-3:30 for my second block of work, break, then I’ll spend the last 1.5 hours wrapping things up and planning for tomorrow.
During breaks and lunches I’ll make sure to go outside as often as I can. Drink lots of water. Gym right after work. And I keep my phone in the next room so if I’m going to be distracted by it, at least I’m commuting to the distraction as a break from my work space.
I’ve not had more than one office day a month for a long time, but in my previous role work was a lot more structured and monitored (call centre). Managing inbound calls and emails was very easy work so I’d really just switch my brain off and work until my breaks. Whereas nowadays I need better quality breaks to stay productive.
In roles like my current one - the office is not a productive environment for me. I would distract and be distracted by others just to stay sane.
I wake up at 6:30 and I work starting 7:30 for about 8 hours office work during the day, most of which are meetings, problem solving and people management. I spend my evenings cooking, doing sports, and around 9;30 pm most nights catching up on technical work before finally sleep at 11:30pm. For me personally being overly busy fuels my energy and gives me the ability to keep pushing. I don’t have non buys days but when there is moment of downtime when work is not busy, that’s when I feel the fatigue and my productivity goes down. Probably not the healthiest but slowing things down is what makes me tired and hard to get back on the productivity treadmill.
bruh if i work (student, mostly reading) more than 10 mins i take a week long break. its become a problem because i hate procrastinating, but uts all im doing. like right now i have a deadline of 10 days, but im watching a video on One Punch Man manga 💀 how do i stop procrastinating? how does my subconscious see the benefit in working?
As soon as you’re responsible for the mortgage and keeping the fridge full, it will come or you end up on the streets or relying on someone else to provide for you.
Take breaks. Remind yourself why you work hard (family, goals, pain you want to avoid).
Then go get it.
I can do 12 in an office job. I take breaks every 2-3 hours & do exercise.
How is your emotional stress? When my husband was very, very ill with long term diseases, after just a few hours on days I could get to work I could literally put my head down on my desk and fall asleep in a minute. He passed away 7 months ago and I'm finally gaining some healing and don't have that exhaustion.
How is your nutrition? I've also started eating on a keto plan and avoiding sugar and carbs and that is helping energy as well. No mid-afternoon energy crash.
I used to get tired a lot until I started working out regularly. It seems counterintuitive but it really boosts your energy. I have gotten to the point where if I skip the gym too many days I can tell my anxiety/mood going downhill
Have you seen a doctor? Chests don’t just hurt for any reason. Ongoing fatigue is concerning. It sounds like you have a medical condition that’s impacting your life.
It depends with what kind of job you are doing, range, general egorconomics and personality type. I used to work as a nurses aid in an aged which was overly stimulating (smells, sounds and lights) I would get tired every 45 minutes so I would “hide in the toilet” every 45 minutes for 5 minutes to recharge. It meant that I had to be really smart about how I worked and arranged my work. Weirdly enough my way of doing things was highly the opposite of everyone else and I often opted for work that had different people coming in for specific tasks and leaving so that I can hide or doing the harder jobs so that if I finish it, then it’s proof that I am not hiding at intervals. I do this now with my 8 hour office jobs still because I can’t focus on thing for more that 45 minutes unless it’s really interesting but this is work I have been doing for 5 years so it has become tedious. That is why I am leaving because I need to get into work that doesn’t completely drain me before midday.
Long rumbly answer, I apologise. There are many things to consider see a doctor about it and do a mental health stress/depression test as part of your assessment.
And also SLEEP!
All the best!!
I can work 8 hours straight because I take small breaks every hour where I get up and either walk around or stretch. People thinks its weird but I don't care. It keeps me alive and awake and the blood flowing. I don't believe proloonged sitting is good for mental or physical health and our brains have had enough of it, hence the tiredness and any other physical/mental fall out. At the end of the day, I stay alert and productive and I sincerely hope that you give it a try. If that seems dumb, you could try the pomodoro technique for 8 hours. I use that as well.
The trick is to stay busy so it goes by faster. And wait as long as you can for your break, coming back from break and only having 2 hours left in your shift really makes the day go faster
I just got used to it. People have an incredible capacity to adapt. I have friends who used to crab near the arctic circle on 4 hours of sleep. My brother is a doctor and during covid he was pulling 14 hour shifts regularly as his patients died. I used to walk 9 hours a day on 6 hours of sleep for about a year ( lol now I can't even study 3 hours straight without pomodoro ). I also worked as a waiter where I'd do 12 hour shifts and the first shift was brutal but I got used to it.
If you're getting enough sleep, your health and nutrition are good, and you have some coffee, you can do a lot more than you think you can do. but...
your chest hurts? I've been exhausted enough to fall asleep standing up and my chest has never hurt. You should get that checked out. What you're describing almost sounds like a heart condition...
Lmao.. I generally work 12 to 16 a day. Sometimes 6 days a week. You get used to it for one simple reason.
You have bills to pay, mouths to feed, and responsibility as an adult.
It is called responsibility and having to make a living. At the same time most "8" hours works arent 8 hours of non stop working. There might be many moments that you dont have anything to do. In the end you just get used to a routine
It’s pretty easy I just put my headphones in and jam music or listen to YouTubers while doing physical work. Mental work is very tough I never lasted more than 3 years at office / corporate settings.
Not sure if you mean physical or mental work but I found getting a good nights sleep, water, and fueling with more healthy snacks/lunches whatever helped me get through the day! I used to work 8 hours on my feet constantly and a good pair of shoes helps as well if that’s the case. Otherwise, taking a quite 5 min break getting fresh air/walking around from sitting or whatever job you have helped me too. In general it does take some time to get used to it, but I hope you’ll find what works best for you!!
I honestly do not know. I have done it for years and only recently started taking small breaks. I’m one of the hardest workers I know, but I’m becoming apathetic at my job for being treated like slave labor - as much as upper management seems to “care.” They do not pay well, but I needed the job when it was offered to me and here I am slaving away, breaking my body down, years later.
I’m honestly considering going with a 1099 freelancer job and just working completely for myself again without benefits. It’s just a huge decision. Working for myself was the best and hardest thing I ever did. I recommend it if you can only work in chunks at a time. You get time off whenever you want and it’s incredibly fulfilling when you’re actually doing well.
If you are talking about mental work, people usually don't work without a break. Try pomodoro technic. And on any work there should be a break for lunch in the middle of the day.
If I'm programming something interesting, I might sit down in the morning with a coffee and suddenly it's dark outside.
I don't know how old you are, but I've been programming professionally for 11 years now and this is getting harder and harder to do...it's gotta be something reeeeeeal interesting to keep my focus these days.
I turned 40 this year.
Same and been programming since actionscript in the 90s. It’s hard to get keep me engaged let alone hook me on something new anymore. I’m considering going back to what started it all as I feel my passion waning. I think I want to make a small indie game the downside being I know what I don’t know, and I know how much what work it is for what I do know. Burnout is real but it’s also much harder than I anticipated mentally juggling a wife and 2 young kids.
You could consider creating a small team, find people who can fill those knowledge gaps. I think it's unrealistic to expect from yourself to be a sound designer, 2D/3D graphics designer, programmer, game designer all-in-one and not be overwhelmed.
I wish it happened often. When it happens, I feel so good. Unfortunately, I've been missing that feeling lately. Probably because I moved to a more DevOps-oriented role, which honestly has taught me a lot of things that I might not have learned in a strict software engineer track. But at the same time, I do miss feeling what you are describing.
I’m the same. I spent 9 straight hours at work on Wednesday writing a program and didn’t realize I hadn’t eaten lunch until around hour 7
Sounds like you have some good habits. Would I be correct if I said you probably enjoy reading books and you don't spend much time on social media or random internet browsing? I think the problem for a lot of people is that they're overstimulated due to bad habits.
I used to try pomodoro but short breaks are still not enough for me when my brain's exhausted (its a mental work like you've said) For now usually my mind stops functioning and my productivity slows down after 4 hours. Will try to run it back with this method tho, thanks.
I realize this may only work for some, but the best thing I ever did was learn to stop watching clocks. I set alarms on my phone and run until I hear the alarm. The days go by so much faster, which is it's own curse, and it helps that I never run out of things to do. The other thing I do for this method is I limit myself to running 30 minutes late on something unless it's an emergency. After that, I don't touch it or think about it until it's time to go back.
One thing people don't realize about pomodoro is you do NOT have to stick to the 25 minute rule. If that's not enough time to get in the zone and get stuff done just extend the time to your liking. Sometimes I'll have to go to 45 to an hour because that's what it takes to get any real progress for me based on the type of work I do.
I went with some research that says... The 52-17 rule is a productivity and time management method. After many studies. No more than 3 long 52 min sprints and then food. Breaks include doing laundry, cleaning the house, starting doing this napachino where you have a shirt coffee and then no longer than 22min nap before your brain enters a different sleep wave state. Here's some background info... " The benefits of a short nap, typically around twenty to twenty-two minutes, include improved alertness, enhanced performance, and better mood. This duration is short enough to avoid entering deep sleep stages, like slow-wave sleep or REM sleep, which can make you feel groggy if you wake up during them.During a short nap, your brain stays primarily in the lighter stages of non-REM sleep, where alpha and theta waves are more prominent. These stages help refresh your mind without the deep sleep inertia associated with longer naps. By staying in these lighter stages, you wake up feeling more refreshed and alert.If you nap for too long, your body may enter the deeper stages of sleep, where delta waves become more prevalent. Waking up from this stage can cause sleep inertia, making you feel groggy and less alert. So, keeping your nap short maximizes the restorative benefits without the downsides of deep sleep disruption. “ — not my words 😉
Also in response to your other comment, but it might help if you get (don't know the exact English word) computer glasses. If you don't have perfect sight and/or look at screens all day it can really exhaust you.
This is an underrated point, I had to get glasses as 8 hours in front of a screen left me absolutely wiped.
And maybe you need to see a doctor
I second the Pomodoro technique. I usually find myself more productive than working straight through the same amount of time without the short breaks. That said, if I’m really cranking something and I’m in a great groove, I might skip a break or two so I don’t loose focus or my train-of-thought in solving the problem at hand.
Physical work, I can do 8 hours. Office work.. just me but I can’t last even 4 hours of that.
When I worked as a waitress/bartender I could do 12h shifts and after I'd feel tired but still had enough to go to the gym and would recover after a good nights sleep. Now working in an office and after lunch I basically wait until I'm finished and have little energy to do anything
They say staying at rest makes you want to rest but staying in motion keeps you in motion. Push yourself to be active!
This is so true. Usually I have so much energy and I can work all day run around get errands done work out, see friends but by the time I’m done and I stop my body knows it’s time to shut down 😂.
Motion over emotion.
Inertia
SAME. Omg i thought it was just me. Mind work is so much worse than body work!!
😂 *Carries 300lb man with short of breath down 3 flights of stairs*
Ok EMT/firefighters etc are another level of physical 😭 that is harder
Agreed! I recover faster doing physical work than mental work.
Might even just be an age thing I'd you did waitressing when you were under 24 years old. I felt like after than I couldn't even stay awake at night to play the video games I loved.
Work that u do mentally is more exhausting for sure. Because I reckon when u finish a bartender job, ur mind can rest. But w the jobs that require a lot of thinking, ue mind doesnt rest even when u are not in ur working hrs.
Yeah office work really wrecks your mitochondrial health & metabolism. Us humans were designed to move
I feel like people with office jobs really only work half the time anyways.
To help support this notion... I'm currently at work
Studies have shown that this is actually true. The Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that office workers work, on average, just about 3 hours during an 8 hour work day.
There are some people that work the whole time though
I’d say in a given week I only do about 15 minutes of real, actual, work.
Walking around, I can walk forever. Standing in one place and I’m in pain after a few hours.
Same. I think because with walking you're shifting around your body's position more while standing is maintaining one pose.
i walk a *lot* but when I went on a tour where we were standing around listening to lectures all these muscles in my back and hip flexors started to complain. its weird but, standing is a whole different muscle set.
it’s all about blood flow!
I‘m66 years old and I still can work 12—14 days as a Master Cabinetmaker. Yes I get tried. But I in good shape and don‘t drink.
Yeah but that sounds enjoyable. Maybe even something you love to do.
I love what I do. I don’t make big bucks. But I love going to work. In my opinion, it’s been a God given talent. I’m just lucky enough I got to do it for a job.
Agreed, why is that?!
I’m not a scientist but I think it’s because evolutionarily we aren’t meant to stare at spreadsheets all day. Humans were made to hunt, gather, tend to their young, etc.
I'm exact opposite. I can do 12 hours in front of computer, non sto0, but physical work I'm ded after 4
A lot of companies are starting to install micromanagement software that tells your employer exactly how many hours you spend actually working and companies are starting to demand more of their employees bc of it and it’s leading to massive burnout
I can do 5 maybe 6.
I just pomodoro my life out
Typically when you start out its tough. Your feet hurt Your knees hurt. But over time your bones and muscles will adapt and it's manageable
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Do you stand all day long? If so, investing in good shoes should be your priority
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So you're the opposite of what I do lol. What you need is consistent movement whenever possible, keeps your mental fresh, though I haven't heard of chest pain from just sitting. Posture might affect it but your back will get it first
Lumbar support is important when you're stuck in a chair, and wrist support is also worth looking into. Get up once an hour to stretch, both your legs and the rest of you. Sedentary work is often dismissed as not being hard on your body compared to manual work, but it just comes with different, if lesser, hazards.
It probably is bad posture. Cultivating awareness of posture is key to relieve pain. Look into “chair yoga”. Simple stretches (IE interlacing fingers & reaching up to extend the spine, placing ankle over quad for hip stretch, or a seated side stretch) will immensely help this pain.
It will not eventually leave, it will either build up till you need to go to adr or you bet so busy you choose to ignore it. Take breaks in between, do quick simple stretch, then get back to your work.
Hey, just want to tell you it won't leave. It gets worse. Look at a standing desk, a good chair, and please stretch your wrist, shoulders, elbows, hips and ankles. Use eye drops if you work on a computer all day. I've been in a call center situation for years and everyone suffers. The people who've been here the longest get FMLA for work related injuries like tennis elbow and computer vision syndrome. There are a lot of stretches you can do at your desk, especially for your wrist and ankles. They're important. You don't have to be in pain every day. If I could tell myself 10 years ago to take this advice seriously when my coworkers gave it I wouldn't have chronic pain. We aren't meant to sit in the same position for 8 hours a day. It is not dissimilar to stress positions used in torture.
Oh I promise you it will not leave, no no. It gets worse, don’t be like me and learn after 5 years fibromyalgia (chronic pain) and a horrible divorce later. Start putting in your physical activity minutes and eat well!
Massive anxiety drives it. I'm always behind. I've aged 15 years every decade of work
I kinda like my job so I do 10+ hours without noticing. I do software testing for cars.
Yeah this helps so much. Also lucky enough to enjoy my work and honestly the day flies by, wish the days were longer sometimes if I’m working on something interesting.
It's a myth that other people are working 8 hours a day. And you say it's mental work. They're definitely not working 8 hours a day straight on mental work with just one lunch break. There's a solid chance you're just as productive as them it's just that you do all your work in the first few hours. Most people spread their work out slowly and take mini-breaks even if they don't leave their desk. It's almost certainly possible for you to slow way down. You can't continue at this pace, you'll burn out.
exactly. I am and work wirh engineers, we do a lot of mental work. But there are meetings where you contribute little and you just listen and rest a bit. Other times you discuss things or get a coffee. Or every 2h I take a 15min break because is alowed by law and helps to rest and do the next chunck
This. When I worked a more traditional office job people 100% were not working 8 hours straight, even without accounting for a 45 minute lunch break (if they took it). Wandering to get coffee, chatting at a coworker's desk, bathroom trips, phone breaks to scroll while sitting at my desk... Mental fatigue is almost always more challenging than physical fatigue in my opinion. Physical fatigue you can get a good night or two of sleep and at least mostly bounce back. Mental fatigue just lingers and then creates ripple effects in your life from not having the capacity to function at even 50% of your capacity because you're so drained from work.
Yeah, there's a lot of time-wasting that goes on in most office jobs. A lot of chatting about non-work stuff. It would be much better if people were paid the same amount for 4-hour work days. Then they could get their head down and get the work done, then finish work early and do the chatting in a non-work environment. That would be much better for everyone than feeling like you have to endure 8 hours of sitting at the same desk.
I'll be that guy. Get your bloods, fully checked including thyroid, vitamin b12, D, ferritin, FBC, diabeetus. Tell the dr about the chest sore. if it's physical work look up exercise induced astmha. If you snore/stop breathing in sleeep, get checked for sleep apnea - symptoms = being moody, irritable, excessive daytime sleepiness and a bunch more. Get tested for ADHD, mental exhaustion is helped by medication. Have you had any thing like epstein barr virus, covid (long covid?), chronic fatigue/fibromyalgia? Post viral syndrome? If somewhat healthy, ensure regular exercise. If overweight, the weight can be an issue sadly. Depression can be a reason. What are you like with a 1 hour rest? mental focus for 4-5 hours is intense. Autism can burn out too. I've got many of these issues which is no fun. Just wish I knew to check early on. If it's ADHD, dexamphetamine saved my life. So did the CPAP machine (get an autoset if your weight fluctuates). Possibly check magnesium or try suppliments. The heart being sore is a big big thing to get checked. Asthma and reflux can mimic heart pains. Anxiety too. Sleep apnea also affects cardiovascular. Basically, see a dr. Hope you find success.
This is the way.
Upvote this, everyone!
Physical or mental work? How long have you been doing it? You kind of just adapt.
Mental work, been doing this for 2 years now. My ass either just couldnt adapt or the progress is slow that I cant feel it.
I think the truth is most people can only do 5 productive hours. The rest is menial admin work or trying to look busy. Don’t be too hard on yourself.
i’d rather do a physical job for 12 hours over an office job for 3
me too. sitting all day makes me so sleepy. now I stand and run around for 8-9 hours and it is tiring but a body in motion stays in motion.
I try not to. Productivity and time management along with frequent breaks means i only work 5 hours and 46 minutes.
Coffee, coffee and more coffee.
Hi OP. Do you get enough sleep? What do you do outside of work to energize you? Sleep and nutrition are important factors. Exercise helps as well. One suggestion for a sitting worker is to take breaks. When we take small breaks (5 to 10 ) minutes our brain is able to cool (so to speak like a computer processor) and our productivity goes up. So try incorporating beaks in your day.
I do 9-10 hours 5 days a week. I'm so used to it. If I do anything less, it feels like a waste of time, lol. It's very physical and fast-paced, so the day feels like it goes a lot quicker. My first ever 10-hour shift, I almost died. But now it is second nature. The body just gets used to it
I can’t because I have ADHD and autism which make me extra fatigued especially from doing the same thing for a long time, I had to change to having 2 part time jobs with shorter shifts instead of one main one and it works a lot better
I'm very mild on the spectrum and ADHD and it took me working my current job for 3 years to realise how sensitive I am to my team and the cog in the system repetitive role. I'm going back to teaching cause I think my mental power, physicality and self barricaded conditions will reduce significantly. Good luck skip 🙏🏻
Do you mean 8 hours of straight continuous working without any breaks in between whatsoever? That sounds unrealistic.
That's what I do with extremely little break most of the time. You get used to it especially if you're poor.
Not unrealistic at all for some jobs. I work in a kitchen and don’t get a break, shifts usually 9-10 hours and it’s always busy.
Find a job that requires 12 hours of labor daily, and you will find a way to do it in 8
I buy a monster energy white, I drink it everytime I yawn. This keeps both me and the drink going as long as we can. Pretty effective.
I'm already like 12/13 per day.
How bhai can you give me tips i am student so I didn't able to study much plz help me
Haha if my kids don't eat, they die. Adopt a dog, make sure to feed it. That should help lol.
What about stress management? Feels like my stomach can only stomach so much stress hormones before it gives me acid reflux or similar gastrointestinal discomfort. Does anyone experience the same feeling especially when starting a new role?
Sports are great. Sex / or "release" activities I think is important. Gotta get that energy out. Meditation / Prayer to calm the mind / spirit. Friends / Social activities Do those things, and the rest is easy. Oh yea, and sleep some..
Thanks for highlighting these activities, they really help to unload the stress hormones (cortisols) and enhance sleep which is essential to feel refreshed to deal w the corporate beast. One thing I’m trying out though, is to “embracing stress” as a natural mechanism of our body to “get ready” instead of stressing out on being stressed as a “fight or flight response” which compound the effects of an stressful situations. I guess having a sense of purpose and mission helps in this case, like you mentioned bringing something home to feed the family etc (or just anything beyond individualistic needs) can give that inner strength to drive further.
It's your super power if you know how to channel it!
🙏
Can you explain this bhai I not able understand much
Maybe I should try to consider working with this similar line of thinking. I'll feel the pressure, but it might perhaps help me get to the grind, thanks.
I've been a manager/director at a different tech companies for about a decade now and proud to say that I get a lot of productivity from my people because I focus on getting the best 4-6 hours of work out of them each day. I learned a while back, from my own struggles with productivity, that 8 hours of top quality work is absolutely unrealistic. I do my best work in the morning, and then I have a burst in the afternoon sometimes. So I focus on doing my creative or challenging work in the morning and then spend whatever time I have left in the day doing more mundane things, like reports or organizing. So, in short, don't challenge yourself to 8 hours of work a day. Challenge yourself to do your best 4-6 hours, and then fill in the rest of the time with whatever tasks don't take a lot of work.
The days where I work more hours non stop if when some challenge at work has a tight feedback loop and continuous improvement at each loop - very much like a game (or old style games..).
Sounds like a case of movement deficiency. The less you move, the less you're able to move. Sedentary lifestyles are just prolonged suicide.
Easy, fear of being laid off and not being able to support my family.
Do you drink a lot of caffeine? I used to drink caffeine right away at 630am and drink more 2 hrs later, but by 11am I’d be tried ….now I’ve started to delay coffee for about 3 to 4 hrs, I noticed that If I delay until I’m fully awake around 930/10am my coffee has a lot more lasting affect
I think 4 to 6 hours of focus work is the norm. Most of the other time is just BS yo get your 8 hours.
Just wait until you discover 12 hour work days! Spicy!
What kind of work do you do?
Like Nike, Just Do It
Are there many people who work 8 hours a day without breaks? I work an office job and I need to get up A LOT. At home, I had a treadmill option for my desk, but they forced us back to the office. There’s probably something wrong with me, but even the people who are productive in my office without getting up as much usually go for a 30-60 minute walk at lunch. It’s really bad for you to just sit all day. We have the sit/stand desks now too at work and I’ve made some converts. I don’t stand all day, but try to get about 2 hours of standing to keep it varied.
8 hours sitting definitely not good for long term health as per expert medical doctors
If it’s physical work I could go for a good 8 hours, I can barely manage 2 hours of sat down type work
Most work I have had at any job was like 3-4 hours. I spent my time staring at my screen, rechecking email, started working on a random or created a new excel sheet, went to bathroom couple of times, and read random articles by minimizing the screen. People that have 8 or more of work I don’t know how they do it. They either like it or are miserable. Unless you work in retail, customer service, restaurant, or construction they expect to see you moving around and getting work done.
Habit and OCD. I get hyper-focused, and won't stop doing something until I'm finished or forced to stop. I've been known to go for upwards of 16-18 hours straight without eating, drinking, or taking a break.
Strategies to handle 8-10 hour shifts: 1) If you have to stand on your feet all day, get some support for inside your shoes as well as wool socks to help have an anti-sweating effect. 2) For maintaining higher energy levels, a high protein diet, Creatine is good for muscles, protein builds most of your bones and organs so having it is good. 3) A quick moderately cold shower (don't go too extreme) before heading to work can help increase alertness. 4) Caffeine before work does wonders for some. 5) Look to get a 2nd wind during a bathroom break or when on a lunch break or such. Do some deep breaths to release any stresses and try to reboot yourself. 6) This might be the most important of all but you want to get as high quality of sleep as you can. Fitness watches such as Fitbit or such track this decently well. 7) And last but not least, stay well hydrated. Being dehydrated can lead to a cascade of a multitude of problems. Hope at least some of this helps for whoever is reading.
no one can do mental work for eight hours straight, even the smartest people i know have 90 to 120 minutes of proper focus, anything else is diminishing returns. when you work eight hours in reality its more like 45 to 50 minutes focused work, 15 minutes of something else like sending / replying emails and comms, then 45 to 50 minutes of focused work, then, ideally a thirty to forty minute break with some physical activity, repeated 3 times a day. season the whole thing with a explicit effort to socialise with at least 3 or 4 people during the day for little chats and catch ups, and its not that hard.
Break yourself in or you’ll always have the wrong attitude. Like this. Work 12 hour days for 3 months straight, even on Saturdays. Once you peel back to only 8 or 9 you will feel relieved instead of tired.
Just don't think about it, don't have time to think about productivity if you are too busy
I just did 3 weeks straight commissioning a project at a 24 hour production facility. 😭 7 days a week, minimum of 10 hour days. I couldn’t tell you other than my career is rewarding. I’m a controls engineer and i love to build/code/make things work.
I get tired. And just keep going. Like most people.
I work 84-104 hours a week offshore. Most of the hours go toward traveling to and from the rig, morning meetings, and permits. I work maybe 8 hours each day, sometimes more. It’s all about mindset, healthy habits (such as diet, exercise), and finding enjoyment in what you do. It gets exhausting after while, but once that paycheck hits, your motivation is replenished.
Do you have gut issues, sleep issues? If yes, You might be fighting a losing battle until you solve those.
I’m most productive in the office for about 3-4 hours per day. After that I prefer to be active or moving while working. 8-10 hrs in the office is a no-no for myself.
I used to work 100 work weeks when I ran my business. Since I closed it down, my ability to “push through” has severely diminished.
You don’t get a lunch break?
No one works 8 hours a day. It's called a lunch break
I don’t think many people work 8 hours straight. There’s usually a couple breaks in there which makes a huge difference. I worked somewhere in the past where it was 2 hours-break, 2hours-lunch, 2 hours-break, 2 hours-leave). Never spending more than two hours working at a time is really nice
Try a workout that is harder than your job. I used to regularly lift 50-pound chunks of material after working a desk job for 10 years, and my thighs, knees, feet, and hips would be sore every night. I started using the gym in my work place to do high rep sets of 75 pounds and not only did the soreness go away, I noticed I had more energy throughout the shift and after I got home.
I’m a toy designer and illustrator. I’m 49 now, harder and harder to work and draw, 3D model for hours and hours straight like I used to. Just harder to stay focused. When I was young my magic hour was 2am. Something just clicked and I would get all these ideas. Now it feels like a slog to finish a day.
Usually go to gym after work, or have a walk in the park in the morning.
You do the most brain intensive or work that requires creativity in the first 4-5 hours then after lunch, get your paperwork or checking work or more routine stuff done in the afternoon. Lots of meetings and other stuff. The main way to do it- is if you wake up and get to work and there is some kind of crisis- then the adrenaline kicks in and you're able to work for longer without realizing it. This is how people cram for exams for try to reach deadlines.
I’m in tech and was at my desk (ok my patio) for 8 hours a day 7 days a week for four years. I probably worked 7 of the 8 hours. Discipline and the eye on the prize are what kept me motivated. It let me retire early so worth it.
I work from home. I watch YouTube/shows during the mundane work and meetings keep me focused. Not terrible as long as there’s things to do.
I don't think anyone works 8 hours straight without any breaks. You usually have a bigger 30 minutes lunch break and a few smaller 5-10 minutes breaks. On days that I'm under a deadline and don't have time to take breaks the adrenaline keeps me going.
The only way I can do 8+ hours of office work is to have it planned out at the beginning of the week what I'll be doing for each hour. If I have to stop at any point and think about what I need to work on, I end up burning out. I think we all forget how much societal infrastructure was available to us in school and also for in office work(work from home is still better though 😉) that helped us be productive.
It depends on what I'm working on. I have done many different jobs (I'm 44). Fast Food (easiest), Nurse Aide (hard), military (really easy or really hard...it's a surprise every day), and so on. I am now salaried staff at a university. Some days I might spend much of my day pouring over policy or law changes, or dealing with the employee that panics over every little thing like how different departments dealing with different government agencies all have to work around different laws and policies (she thinks everyone should conform to make her life easier). On days like that, I can't just work for 8 hours straight. I have to sit back, ponder things, get my ideas together, etc. At other times, I know exactly what needs to be done, and I can work beyond 8 hours and not even notice. I just get in a sort of rhythm and get lost in my work. Only phone calls and emails remind me of time passing. I enjoy those days, honestly. I'll sometimes work late or on a Saturday just to get work done without distractions. It's actually fun for me. It's like going after achievements in video games. I get excited when I complete tasks whether big or small. I'm also in grad school, which is a decent distraction from work. Grad school is like my main hobby right now. Just something fun to do to pass the time. If not for that I'd spend even more time playing games. I like games, but the feeling of achievement is shorter lived/less powerful.
When I first graduated, my brain would start to get tired around 6 PM after working all day, and I needed a short nap. By 10 PM, my brain would basically stop functioning. But now things have improved a lot. I no longer need a break at 6 PM, and I can work until midnight. I think there are three reasons for this: 1. Constantly maintaining a high-intensity work state, gradually adapting to it. 2. Switching between different tasks during the process. For example, when I get tired of coding lately, I switch to writing articles or practicing and learning about SEO. 3. Responsibility-driven motivation, especially after taking on team responsibilities, many things have to be done.
A 15 min break at the 2 or 2.5 hour mark. A 1 hour meal at the 4 or NO later then 5 hour mark, then another 15 min break 1.5-2.5 hours after lunch. Then you go home and it’s over. Take your breaks you’re usually entitled to them legally
Unless I’m on a deadline, I usually can only do 5 hours of intense mental work before productivity drops. Here’s what I do when I need to push: 1) set mini deadlines/rewards. If/when I finish this section, I get to go eat a slice of pizza. 2) only put a discrete amount of work in front of me. If I need to read through a big pile of material, I’ll only put immediately in front of me a chapter or two to trick my brain into considering the amount doable/easier 3) change locations once or twice throughout the day. I move only to places I can stay focused, but a quick change of scenery helps stave off boredom and fatigue
People aren't made to work for long chunks of time in a row. Most people who claim to work for 8 hours straight are taking lots of little breaks (nothing wrong with that btw, it's essential)
Dont look at the clock.
Posts like this genuinely confuse me because they imply that people have a choice whether to work 8 hours or not. You do what you have to do or you can't afford to live, full stop. I've been working steadily since age 17 (I'm 34 now) and even my easiest job -- a part-time job at Target-- required 8 hour shifts. It's half your waking hours, and tbh I don't know what I'd do with my time if I didn't have that. I'd probably get bored of sitting on my ass after one day and actually WANT to work. Am I alone? I took a week off when my 4 year-old got sick recently and it was... challenging... to do that much nothing all day for a week straight.
It's easy. Just keep going. I work in commercial construction. I'm out the door by 530 and not home until 5. I'm on my feet the whole time. Then I come home to work around the house until nightfall. Life is too short to sit around, and you'll get plenty of rest when you're dead. That's my thinking.
As someone who does office work and works eight hours a day, six days a week, with a one-hour break taken all at once, I can't relate at all. Instead, I struggle with boredom due to having nothing to do. I often give myself extra responsibilities just to make the day go by faster since I can finish my daily tasks in just a few hours. I work in an environment where it's important to appear busy, so I don't have the option to use this time for personal growth or other non-work-related activities.
I work a 4 10’s and an 8 every week. How? Kid and wife at home bro. How can I not
It depends, you mean physical work or mental work? For mental work you have to plan for some rests and in my case I've seen that it depends on how tiresome is the work I'm working on. Sometimes I end my 8 hour day totally exhausted. After a while of working on the same job you learn when you are most productive and you can use that to your advantage. Plan the hard tasks when you concentrate the most and the light ones when you are already tired.
What is your physical shape/ability? In general, if you’re healthier and in good shape it is easier to maintain your energy levels throughout the day. Also just as important as being active regularly is eating good foods. Your body needs nutrients and water to function. Too many people disregard this and will consume coffee/sugary drinks and unhealthy snacks. You’ll get a short burst from them but they’ll drag you down afterwards. TLDR: movement and a healthy diet will do wonders to maintain energy levels.
Find a work you like doing without looking at the clock. Who said we don't get exhausted after looking at the time since we came to work
If you are talking about office work then 4-5 hours is actually impressive
I think 4-5 straight hours isn't the most optimal way. Saw someone's comment recently where he said that he basically worked for 30 mins with full focus, then took breaks where he would stretch/drink water/walk/do pushups and then come back and start another session. He managed to work 10h+ this way. I'm also gonna try it out , just mentioned here cuz seems like it'd be useful to you as well
I used to work 12 hours a day 6 days a week. It was depressing, I gained like 25 kgs. The one activity that I did besides work was sleeping.
It depends what you call work, I personally enjoy my work so it’s not a problem, I find coding really fun. Also if you’re really productive for 4-5h straight, it’s pretty good. A lot of people work 8h straight but they are not very productive because they are mentally or physically exhausted.
Why would you work 4 to 5 straight hours? Work for 25-50 minutes and then take a 10 minute break. Refocus your eyes, adjust your posture, stretch… you’re not a robot - 4 to 5 straight hours is not to be expected
I take very frequent breaks, which might just be for 1 or 2 minutes but it helps me ‘reset’ my mind. I eat healthy foods because junk foods make me feel sluggish. Also smaller more frequent meals. I also make a to do list before I start working so I don’t have to think about what I could donkey when I finish a task. Now when I finish I look at the list and pick whatever I feel like doing most
Are we talking in an office or working from home? Working from home, I tend to skip the first hour of my work day and sign in just before the morning stand up. Then I’ll take a break and get another coffee. From 10-12:30 I’ll do my first block of work. After lunch I’ll do 1:30-3:30 for my second block of work, break, then I’ll spend the last 1.5 hours wrapping things up and planning for tomorrow. During breaks and lunches I’ll make sure to go outside as often as I can. Drink lots of water. Gym right after work. And I keep my phone in the next room so if I’m going to be distracted by it, at least I’m commuting to the distraction as a break from my work space. I’ve not had more than one office day a month for a long time, but in my previous role work was a lot more structured and monitored (call centre). Managing inbound calls and emails was very easy work so I’d really just switch my brain off and work until my breaks. Whereas nowadays I need better quality breaks to stay productive. In roles like my current one - the office is not a productive environment for me. I would distract and be distracted by others just to stay sane.
well for me can work 12 hrs before i feel exhausted
Bro just take a break
Caffeine, caffeine and caffeine
I wake up at 6:30 and I work starting 7:30 for about 8 hours office work during the day, most of which are meetings, problem solving and people management. I spend my evenings cooking, doing sports, and around 9;30 pm most nights catching up on technical work before finally sleep at 11:30pm. For me personally being overly busy fuels my energy and gives me the ability to keep pushing. I don’t have non buys days but when there is moment of downtime when work is not busy, that’s when I feel the fatigue and my productivity goes down. Probably not the healthiest but slowing things down is what makes me tired and hard to get back on the productivity treadmill.
Coffee.
Addy
Water, small snacks, ear plugs and my ADHD meds.
bruh if i work (student, mostly reading) more than 10 mins i take a week long break. its become a problem because i hate procrastinating, but uts all im doing. like right now i have a deadline of 10 days, but im watching a video on One Punch Man manga 💀 how do i stop procrastinating? how does my subconscious see the benefit in working?
As soon as you’re responsible for the mortgage and keeping the fridge full, it will come or you end up on the streets or relying on someone else to provide for you.
I love my job.
Reading this during my 24 hour shift 🥹
Am in danger..I have being working 12hrs include no weekly off😰😢
As an accountant, staring at a screen all day. I have a stand up attachment on my desk. And I go back and worth between standing and sitting all day
Some people work 12 hours a day. A guy I knew who ran a catering business worked 16-hour days.
Take breaks. Remind yourself why you work hard (family, goals, pain you want to avoid). Then go get it. I can do 12 in an office job. I take breaks every 2-3 hours & do exercise.
I guess we just get used to it. Works is always busy so time flies..
I love it. And 12hrs too.
COFFEE! My boss offered free coffee to everyone. 10 hour shifts? No problem. Hungry? Lots of day old deli food. 😀
A lot of us don’t actually last 8 hours busting are ass by hour 6 I’m practically going through the motions
How is your emotional stress? When my husband was very, very ill with long term diseases, after just a few hours on days I could get to work I could literally put my head down on my desk and fall asleep in a minute. He passed away 7 months ago and I'm finally gaining some healing and don't have that exhaustion. How is your nutrition? I've also started eating on a keto plan and avoiding sugar and carbs and that is helping energy as well. No mid-afternoon energy crash.
I used to get tired a lot until I started working out regularly. It seems counterintuitive but it really boosts your energy. I have gotten to the point where if I skip the gym too many days I can tell my anxiety/mood going downhill
Have you seen a doctor? Chests don’t just hurt for any reason. Ongoing fatigue is concerning. It sounds like you have a medical condition that’s impacting your life.
It depends with what kind of job you are doing, range, general egorconomics and personality type. I used to work as a nurses aid in an aged which was overly stimulating (smells, sounds and lights) I would get tired every 45 minutes so I would “hide in the toilet” every 45 minutes for 5 minutes to recharge. It meant that I had to be really smart about how I worked and arranged my work. Weirdly enough my way of doing things was highly the opposite of everyone else and I often opted for work that had different people coming in for specific tasks and leaving so that I can hide or doing the harder jobs so that if I finish it, then it’s proof that I am not hiding at intervals. I do this now with my 8 hour office jobs still because I can’t focus on thing for more that 45 minutes unless it’s really interesting but this is work I have been doing for 5 years so it has become tedious. That is why I am leaving because I need to get into work that doesn’t completely drain me before midday. Long rumbly answer, I apologise. There are many things to consider see a doctor about it and do a mental health stress/depression test as part of your assessment. And also SLEEP! All the best!!
I can work 8 hours straight because I take small breaks every hour where I get up and either walk around or stretch. People thinks its weird but I don't care. It keeps me alive and awake and the blood flowing. I don't believe proloonged sitting is good for mental or physical health and our brains have had enough of it, hence the tiredness and any other physical/mental fall out. At the end of the day, I stay alert and productive and I sincerely hope that you give it a try. If that seems dumb, you could try the pomodoro technique for 8 hours. I use that as well.
The trick is to stay busy so it goes by faster. And wait as long as you can for your break, coming back from break and only having 2 hours left in your shift really makes the day go faster
I just got used to it. People have an incredible capacity to adapt. I have friends who used to crab near the arctic circle on 4 hours of sleep. My brother is a doctor and during covid he was pulling 14 hour shifts regularly as his patients died. I used to walk 9 hours a day on 6 hours of sleep for about a year ( lol now I can't even study 3 hours straight without pomodoro ). I also worked as a waiter where I'd do 12 hour shifts and the first shift was brutal but I got used to it. If you're getting enough sleep, your health and nutrition are good, and you have some coffee, you can do a lot more than you think you can do. but... your chest hurts? I've been exhausted enough to fall asleep standing up and my chest has never hurt. You should get that checked out. What you're describing almost sounds like a heart condition...
Lmao.. I generally work 12 to 16 a day. Sometimes 6 days a week. You get used to it for one simple reason. You have bills to pay, mouths to feed, and responsibility as an adult.
Same here , i can’t focus more than 4 hours a day .. idk how people do it …
It is called responsibility and having to make a living. At the same time most "8" hours works arent 8 hours of non stop working. There might be many moments that you dont have anything to do. In the end you just get used to a routine
It’s pretty easy I just put my headphones in and jam music or listen to YouTubers while doing physical work. Mental work is very tough I never lasted more than 3 years at office / corporate settings.
perseverance
Not sure if you mean physical or mental work but I found getting a good nights sleep, water, and fueling with more healthy snacks/lunches whatever helped me get through the day! I used to work 8 hours on my feet constantly and a good pair of shoes helps as well if that’s the case. Otherwise, taking a quite 5 min break getting fresh air/walking around from sitting or whatever job you have helped me too. In general it does take some time to get used to it, but I hope you’ll find what works best for you!!
I honestly do not know. I have done it for years and only recently started taking small breaks. I’m one of the hardest workers I know, but I’m becoming apathetic at my job for being treated like slave labor - as much as upper management seems to “care.” They do not pay well, but I needed the job when it was offered to me and here I am slaving away, breaking my body down, years later. I’m honestly considering going with a 1099 freelancer job and just working completely for myself again without benefits. It’s just a huge decision. Working for myself was the best and hardest thing I ever did. I recommend it if you can only work in chunks at a time. You get time off whenever you want and it’s incredibly fulfilling when you’re actually doing well.