Notes on tiredness for people who work alone, and small fixes

A quick note before we begin: this is not medical advice, and it will not diagnose anything. It is a friendly essay about habits and moods, for people who work on their own and sometimes feel a bit flat by Thursday.

The tiredness nobody sees

When you work with a team, there is usually someone who says, “You look tired, go home.” When you work alone, nobody says it. The day goes on, the tabs multiply, and you only notice how worn out you are when you realise you have read the same line four times.

It is easy to carry on, because there is no one to stop you. The work is yours, the deadline is yours, and so the stopping has to be yours as well.

When nobody tells you to rest, you have to learn to say it to yourself.

Small signs worth noticing

You do not need a checklist. Just a few gentle questions to ask yourself now and then.

Are you skipping lunch more often than not?
Is a task that used to feel interesting starting to feel like a chore?
Do you find yourself more short-tempered with things that never used to bother you?
Are your evenings spent staring at a screen, not quite working and not quite resting?

If a few of these ring true, it may simply be a sign that your routine needs a little air. It is not a verdict on you.

Small fixes that tend to help

Nothing here is dramatic. These are the sort of things a good friend would suggest over tea.

Eat lunch away from the screen. Even twenty minutes. Sit somewhere else, with the phone out of reach.
Move your body a little. Walk to the tea stall, stretch, climb a few stairs. Nothing athletic is required.
Put a real end on the day. Write down what is done, close the laptop and stay away from it until morning.
Talk to a human. A short chat with someone who is not a client does a surprising amount of good.
Say no to one thing. Just one. See how it feels.

If you find the tiredness is heavy or does not lift, speaking to a doctor or a counsellor is a kind thing to do for yourself. A blog post cannot do that work, and it is not meant to.

A place that helps with the small things

A good shared workspace will not fix everything, but it can make the ordinary days gentler. There is a fixed place to go. There are other people nearby, so the hours feel less lonely. Housekeeping takes care of the room, and air conditioning softens the heat of a Trichy afternoon. A rooftop cafe setup gives you somewhere other than your desk to take a break.

These are small supports, and small supports add up across a long week.

Be your own kind colleague

If a friend told you they were tired, you would tell them to take a break, have some water and go home early. Try saying the same to yourself. You are allowed.

When you are ready for a bit of company with your work, pull up a desk at Teapot Coworks in Woraiyur and see how the week feels with people nearby.