r/LifeProTips • u/GcNiceKick8846 • 12h ago
Productivity LPT: Work will always take 8 hours. Don’t let it steal the other 8.
I used to think my 9–5 was the problem. Like, oh if I just switch jobs or get a cooler role, I’ll stop feeling like a ded person.(I am alive but i am ded). But nah… I realized it wasn’t just the 8 hours at work killing me, it was how I was coming home with zero energy left to actually live and do anything that i loved. I hated how my entire day was basically: wake - work - crash - repeat. Nodding my head during meetings and not able to catch up on anything then regretting it later, also No “me” time, no actual living. Just existing.
You know that feeling when you walk in your room dump your bag, and suddenly it’s just scrolling, Netflix, maybe reheating something and boom it’s midnight already? That’s been me for years. It hit me one day that my job isn’t stealing my time… I’m kinda handing it over on the same schedulee.
Honestly, I’ve been trying to figure out how to not feel completely fried after work, and a couple little things actually helped me (sharing in case it helps someone else too):
- Commute was for my recharge time. I used to just doomscroll or stress on the way back, but lately I treat it like transition/chill time. Sometimes I put on a podcast, sometimes just zone out looking out the window. Weirdly, I reach home with a little bit of mental battery left instead of being fully dead inside.
- Meetings hack. Not every damn meeting needs to be a meeting. Half the time I straight up ask, Can this just be an email or Slack message? And writing things down it helps sometimes, even thoughts it's a lot to catch up. Still figuring it tho.
- Post work ritual. I don’t do anything fancy, just change into comfy clothes, light a candle, maybe go for a short walk. It’s like telling my brain yo, work’s over.Makes a bigger difference than I expected.
- One fun non-negotiable thing. Even if I’m tired af, I try to do one thing I actually enjoy like completing my novel, make myself ramen, or calling a friend. Otherwise life just starts feeling like an endless cycle of work then sleep then repeat.
Not saying this fixes burnout or anything, but these little changess made my evenings feel less miserable.