What To Do If You Are Tired of Working On A Day Job?

Although operating as a full-time employee provides security, you might feel very tired of working on a day job. So what should you do? Let's find out!

Although working as a full-time employee provides security, you might feel very tired of it. A job can take so much of someone's energy and resources. Being tired of working is something totally normal. However, you need to improve awareness so that negative consequences can be avoided.

There are steps to improve the experience of working a full-day job. It includes identifying the cause of dissatisfaction when working the day job, finding resolutions to that, and determining what would be the best for one's future. This process definitely takes time.

Working 40 Hours/Week and Its Poor Consequences

Current overly tired employees have criticized the current norm of working hours. In most countries, the common weekly hours for a full-time day job are around 40 hours. It usually means that the employee needs to stay for 8 hours, mostly from Monday to Friday.

Another thing to consider is that commuting time also affects the person's time. Many people have reported that commuting from their home to their office makes them feel tired. It is especially true when their job is located somewhere far from home.

Of course, this work system can cause several negative consequences that cost the tired employees joy in their day job. Here are some negative consequences of working in that system:

1. Inability to Perform Social Obligations

Humans are social creatures; therefore, they have the need to interact with others on a regular basis. A person would want to talk to friends and family members regularly despite having a job. Unfortunately, due to the long working hours, the employee is too tired to do that.

The inability to perform social activities due to one's day job is not only unpleasant to the person. Friends and family members might feel that they were being abandoned. Thus, working might cause the person to have a strained relationship with others.

2. Lack of Time to do Self-Care

Everyone needs "me time". It is a period when someone takes care of their own self when feeling tired. The person can just do anything in their time. It can be taking long and fulfilling naps, going to the saloon, or watching movies at the cinema. It helps them rewind from their day job.

However, because the person has worked for really long working hours, they might be too tired to do the extensive self-care. On the weekends, a tired employee tends to just catch up on sleep. They do not do things to rejuvenate them from the fatigue caused by their job.

3. Less Free Time to do Hobby

A hobby is a set of things that the person likes and usually does well at them. There are many activities that could be one's hobby. It could be related to sports, cooking and baking, arts, and others. Due to long working hours, a tired worker might be unable to do that.

A tired employee might feel that their hobby becomes burdensome after working. They are probably no longer feeling happy when doing their hobby because of the fatigue. It is unfortunate since many people can have a hobby as their side job.

4. The Experience of Burnout

When someone feels tired of working, it may lead to a condition named burnout. Burnout is characterized by not finding happiness in one's day job, feeling anxious and stressed, feeling tired or fatigued most of the time, and significant reduction of performance.

To some people, burnout is accompanied by other symptoms. It might be increased aggression towards other people in their working environment, such as colleagues and supervisors. The person might also experience trouble sleeping, so they feel even more tired the next day.

The Woes of Working under Other People

Working under other people might be a cause of stress for full-time employees. Maybe it seems fun because responsibilities usually do not all fall into an employee but instead to the supervisor. However, a job can be quite stressful when someone does not have autonomy.

Here are some woes that make people feeling tired of their job, especially related to working with a supervisor:

1. Unfair Wage

In the working community, unfair wage has been an ongoing issue. A person whose day job is at the lower tier will receive significantly lower wages than their supervisor. It does not mean that the employee does not work as hard. This is just because of the current system.

When someone feels tired after working, they will expect to receive fair compensation for their hard work. It is too bad that the current job market does not apply that system. This further makes people feel tired of working.

2. Being Singled Out from Decision Making

Another reason that makes an employee feel tired of their job is the fact that their opinion is often disregarded. In the official decision-making process, only people in the higher tier would be asked for opinions. It is discouraging as the decision will most likely affect them.

The decision often involves something that the employee has participated in. After getting tired of working on a project, someone would expect to be asked for their perspective. They understand the job project inside out, after all.

3. Poor Appreciation

Although some companies have made it their mission to show more appreciation to their employees, many still fall short in it. Someone can feel tired if their work is not appreciated well by colleagues and managers. They will think that they are working in vain and only get to feel tired in the end.

Poor appreciation causes the tired employee to have lower self-esteem in their job. They might be thinking that they are not good enough. This leads to a day job not joyful to the full-time employee. They only get tired at the end of the day. 

4. Feeling That One Can do Better

Everyone has a mind of their own. This also applies in the working environment. When performing their job, a person may have an opinion and strategy to tackle their tasks. A full-time employee working under a supervisor cannot do it freely.

They might feel tired because an employee needs to listen to their supervisor's orders at the office. Working in such an environment might not be ideal for someone with a high personal standard. They might feel like an underachiever in a job situation like this.

What are the Common Causes for Getting Tired of working?

Although people of working ages expect to have a job, not all employees find joy when doing it. From the explanations in the previous section, the causes of work fatigue can be identified. The following list shows the common cause for someone to get tired of their day job:

1. Long Working Hours

As stated in the previous section, long working hours contribute to the sense of being tired of one's job greatly. It will deplete a full-time employee's energy so that they cannot do anything outside of their day job. Life is only filled with working and resting.

This working arrangement does not only cause them to be tired of working. Sometimes, a person is not in their best mood or cognitive capacity when performing their day job. However, they are not allowed to rest because their job needs them.

2. Home to Job Commute

Being tired of working can also be caused by the length it takes to commute from home to work and back home. Based on statistics, an employee spends 200 hours commuting. No wonder people are tired of working. Those hours can get even longer if the person lives far from their job location.

Some countries may have pleasant public transportation systems. However, many more countries do not have them. In addition to making someone's commute to their day job harder, it can also contribute to getting tired of working. The person will feel tired when they finally get home.

3. Problems with Mental Health

Someone who is trapped working in a job that they dislike will likely experience various health issues. The most common one is job-related stress. The person will feel burdened and tired when performing tasks at work.

However, the mental health issues caused by working as a full-time employee can get so severe. The tired person may even get to the point of depression. Psychological problems caused by the job can even lead to bodily symptoms such as insomnia and reduced weight.

4. Poor Work-Life Balance

Many people start to avoid any day job because they believe that it leads to a bad work-life balance. During the day, when people are active, they need to be working. At home, they are feeling so tired of working that they cannot perform personal life tasks in a satisfying manner.

It is not rare to see a full-time employee having their house in disarray because they do not have time to clean up except during weekends. They are already so tired of working. Some people even have strained relationships with family members because they are working tirelessly. 

5. Low Sense of Accomplishment

It has been mentioned that in addition to feeling tired, a person may have a low sense of accomplishment. This is especially prevalent in a person whose day job is not actually their niche. These tired employees do not enjoy what they are doing and do not like the result either.

This can even happen when the employee is working in their dream job. It may happen when their expectations on the day job are not met. The unmatched expectation and reality might be caused by misinformation and the supervisor. In the end, they will feel very tired of working.

Solutions When Someone is Getting Tired of Their Job

There are some things to do when a full-time worker is getting tired of their employment. Of course, these solutions may not be able to solve the issues completely. However, it can make sense of being tired of working reduced so you can tolerate it.

Here are some advice to follow to improve one's job situation when they are getting tired:

1. Cutting the Working Hours

If the office makes it possible for an employee to cut down their working hours when they are tired, it would be a waste not to seize the opportunity. Doing this takes a long process, as the tired employee needs to delegate their work to others, preferably another full-time employee of a similar level.

Another issue would be related to financial conditions. In many job systems, working hours translate to income. This is why even if employees are tired; they still push themselves to work long hours. The choice to cut down working hours really depends on you.

2. Considering Telework

As commuting to the workplace becomes a source of discomfort, you should consider working with a telework system. Some companies start to offer their full-time employees this opportunity. It means working remotely in another location.

This system reduces the amount of time needed to commute as people can just do their job at home. The employee will feel less tired that way. However, it is necessary to note that to some people, working like this full time might not be ideal.

3. Taking on Sabbatical Leave

Another suggestion to deal with being tired at the job situation is taking on sabbatical leave. People get tired of working because they do not get a chance to relax at all. To not be tired of working, taking a leave is recommended. During that period, you can focus on something other than your job.

In European countries, it is easy to find a day job that even provides paid leave for tired employees. Once the employee returns from their leave, they can assume their full-time job again. Without doubt, not every tired employee in other parts of the world will get a similar opportunity.

4. Improving One's Personal Well-being

If the previous methods are not compatible with your condition, then you should be working harder to improve personal well-being. Being tired physically and mentally due to a full-time day job is not fun.

The tired person should strive towards their personal happiness even while working a full-time job. It can be done by scheduling a week ahead and making a to-do list. This way, even if the person is tired of working, there would still be a motivation to work on the well-being list.

Here are some activities recommended to improve the personal well-being of those who are tired of working:

● Participating in community service after work.
● Going to the salon or massage parlor during the weekend reduces the feeling of being tired of working.
● Joining a skill class designed for full-time employees.
● Maximizing the use of job facilities, such as gym membership and medical checkups.

5. Job Counseling

Another thing to achieve well-being in the day job is by doing counseling. Some companies will offer this job facility to their full-time workers. The counseling is provided by a trained individual working in the industrial field. They help employees who feel tired of their mundane job.

During the counseling, the tired employee will identify the reason why they are tired of working. Together with the counselor, they will be working on a solution to improve that job situation. Hopefully, doing a full-time job will no longer be a daunting experience.

When A Full-time Worker Considers Quitting Their Day job

Solutions to improve working conditions may not succeed. The person may still consider quitting their job after all the efforts. The following list shows the signs when a full-time employee should start considering quitting their day job:

● Feeling tired all the time.
● It seems like achievements when working does not improve one's mood.
● The job no longer fulfills financial and psychological needs.
● The tired employee does not feel concerned about the job anymore.
● The opportunity to grow in full-time work is limited.

Of course, quitting one's day job is not as easy as people make it look. First of all, things may not work out because the tired person does not have enough savings. In this case, quitting a job might be unwise as the person will not get any income despite getting tired.

Another issue is that despite being tired of working, the person might feel obligated to continue working because they are close with their colleagues. It leads to them maintaining their job even if they are physically and mentally tired of working.

Thus, if you are thinking of quitting your full-time job due to being tired, there are many things to prepare beforehand. You need to be prepared to endure being tired of working a little longer as this plan may not be executed immediately. Preparing it as early as possible is necessary.

Looking for a Job That Suits One's Passion

The sense of getting tired of working is prevalent among people who do not get to do a day job they aspire to. The tired feeling tends to persist that someone needs to quit their job to break away from the shackle. Being tired of working for a long time is not worth it.

These tired people may get a better chance of working for themselves. Being a self-employed person is a privilege, but it is certainly an achievable career path. There are several benefits of working independently like this:

● The person can get a break whenever they feel tired.
● The person gets to do a job that is in line with their passion.
● When working, the person gets to develop their own ideas.
● The person can choose to work full-time or part-time depending on their condition.
● Some independent day job paths are more lucrative than a full-time day job.

There are many job options to choose from. You can start working as a freelancer in a job suitable to your niche. As an example, if you like reading and writing, you can start looking for an editorial job. The person should start doing it part-time before switching to a full-time job.

Final Words

Hopefully, this self-employment mode helps the person avoid being tired of working. In an independent working setting, resting when one feels tired is a lot easier. You can do your job tasks better that way too.