Why You Feel Exhausted

Of course, The #1 way to get rid of this is to get good sleep. But let's assume your sleep is great. Why is it that you want to do tons of activities but also say ‘I don't feel like going out today’ or ‘I wish I can take a 6-hour nap’?

This exhaustion stops you from going out with friends, working on your dream project, and/or learning your favorite skills. So let's end it.

Your brain has 'neural energy'. So imagine there's a battery. So it's full but you keep spending energy from it. Could be you're working too hard, thinking too much, or even getting anxious. Almost everything uses neural energy.

So look at all the stuff you do during your day. Especially the "breaks". Are you really resting? When you scroll Reddit, chat with your friends, listen to podcasts, or spend hours deciding what you're going to eat…

These activities waste your neural energy and make you feel tired. You start to get brain fog, procrastinate, and crumble up in bed.

But to get rid of this exhaustion, you need to get real recovery. You need moments that recharge your neural battery. Even if you're David Goggins (who btw also does nothing but stretches for 3 hours every night). And that gives him the energy to continue working harder.

Action for the day

When you feel tired or demotivated, don’t try to get something external to excite you. Instead, take a break and do nothing.

Find a place where you can sit alone and embrace the quietness. You won’t do anything. You can only sit or lie down and let your brain do its thing.

No music, no phone, no background noise, no chatting. No drinks No podcasts. Nothing.

Without even realizing it, in around 5-10 minutes. You'll find yourself wanting to do things again. Your neurons get their rest pretty quickly and you feel recharged again.

And you can stay as long as you want. But again, don’t check your phone.

Good job !

(optional for you action-takers) Answer these questions in your head right now.

1. What time do you usually feel most exhausted?
   Think of your answer here... morning, noon, or evening.

2. What do you usually do?
   Think of your answer here... check Reddit, nag, stress-eat

3. Where will you go this time to sit alone?
   Think of your answer here...

Great. That's what you're going to do today.

If you want to get reminded of this, press here. I’m testing the feature that sends a follow-up email so you can remember to do it.

Do 10 minutes of nothing.