Let me tell you a little story about me.
I used to think working from home was the ultimate life hack. No commute, flexible hours, hoodie all day — it felt like I had cracked the code. I was working for a big-name tech company, building cool features, pushing updates, hopping into video calls with people across time zones. From the outside, it all looked ideal.
And honestly? At first, it kind of was.
Until it wasn’t.
It started subtly. I’d roll out of bed straight into my chair, skip breakfast, and tell myself I’d take a break “after this task.” That break never came. My days blurred together — work messages at 9 PM, "quick fixes" on weekends, calendar invites during lunch. I told myself I was being productive. I was being a team player. I was getting things done.
But inside, I was exhausted. Not the kind of tired you fix with a long nap — the kind that settles in and stays, quietly convincing you that maybe this is just how it feels to be an adult in tech.
Spoiler: It’s not.
At some point, I realized I wasn’t excited to open my laptop anymore. I dreaded simple tasks. Even things I used to enjoy — building interfaces, solving bugs, launching features — started to feel like a chore.
I had burned out. Slowly. Silently. While wearing sweatpants.
So, what changed?
Eventually, I had to stop pretending I could just “power through it.” I took a step back — not just from the job, but from the whole mindset I’d built around productivity. I realized I had confused being available with being valuable.
And that's where the real learning began.
What I’ve learned since:
Work will always expand to fill the time you give it. If you never shut the laptop, there’s always more to do. But that doesn’t mean it needs to be done right now.
Rest isn’t optional — it’s part of the process. A brain that’s constantly tired doesn’t write clean code. Or write anything at all, honestly.
Slack doesn’t need to live on your phone. Neither does your email. You’re allowed to log off. The world won’t end. (I tested this. Multiple times.)
The best work I’ve done has come after I started prioritizing my life outside of work. Creative ideas don’t show up when you’re overworked. They show up when you’re taking a walk, or cooking dinner, or actually sleeping.
Today, things look different.
I still work from home. I still build cool stuff. But I treat work like part of my life — not my life. I take real breaks. I go outside. I respect the end of my workday like a meeting I can’t reschedule.
And guess what? I’m more productive now. Not in the “I did 12 tasks in 5 hours” way, but in the “I did the right things, did them well, and still had time to be a human” way.
That’s the kind of balance I never learned from onboarding sessions or team meetings — I had to learn it the hard way.
But if you’re reading this, maybe you don’t have to.
If you’re constantly tired, it’s not just part of the job. It’s a sign. Work shouldn’t drain you — it should still leave room for you to have a life outside the screen.