If you’re generally tired, you should see a doctor so that common physical causes can be ruled out. No matter what, I try to get quality sleep. If I’m sleep deprived, I’m absolutely useless. This is easily the number one thing far above others.
A few years ago, I used to be tired most of the day. Then I fixed a few things and the problem seems gone. Unfortunately, I don’t know exactly which of these things contributed to the outcome (maybe it was something else).
First thing was to get enough sleep. So I started a habit that when I go to sleep, I set my alarm clock to T + 8 hours. Then I tried going to sleep at 23:00 (but if despite my plans I go to sleep later, I still set my alarm clock to T+8). Second was regular exercise: at least 20 push-up each day. Third was having enough light during the day: I turn on all the lights at work. Fourth was going outside for a few hours walk every week. Fifth was getting iron suplements (by blood tests I was at the bottom of the healthy range, but I had some of the anemia symptoms listed in Wikipedia, so I decided to get in the middle of the range).
As a result, instead of feeling tired during most of the day, I feel okay. Which allows me to do things I was previously too tired to do.
The chemistry of the body has a huge influence on the mind. Minds are made of atoms, not of magic. Sometimes a simple hack (such as taking a 20-min nap if you are too tired, unless it is late evening) provides better results than trying to use willpower. Yet for some reason, many people (including me) are prone to think about the “mental” solutions only.
EDIT: It is bad for sleep to exercise before going to bed. So an important step in building the exercise habit was to exercise right after I get home from work. Otherwise other stuff starts interfering.
I bet all of those things you mentioned helped, and perhaps none of them would have been enough alone.
It’s also worth mentioning sleep needs can vary a lot. I need 9-10 hours to feel refreshed. Some people do fine with 5-6 hours. If you have sleep debt, you might need several longer nights to recover.
You might also be able to try siestas. It depends on your school/work conditions, and quite possibly your biology, but I’ve found that taking half an hour out just after lunch helps me a lot.
Generally I sleep about 7.5 hours if I take siestas, 8.5 otherwise, so I’m actually getting net positive waking time out of this in addition to generally being smarter for more of the day.
A few years ago, I used to be tired most of the day. Then I fixed a few things and the problem seems gone. Unfortunately, I don’t know exactly which of these things contributed to the outcome (maybe it was something else).
First thing was to get enough sleep. So I started a habit that when I go to sleep, I set my alarm clock to T + 8 hours. Then I tried going to sleep at 23:00 (but if despite my plans I go to sleep later, I still set my alarm clock to T+8). Second was regular exercise: at least 20 push-up each day. Third was having enough light during the day: I turn on all the lights at work. Fourth was going outside for a few hours walk every week. Fifth was getting iron suplements (by blood tests I was at the bottom of the healthy range, but I had some of the anemia symptoms listed in Wikipedia, so I decided to get in the middle of the range).
As a result, instead of feeling tired during most of the day, I feel okay. Which allows me to do things I was previously too tired to do.
The chemistry of the body has a huge influence on the mind. Minds are made of atoms, not of magic. Sometimes a simple hack (such as taking a 20-min nap if you are too tired, unless it is late evening) provides better results than trying to use willpower. Yet for some reason, many people (including me) are prone to think about the “mental” solutions only.
EDIT: It is bad for sleep to exercise before going to bed. So an important step in building the exercise habit was to exercise right after I get home from work. Otherwise other stuff starts interfering.
I bet all of those things you mentioned helped, and perhaps none of them would have been enough alone.
It’s also worth mentioning sleep needs can vary a lot. I need 9-10 hours to feel refreshed. Some people do fine with 5-6 hours. If you have sleep debt, you might need several longer nights to recover.
You might also be able to try siestas. It depends on your school/work conditions, and quite possibly your biology, but I’ve found that taking half an hour out just after lunch helps me a lot.
Generally I sleep about 7.5 hours if I take siestas, 8.5 otherwise, so I’m actually getting net positive waking time out of this in addition to generally being smarter for more of the day.