10 ms·

Tired of Being Tired

186 points by Sato 15y ago

earplug 15y ago
Exercise and allowing myself, which is SO difficult, to take that afternoon power nap has saved me. I find an extreme amount of gilt when I attempt to force myself into that afternoon power nap, but when I do, and wake up afterwards, I'm 100 times more productive than I ever was before, or if I had skipped it.
cheald 15y ago
One of the biggest changes in my life when I left my job to work on my startup was the freedom to not be pinned in a chair from 8 AM-5PM. If I get tired, I go take a nap. If I get stiff and sore, I go for a walk. If I can't think, I go do something else. The net result is that I'm able to be productive 100% of the time that I actually am working, and I can work more than I could otherwise, if so needed. If you have the luxury to set your schedule, listen to your body, do what it asks, and you'll find yourself operating much more smoothly than you're used to.
dos1 15y ago
I cannot stress how much I agree about exercise. About 6 years ago I started going to the gym regularly* and lifting. That was really one of the best single changes I've made in my life. I feel more energized during the day (no more coffee!) and I feel like my mental acuity is higher. My memory seems better and I'm generally in a much better mood (partly because I look so much more fit!) * When I say regularly, I mean I went every other day for 6 months without missing a workout. I made it a high priority. After 6 months of that, I felt so guilty if I missed a workout that I've more or less continued that schedule for the last 5.5 years.
- Swizec 15y ago
  It's even better when it becomes a habit and you don't feel guilty for missing a workout. You feel like you haven't brushed your teeth in the morning. I'm there right now. Until I get my 30 minutes of workout in the morning, I just feel wrong. I can't really explain it, but it's enough to get me working out even when I had been partying until 5am, slept for 3 hours, have a hangover and feel like I'll die if I even try getting out of bed.
- lywald 15y ago
  One year ago I was tired all the time, couldn't get anything done, had to lay on my bed every hour, ect... And it totally disappeared since everyday I have to walk fast one hour total between uni and my place, instead of commuting. People who don't exercise at all are missing out on something. Now I can procrastinate fully awake.
- vl 15y ago
  For me tipping point was having gym right in the next building - when I started to work for the company that has gym on site (you can guess which company is that), I was just so easy tongo and exercise after work without extra hassle. I alway had gym membership, but proximity really makes it low barrier to actually exercise regularly. I now workout at least 2 times a week, often 3. When we were discussing gym choice for my wife, my suggestion was "the one right across from your office, walking distance makes all the difference".
courtneypowell 15y ago
I agree that working out is essential, but I believe that putting the right type of food in your body is equally important. For many people, decreasing the amount of carbohydrates after breakfast can provide enormous energy gains. I recommend reading Tim Ferris' 4 Hour Body for some interesting advice on diet, exercise and a very detailed chapter on sleep.
- wvl 15y ago
  After breakfast? I would include breakfast as well. My energy levels after a breakfast of bacon and eggs is far steadier than after any breakfast cereals, toast, muffins, pastries, etc. Avoiding any large carb intake (post workout _possibly_ excepted) is key to steady energy levels. For a more rational book, try Robb Wolf's "The Paleo Solution", which also has an extensive chapter on sleep and cortisol management.
  - courtneypowell 15y ago
    Obviously this varies person by person. In my own personal experience, I have found that eating carbs in the morning (a reasonable amount) allows me to have a much stronger workout. When I eat NO carbs, it makes it too difficult to maintain a moderate to intense workout schedule. I liked Paleo as well, but I liked Ferris' attempt to look at the "whole body".
    - brdrak 15y ago
      I agree, I think carbs have gotten a bad rep unfairly. IMO, people should a lot more good carbs. http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/carbohydrates/ http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-...
    - dredmorbius 15y ago
      If you are indeed engaging in significant activity, then the carbs will help. I have sedentary job (technical) but get in a good couple of hours at the gym most days. Keeping carbs moderated keeps the fat in check, but cutting it too low make intense cardio and strength training very challenging (and less productive).
sage_joch 15y ago
That proverb at the beginning is great ("A man grows most tired while standing still."). It reminds me of the quote, "If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it."
- sliverstorm 15y ago
  Which reminds me of the quote, "If you have a difficult task, give it to a lazy man, for he will find an easier way to do it"
  - huckfinnaafb 15y ago
    Of course he might not do it at all.
    - Bootvis 15y ago
      I try, as in make a concerted effort, to be both.
chr15 15y ago
Depression may be another reason one feels tired all the time. Proper diet and exercise helps, but it's best to seek medical attention.
stephen789 15y ago
What are your metrics for this kinda thing? Tiredness and productivity seem like very subjective things, hard to measure. Don't get me wrong, there's some good points there, that aren't hard to believe. But i'd love to know how i can measure this kind of well being stuff so i can better myself. * as the saying goes, "what gets measured is what gets improved"
- jacques_chester 15y ago
  I believe that NASA and aviation researchers developed fatigue tests some time ago. There's also discrimination-timing tests. For example, if the object on the screen is a blue circle, press the right side shift; if it's a red square press left side. Reaction time is used as the indicator. But these are only proxies for what is, after all, a largely subjective experience. You will necessarily need to rely on measuring inputs (hours of sleep, caffeine consumed, exercise length and intensity) and using subjective measures for outputs (a bit slow, tired, very tired, exhausted).
latch 15y ago
Just gonna say this outright... I've seen colleagues who are constantly on the verge of falling asleep and the common thread has always been that they are fat. 3+1 guide to productivity: Exercise, Eating Right, Sleeping Enough, and, as a bonus, no long commutes.
- prodigal_erik 15y ago
  There's a pretty high (but not perfect) correlation between obesity and sleep apnea, which I think is under-diagnosed because a sleep study is kind of an expensive hassle.
  - WalterGR 15y ago
    which I think is under-diagnosed because a sleep study is kind of an expensive hassle. And I think it's also under-diagnosed because of that correlation. I "have a friend" who is of normal weight, and who also doesn't snore and is young (2 other anti-correlates.) This friend struggled his entire life with sleep issues and blamed it on laziness. It wasn't until it was affecting his career that he had a sleep study - and it turns out he stops breathing 60 times an hour. (That doesn't make for especially restorative sleep.) If you have sleep issues despite making an effort to have good sleep hygiene etc. - talk to your doctor!
- gbog 15y ago
  If you commute by bike, the longer the best...
chugger 15y ago
I use to not eat breakfast everyday for 18+ years. it was something I just didn't do. It wasn't until 2 years ago that I started feeling the effects: chronic fatigue, I was always feeling lethargic, etc. eating breakfast changed everything (a healthy diet really). Check out this book about Willpower and the role of glucose. http://www.amazon.com/Willpower-Rediscovering-Greatest-Human-Strength/dp/1594203075 http://www.amazon.com/Willpower-Rediscovering-Greatest-Human...
- Evgeny 15y ago
  Well I'm not eating breakfast quite often and it does not affect me in any negative way - more like the opposite. If it took you 18+ years to feel negative effects of not having breakfast, I would probably check any other changes that happened recently first. As a counter argument, here's a couple of links on why you should not eat breakfast, but feel free to disagree. http://www.gnolls.org/2131/the-breakfast-myth-part-1/ http://www.gnolls.org/2131/the-breakfast-myth-part-1/ http://www.gnolls.org/2181/the-breakfast-myth-part-2-the-art-and-science-of-not-eating-breakfast/ http://www.gnolls.org/2181/the-breakfast-myth-part-2-the-art...
fleitz 15y ago
Couldn't agree more on this, throw out your alarm clock, it's killing you. Remove stress from your life, take a shotgun to stress and refuse to accept stressful situations / people. I've lost 100 lbs in the last three years, here's how and how much weight I lost (I tend to have long plateaus). I started on Nov 25, 2008: 285 lbs Nov, 08: First Step, got Divorced: Lost 10 lbs - 275 lbs Jan, 09: Job tells me I have to be in at 9 am or will be fired. Gained 10 lbs - back at 285 Mar, 09: Haven't really been in by 9am, hand in my resignation as part of the earlier agreement. Lost 10 lbs - 275 Apr, 09: Job agrees that I can come in when I'm well-rested. Lost 10 lbs - 265 Aug, 09: Burning Man Lost 15 lbs - 250 Sep, 09 - Jan '10: Start seriously cutting refined fructose Lost 10 lbs - 240 Jun, 10 - The 30 people they hired to rewrite my code are finally done, I get fired. Lost 5 lbs - 235 This is the point at which I really start losing weight as I'm sleeping much more naturally Jun, 10 - Mar, 11 - Sleeping completely naturally and start cooking all my meals Lose 15 lbs - 220 Mar, 11 - Startup Bus - Having a blast helps! Lost 10 lbs - 210 Jun - Jul, 11 - Spend two months in SF, eating mainly homemade veg tacos (walking more) Lost 10 lbs - 200 Jul - Aug, 11 - Get back from SF, get an office downtown, start trying to get in by 9am. Gain 10 lbs - 210 Aug, 11 - Now - Give up on 9am, walking more, eating a little more veg Lost 20 lbs - 190 Pretty much everything that's led to weight loss for me has been all about enjoying life and cutting stress. Small improvements to diet and exercise as well but I don't go to the gym or stick to any sort of diet plan.
- palish 15y ago
  I don't really understand why fat people are so... well, upset at being fat. What I mean is, I would personally be OK with myself if I were 285lbs. Ok, this comment isn't really coming across very well. What I'm saying is, at worst, being fat would only shave ~20 years off my life expectancy. Since I don't want to live until I'm 70 anyway, I'd personally be happy with a ~50 year total life expectancy. I don't care what other people think of me. I don't need to run, ever. If I'm hungry, I eat. Thus I enjoy life. So I just don't understand why fat people have this desire to be skinny. Does it really just come down to... well, wanting people to think of you as attractive? (Caring what other people think of you.) I'm asking an honest question here, so I hope people won't skewer me for it. But since it's an interesting question, I'll eat the inevitable karma loss.
melloclello 15y ago
I just recently suffered a terrific burnout at the end of the university semester. Forcing myself to take a couple of days off to just hit the painkillers and play Minecraft is one of the most sensible things I've done for my health in recent times.
softbuilder 15y ago
A Jim Jones quote??
- thyrsus 15y ago
  I wasn't familiar with the quote, so I wondered: "that Jim Jones?". Apparently so. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/jimjones389862.html http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/jimjones389862.ht... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Jones http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Jones
elguntor 15y ago
Why quote a psychotic like Jim Jones?
nhangen 15y ago
How does Zen Habits keep making it to the top of HN?
- ethank 15y ago
  Why are you on a computer at 9:30PM PST on a Saturday night? Probably because balance is something we all should aspire to?
  - nhangen 15y ago
    My problem isn't with balance, but with the source of the information.
EponymousCoward 15y ago
"Feeling tired? Drink this Koolaid." - Jim Jones
eurohacker 15y ago
80 thousand twitter followers is not bad for a blogger
DanBC 15y ago
I went through a period of being tired all the time - so tired that I found it hard to stay awake in the afternoons. And close friends would mention that I looked like I was putting on weight. I felt confused most of the time. It was lousy. Turns out it was a thyroid problem combined with myxodema (water retention on the face). My GP diagnosed it after blood tests. Now I'm on life long medication and I have yearly blood tests -but the fat-face has gone, and I feel normal. Also, I get all my prescriptions free. (I'm in the UK.)
eric_t 15y ago
Sounds great, until you have kids...
- Rawsock 15y ago
  That doesn't seems like an issue for the OP. Leo Babauta has six kids.
  - eric_t 15y ago
    If your kids are toddler-age and older, it is certainly possible. But when you have babies, I consider step 1 impossible. I do all of the steps he mentions except number 1, and I am tired.
skcin7 15y ago
Sorta/kinda relevant: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nncY-MA1Iu8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nncY-MA1Iu8 It's a TED talk about a woman claiming that sleep is the secret to success. (I only sorta/kinda agree with her but it's still an interesting point of view to consider)
oomkiller 15y ago
These are all good tips, but you should also watch out for sleep apnea. Its incidence increases the more overweight you are, and it's a silent killer.
TelmoMenezes 15y ago
"By the time afternoon rolls around, you’re in caffeine withdrawal. This is often why people are sapped by mid-afternoon." In my experience this has a lot more to do with carbs-heavy lunches than caffeine.
tluyben2 15y ago
I travel between 3 countries, one of which is Spain. It really makes life a lot better; in the south of Spain people are so incredibly more relaxed that you first get frustrated with that, but rapidly take over that life style as being frustrated doesn't make much sense. Example: you can be in the supermarket, in a queue behind the cash register and no-one sitting there. You look outside and he/she is standing talking with the neighbor. 10 people in front of you waiting. The foreigners/vacation goers sighing, grunting, annoying and just going away after a while, the people who live here just talking. Doesn't matter if it takes 1 minute or 2 hours. People don't care. And yes they have jobs, but it's so ingrained to work like that... Another example; you're driving on a one car road and suddenly end up in a jam, you check what it is ; someone is standing still and talking to someone. No honking, people shut their engine and go talk to each other. This way of life makes you realize what kind of crazy stuff we are doing 'up north'; like every second matters. It does, but not for work. For work, really very little matters. Your clients can wait for a bit. That site that 'must go live tomorrow' really doesn't have to go live tomorrow in almost all cases. If you live 3 months/year in Spain, you'll be well rested and viewing the world more for what's important which are things like rest, your family (however configured), your friends, eating and making quality food, hobbies, and telling people to fuck off for trying to stress you out. No amount money is worth wrecking your health over and in some cultures they know that; we seem to have forgotten.
- 0x12 15y ago
  This is all very true. But there is one big but. If you live like that you yourself will have it easy, but the economy as a whole will suffer and the weak in society will suffer disproportionally. The further South you go in Europe, the stronger this effect gets. http://www.eyeonspain.com/blogs/SpanishBusinessNews/4527/quarter-of-spanish-children-at-risk-of-poverty-unicef.aspx http://www.eyeonspain.com/blogs/SpanishBusinessNews/4527/qua... Articles like that are not capable of conveying the differences between Spain, Portugal, Italy, Romania and Greece and the more Northern parts of Europe but after traveling through most of those this summer I've seen the other side of that medal and the price of the 'laid back' Southern attitude is one that has become very visible to me.
  - 15y ago
kstenerud 15y ago
"By the time afternoon rolls around, you’re in caffeine withdrawal. This is often why people are sapped by mid-afternoon." Actually, no. You feel sapped in the afternoon because you need a 15-20 minute nap. That's normal. Take the nap and you'll feel energized for the rest of the day.
- lemming 15y ago
  Actually, yes. I gave up coffee about a year ago, during a pretty stressful period during which I wasn't sleeping well. It is unbelievable how much better I sleep (and I seriously believed that it didn't affect me), and the second thing I notice is that I'm no longer tired in the afternoon.
  - kstenerud 15y ago
    Conversely, I've never drunk coffee, or red bull, or genki drinks or any of that stuff, only drink tea on social occasions, and gave up soft drinks a decade ago. I eat right and am active. And yet I often find myself feeling groggy in the afternoon. But if I manage to get in a 15 minute nap, I'm energized for the rest of the day. This effect is backed by numerous medical studies.
gutini 15y ago
"Be less busy. Seriously, we’re too busy these days. Cut back on commitments, put space between things, allow yourself to have a slower pace. Your energy levels will thank you." I think the key here is not to fill the "space" with directionless Internet/Twitter/Hacker News perusing. Easier said than done.
deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
aj700 15y ago
He's ignoring the main reason why Britain and America are so pro-work and anti-rest, and why Italy and Spain aren't. (It's also the reason why the med is comfortable with nudity and the Anglosphere isn't) Protestant ascetic work ethic: no pleasure is allowed. first toil then the grave. The med is Catholic, and so far more comfortable with resting.
fady 15y ago
good article, but it left out a major factor. food. eating right is so important for energy. i went from normal everyday lebanese food to eating mostly high raw vegan foods and i cannot get enough day for the energy i have. i'm never tired in the afternoon, i don't drink coffee, i get most my protein from spirulina, and i juice every day. drinking a lot of water is super important as his mentions, but, try to drink 1-2 liters before when you wake, before anything else goes down your throat and you will noticed a drastic change in your body.

186 points by Sato 15y ago

Exercise and allowing myself, which is SO difficult, to take that afternoon power nap has saved me. I find an extreme amount of gilt when I attempt to force myself into that afternoon power nap, but when I do, and wake up afterwards, I'm 100 times more productive than I ever was before, or if I had skipped it.

cheald 15y ago

One of the biggest changes in my life when I left my job to work on my startup was the freedom to not be pinned in a chair from 8 AM-5PM. If I get tired, I go take a nap. If I get stiff and sore, I go for a walk. If I can't think, I go do something else. The net result is that I'm able to be productive 100% of the time that I actually am working, and I can work more than I could otherwise, if so needed. If you have the luxury to set your schedule, listen to your body, do what it asks, and you'll find yourself operating much more smoothly than you're used to.

dos1 15y ago

I cannot stress how much I agree about exercise. About 6 years ago I started going to the gym regularly* and lifting. That was really one of the best single changes I've made in my life. I feel more energized during the day (no more coffee!) and I feel like my mental acuity is higher. My memory seems better and I'm generally in a much better mood (partly because I look so much more fit!) * When I say regularly, I mean I went every other day for 6 months without missing a workout. I made it a high priority. After 6 months of that, I felt so guilty if I missed a workout that I've more or less continued that schedule for the last 5.5 years.

Swizec 15y ago
It's even better when it becomes a habit and you don't feel guilty for missing a workout. You feel like you haven't brushed your teeth in the morning. I'm there right now. Until I get my 30 minutes of workout in the morning, I just feel wrong. I can't really explain it, but it's enough to get me working out even when I had been partying until 5am, slept for 3 hours, have a hangover and feel like I'll die if I even try getting out of bed.
lywald 15y ago
One year ago I was tired all the time, couldn't get anything done, had to lay on my bed every hour, ect... And it totally disappeared since everyday I have to walk fast one hour total between uni and my place, instead of commuting. People who don't exercise at all are missing out on something. Now I can procrastinate fully awake.
vl 15y ago
For me tipping point was having gym right in the next building - when I started to work for the company that has gym on site (you can guess which company is that), I was just so easy tongo and exercise after work without extra hassle. I alway had gym membership, but proximity really makes it low barrier to actually exercise regularly. I now workout at least 2 times a week, often 3. When we were discussing gym choice for my wife, my suggestion was "the one right across from your office, walking distance makes all the difference".

courtneypowell 15y ago

I agree that working out is essential, but I believe that putting the right type of food in your body is equally important. For many people, decreasing the amount of carbohydrates after breakfast can provide enormous energy gains. I recommend reading Tim Ferris' 4 Hour Body for some interesting advice on diet, exercise and a very detailed chapter on sleep.

wvl 15y ago
After breakfast? I would include breakfast as well. My energy levels after a breakfast of bacon and eggs is far steadier than after any breakfast cereals, toast, muffins, pastries, etc. Avoiding any large carb intake (post workout _possibly_ excepted) is key to steady energy levels. For a more rational book, try Robb Wolf's "The Paleo Solution", which also has an extensive chapter on sleep and cortisol management.
- courtneypowell 15y ago
  Obviously this varies person by person. In my own personal experience, I have found that eating carbs in the morning (a reasonable amount) allows me to have a much stronger workout. When I eat NO carbs, it makes it too difficult to maintain a moderate to intense workout schedule. I liked Paleo as well, but I liked Ferris' attempt to look at the "whole body".
  - brdrak 15y ago
    I agree, I think carbs have gotten a bad rep unfairly. IMO, people should a lot more good carbs. http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/carbohydrates/ http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-...
  - dredmorbius 15y ago
    If you are indeed engaging in significant activity, then the carbs will help. I have sedentary job (technical) but get in a good couple of hours at the gym most days. Keeping carbs moderated keeps the fat in check, but cutting it too low make intense cardio and strength training very challenging (and less productive).

sage_joch 15y ago

That proverb at the beginning is great ("A man grows most tired while standing still."). It reminds me of the quote, "If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it."

sliverstorm 15y ago
Which reminds me of the quote, "If you have a difficult task, give it to a lazy man, for he will find an easier way to do it"
- huckfinnaafb 15y ago
  Of course he might not do it at all.
  - Bootvis 15y ago
    I try, as in make a concerted effort, to be both.

chr15 15y ago

Depression may be another reason one feels tired all the time. Proper diet and exercise helps, but it's best to seek medical attention.

stephen789 15y ago

What are your metrics for this kinda thing? Tiredness and productivity seem like very subjective things, hard to measure. Don't get me wrong, there's some good points there, that aren't hard to believe. But i'd love to know how i can measure this kind of well being stuff so i can better myself. * as the saying goes, "what gets measured is what gets improved"

jacques_chester 15y ago
I believe that NASA and aviation researchers developed fatigue tests some time ago. There's also discrimination-timing tests. For example, if the object on the screen is a blue circle, press the right side shift; if it's a red square press left side. Reaction time is used as the indicator. But these are only proxies for what is, after all, a largely subjective experience. You will necessarily need to rely on measuring inputs (hours of sleep, caffeine consumed, exercise length and intensity) and using subjective measures for outputs (a bit slow, tired, very tired, exhausted).

latch 15y ago

Just gonna say this outright... I've seen colleagues who are constantly on the verge of falling asleep and the common thread has always been that they are fat. 3+1 guide to productivity: Exercise, Eating Right, Sleeping Enough, and, as a bonus, no long commutes.

prodigal_erik 15y ago
There's a pretty high (but not perfect) correlation between obesity and sleep apnea, which I think is under-diagnosed because a sleep study is kind of an expensive hassle.
- WalterGR 15y ago
  which I think is under-diagnosed because a sleep study is kind of an expensive hassle. And I think it's also under-diagnosed because of that correlation. I "have a friend" who is of normal weight, and who also doesn't snore and is young (2 other anti-correlates.) This friend struggled his entire life with sleep issues and blamed it on laziness. It wasn't until it was affecting his career that he had a sleep study - and it turns out he stops breathing 60 times an hour. (That doesn't make for especially restorative sleep.) If you have sleep issues despite making an effort to have good sleep hygiene etc. - talk to your doctor!
gbog 15y ago
If you commute by bike, the longer the best...

chugger 15y ago

I use to not eat breakfast everyday for 18+ years. it was something I just didn't do. It wasn't until 2 years ago that I started feeling the effects: chronic fatigue, I was always feeling lethargic, etc. eating breakfast changed everything (a healthy diet really). Check out this book about Willpower and the role of glucose. http://www.amazon.com/Willpower-Rediscovering-Greatest-Human-Strength/dp/1594203075 http://www.amazon.com/Willpower-Rediscovering-Greatest-Human...

Evgeny 15y ago
Well I'm not eating breakfast quite often and it does not affect me in any negative way - more like the opposite. If it took you 18+ years to feel negative effects of not having breakfast, I would probably check any other changes that happened recently first. As a counter argument, here's a couple of links on why you should not eat breakfast, but feel free to disagree. http://www.gnolls.org/2131/the-breakfast-myth-part-1/ http://www.gnolls.org/2131/the-breakfast-myth-part-1/ http://www.gnolls.org/2181/the-breakfast-myth-part-2-the-art-and-science-of-not-eating-breakfast/ http://www.gnolls.org/2181/the-breakfast-myth-part-2-the-art...

fleitz 15y ago

Couldn't agree more on this, throw out your alarm clock, it's killing you. Remove stress from your life, take a shotgun to stress and refuse to accept stressful situations / people. I've lost 100 lbs in the last three years, here's how and how much weight I lost (I tend to have long plateaus). I started on Nov 25, 2008: 285 lbs Nov, 08: First Step, got Divorced: Lost 10 lbs - 275 lbs Jan, 09: Job tells me I have to be in at 9 am or will be fired. Gained 10 lbs - back at 285 Mar, 09: Haven't really been in by 9am, hand in my resignation as part of the earlier agreement. Lost 10 lbs - 275 Apr, 09: Job agrees that I can come in when I'm well-rested. Lost 10 lbs - 265 Aug, 09: Burning Man Lost 15 lbs - 250 Sep, 09 - Jan '10: Start seriously cutting refined fructose Lost 10 lbs - 240 Jun, 10 - The 30 people they hired to rewrite my code are finally done, I get fired. Lost 5 lbs - 235 This is the point at which I really start losing weight as I'm sleeping much more naturally Jun, 10 - Mar, 11 - Sleeping completely naturally and start cooking all my meals Lose 15 lbs - 220 Mar, 11 - Startup Bus - Having a blast helps! Lost 10 lbs - 210 Jun - Jul, 11 - Spend two months in SF, eating mainly homemade veg tacos (walking more) Lost 10 lbs - 200 Jul - Aug, 11 - Get back from SF, get an office downtown, start trying to get in by 9am. Gain 10 lbs - 210 Aug, 11 - Now - Give up on 9am, walking more, eating a little more veg Lost 20 lbs - 190 Pretty much everything that's led to weight loss for me has been all about enjoying life and cutting stress. Small improvements to diet and exercise as well but I don't go to the gym or stick to any sort of diet plan.

palish 15y ago
I don't really understand why fat people are so... well, upset at being fat. What I mean is, I would personally be OK with myself if I were 285lbs. Ok, this comment isn't really coming across very well. What I'm saying is, at worst, being fat would only shave ~20 years off my life expectancy. Since I don't want to live until I'm 70 anyway, I'd personally be happy with a ~50 year total life expectancy. I don't care what other people think of me. I don't need to run, ever. If I'm hungry, I eat. Thus I enjoy life. So I just don't understand why fat people have this desire to be skinny. Does it really just come down to... well, wanting people to think of you as attractive? (Caring what other people think of you.) I'm asking an honest question here, so I hope people won't skewer me for it. But since it's an interesting question, I'll eat the inevitable karma loss.

melloclello 15y ago

I just recently suffered a terrific burnout at the end of the university semester. Forcing myself to take a couple of days off to just hit the painkillers and play Minecraft is one of the most sensible things I've done for my health in recent times.

softbuilder 15y ago

A Jim Jones quote??

thyrsus 15y ago
I wasn't familiar with the quote, so I wondered: "that Jim Jones?". Apparently so. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/jimjones389862.html http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/jimjones389862.ht... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Jones http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Jones

elguntor 15y ago

Why quote a psychotic like Jim Jones?

nhangen 15y ago

How does Zen Habits keep making it to the top of HN?

ethank 15y ago
Why are you on a computer at 9:30PM PST on a Saturday night? Probably because balance is something we all should aspire to?
- nhangen 15y ago
  My problem isn't with balance, but with the source of the information.

EponymousCoward 15y ago

"Feeling tired? Drink this Koolaid." - Jim Jones

eurohacker 15y ago

80 thousand twitter followers is not bad for a blogger

DanBC 15y ago

I went through a period of being tired all the time - so tired that I found it hard to stay awake in the afternoons. And close friends would mention that I looked like I was putting on weight. I felt confused most of the time. It was lousy. Turns out it was a thyroid problem combined with myxodema (water retention on the face). My GP diagnosed it after blood tests. Now I'm on life long medication and I have yearly blood tests -but the fat-face has gone, and I feel normal. Also, I get all my prescriptions free. (I'm in the UK.)

eric_t 15y ago

Sounds great, until you have kids...

Rawsock 15y ago
That doesn't seems like an issue for the OP. Leo Babauta has six kids.
- eric_t 15y ago
  If your kids are toddler-age and older, it is certainly possible. But when you have babies, I consider step 1 impossible. I do all of the steps he mentions except number 1, and I am tired.

skcin7 15y ago

Sorta/kinda relevant: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nncY-MA1Iu8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nncY-MA1Iu8 It's a TED talk about a woman claiming that sleep is the secret to success. (I only sorta/kinda agree with her but it's still an interesting point of view to consider)

oomkiller 15y ago

These are all good tips, but you should also watch out for sleep apnea. Its incidence increases the more overweight you are, and it's a silent killer.

TelmoMenezes 15y ago

"By the time afternoon rolls around, you’re in caffeine withdrawal. This is often why people are sapped by mid-afternoon." In my experience this has a lot more to do with carbs-heavy lunches than caffeine.

tluyben2 15y ago

I travel between 3 countries, one of which is Spain. It really makes life a lot better; in the south of Spain people are so incredibly more relaxed that you first get frustrated with that, but rapidly take over that life style as being frustrated doesn't make much sense. Example: you can be in the supermarket, in a queue behind the cash register and no-one sitting there. You look outside and he/she is standing talking with the neighbor. 10 people in front of you waiting. The foreigners/vacation goers sighing, grunting, annoying and just going away after a while, the people who live here just talking. Doesn't matter if it takes 1 minute or 2 hours. People don't care. And yes they have jobs, but it's so ingrained to work like that... Another example; you're driving on a one car road and suddenly end up in a jam, you check what it is ; someone is standing still and talking to someone. No honking, people shut their engine and go talk to each other. This way of life makes you realize what kind of crazy stuff we are doing 'up north'; like every second matters. It does, but not for work. For work, really very little matters. Your clients can wait for a bit. That site that 'must go live tomorrow' really doesn't have to go live tomorrow in almost all cases. If you live 3 months/year in Spain, you'll be well rested and viewing the world more for what's important which are things like rest, your family (however configured), your friends, eating and making quality food, hobbies, and telling people to fuck off for trying to stress you out. No amount money is worth wrecking your health over and in some cultures they know that; we seem to have forgotten.

0x12 15y ago
This is all very true. But there is one big but. If you live like that you yourself will have it easy, but the economy as a whole will suffer and the weak in society will suffer disproportionally. The further South you go in Europe, the stronger this effect gets. http://www.eyeonspain.com/blogs/SpanishBusinessNews/4527/quarter-of-spanish-children-at-risk-of-poverty-unicef.aspx http://www.eyeonspain.com/blogs/SpanishBusinessNews/4527/qua... Articles like that are not capable of conveying the differences between Spain, Portugal, Italy, Romania and Greece and the more Northern parts of Europe but after traveling through most of those this summer I've seen the other side of that medal and the price of the 'laid back' Southern attitude is one that has become very visible to me.
- 15y ago

kstenerud 15y ago

"By the time afternoon rolls around, you’re in caffeine withdrawal. This is often why people are sapped by mid-afternoon." Actually, no. You feel sapped in the afternoon because you need a 15-20 minute nap. That's normal. Take the nap and you'll feel energized for the rest of the day.

lemming 15y ago
Actually, yes. I gave up coffee about a year ago, during a pretty stressful period during which I wasn't sleeping well. It is unbelievable how much better I sleep (and I seriously believed that it didn't affect me), and the second thing I notice is that I'm no longer tired in the afternoon.
- kstenerud 15y ago
  Conversely, I've never drunk coffee, or red bull, or genki drinks or any of that stuff, only drink tea on social occasions, and gave up soft drinks a decade ago. I eat right and am active. And yet I often find myself feeling groggy in the afternoon. But if I manage to get in a 15 minute nap, I'm energized for the rest of the day. This effect is backed by numerous medical studies.

gutini 15y ago

"Be less busy. Seriously, we’re too busy these days. Cut back on commitments, put space between things, allow yourself to have a slower pace. Your energy levels will thank you." I think the key here is not to fill the "space" with directionless Internet/Twitter/Hacker News perusing. Easier said than done.

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

aj700 15y ago

He's ignoring the main reason why Britain and America are so pro-work and anti-rest, and why Italy and Spain aren't. (It's also the reason why the med is comfortable with nudity and the Anglosphere isn't) Protestant ascetic work ethic: no pleasure is allowed. first toil then the grave. The med is Catholic, and so far more comfortable with resting.

fady 15y ago

good article, but it left out a major factor. food. eating right is so important for energy. i went from normal everyday lebanese food to eating mostly high raw vegan foods and i cannot get enough day for the energy i have. i'm never tired in the afternoon, i don't drink coffee, i get most my protein from spirulina, and i juice every day. drinking a lot of water is super important as his mentions, but, try to drink 1-2 liters before when you wake, before anything else goes down your throat and you will noticed a drastic change in your body.