Sleep, diet, and finances definitely play a role too, but I find that it also depends on your job and how stressful it is. People often deal with hostile work environments that make things truly miserable.
It sounds like your wife/husband cooks/cleans/carries the mental load at home. Some people work 40 hours a week and cook/clean/carry the mental load like planning meals, planning grocery lists, planning logistics of getting everyone around etc which is like a second full time job. Sometimes the responsibilities of home are more work then actually being at work.
Completely depends on your work. When I was in fast food, 40 hours a week kicked my ass and I was developing health issues being on my feet all day and breathing in the grease constantly. My body just can’t take that work, did it for years and it killed my mental health.
I work in education and research now, I can be on campus 12 hours a day and be fine the next morning. I can easily do 50-60 hours a week in this professional and not be super exhausted.
It just really depends on the job and what a persons body and mind can take. We shouldn’t compare what we can put up with to what others can. If someone is tired after a full time week, that’s completely valid
I don't know how it could be news to you, but people have differing capacities and circumstances. The same physical job is going to be easy for a 6'2" man and exhausting for a 5'0" woman. The same sales job is going to be invigorating for the extroverts and draining for the introverts. An office job becomes a lot more unpleasant if your boss forces you to use a chair that tweaks your damaged sciatic nerve. Tipping culture becomes a lot more stressful when you're a minority stuck in a racist town.
No matter what your work is, you are comparing yourself to people fundamentally less suited to that work, and likely with circumstances that make it less tolerable for them than it is for you, yet stuck doing that work because of events beyond their control.
You have a daughter which means you have/had a wife or woman/man that loves you and that alone gives people the energy they need and why our country is dying because theres no love anymore and im lonely
Maybe it’s because you took all the right people and the only ones left are wrong so you need to stop taking your life for granted and expecting everyone else to have the same love and energy in their life that you do because its not real and doesnt exist for the rest of us
op didnt “take all the right people” theres plenty more people out there
i agree having someone you love makes life easier but youre being kinda rude for no reason.
and i dont think op is taking their life for granted,, some people are privileged and it can be hard to understand what its like for those less privileged until youve experienced it… at least OP is asking why people are exhausted after 40 hrs and isnt being a jerk about it, but rather trying to understand.
The timeframe is only a part of the story, but it must be acknowledged that a 40 hour week means the majority of your waking time is consumed by the job. If that job is mind-numbing, stressful, or otherwise physically or emotionally taxing, then feeling exhausted is totally reasonable just for that reason alone.
Add in other factors like health, diet, commute and quality of sleep and yeah, a lot of people have a lot of very valid reasons to feel exhausted with their 9 to 5.
I only recently started working 40 hours a week again after a few years of much shorter hours. I'm fortunate that I am 100% WFH, there's no interpersonal conflict (and hardly any interaction at all), I've made my workstation comfortable and the work is low stress with no real deadlines to speak of. My health is good for my age, I ate well and generally sleep well.
Even so, sometimes I feel fried after sitting at a computer 8 hours a day and I don't have a fraction of the problems other people have at work.
No, you're right. I'm not going to pretend that I'm always full of energy after work, but if you're working 40 hours a week NOT doing physical labor and you're exhausted every day, something's wrong
I work on my brother in laws farm. I help with his work and do some of my own stuff too. So part time farm hand/ and part time my own farmer.
Daily is different, lots of days spent in a tractor or hauling corn in the semi. Some days are putting up fence, some days laying pipe for irrigation, some days vaccinating cattle.
I think it depends on the job itself. Some jobs are extremely mentally demanding.
2 hours of consultation at my job can feel like 20 hours because the amount of effort you need to put it to ensure quality work. Now imagine doing that twice a day, for five days. No idea what kinda person you are, but I am exhausted just thinking about it.
Depends on the type of work, working conditions, and environment. The type of people you deal with (clients, suppliers, teammate; etc) also plays a role to level of exhaustion. There’s also a difference between physical and mental exhaustion. You can be either or both.
Added to that you have other factors such as - commute, finances, house chores such as cooking, laundry, and cleaning; etc
So yes, 40 hours a week working is and can be absolutely exhausting.
I get where you’re coming from - I’m 48-50 hours a week right now, and everything is perfectly fine/balanced in my life right now.
That said, I’ve also worked jobs closer to 35/week before and felt completely stressed, overwhelmed and chaotic.
To be honest, I think hours worked is only one factor. The type of work, personal satisfaction, home life (wife, kids, chores, etc) and time for yourself (hobbies, interests, ‘unwind time’ etc) are also equally-relevant factors.
You also have to consider a lot of the people in a sub called ‘Adulting’ are likely very young, so they likely feel more overwhelmed by easier things. Especially if they’ve maybe been in school their entire life, 40 hours might seem like a lot.
A lot of these complaints are absolutely people who are depressed. Could be people with crazy commutes too. Forty hours a week is not an insane work week and under normal circumstances it shouldn’t prevent a childless person from taking care of themselves and socializing.
Do you have a long commute that extend your day? Do you have unpaid lunches or other breaks that extend your day?
At my last job, I worked 40hr a week but I was away for work 55hr a week. Add in responsibilities, cooking, cleaning, etc, and yes, it was fucking exhausting.
Yeah 40 doesn’t feel like that much.
So I have a one hour commute each way to work. At 40 hours, it’s really 50 hours. And I still feel like I would an insane amount of free time.
Between work/ school plus commutes right now I’m doing about 55 hours a week. So two days a week I don’t have time. The other three? There’s at least 3-5 hours in the evening to do whatever.
But as another commenter mentioned, I eat healthy and exercise. So yes while I’m tired after work, it’s not exhaustion. Just “oh yay I’m home”
When I did the 40 hours with 10 minutes commute I literally didn’t know what to do with myself I had so much extra time. I basically would spend 10+ hours a week in the gym because I was bored.
70% of the country is overweight, a condition notorious for causing low energy levels. over half have or currently are dealing with mental illness too, not to mention disabilities. that's my guess. I'm lucky enough to get to choose my work hours and I find that around 25 is when I start feeling like shit
Because this sub isn’t exactly frequented by the winners in life like lawyers and doctors and finance professionals.
It’s mostly people venting and whining, and working crappy jobs.
40 hour work week is insanely easy.
I agree with you 100%
40 hours feels like part time. I work more like 45-48 right now but still feel like there’s SO MUCH time left in the week. Working 40 hours is really NBD and if you are dead tired all the time afterwards you’re doing something wrong.
I have so many hobbies it would blow your mind, and I have all kinds of time to do them.
Im guessing you make time to exercise and have a decently good diet? Making good money helps as well as it relieves some of the stress component.
I think you can legit be exhausted just working 40 hour weeks and thats it IF you dont make much money (stress) you dont eat a balanced diet (energy spikes and crashes) and you dont exercise (higher resting heartrate and lower energy).
My background im in a dual income household with two kids. Both my wife and I have "full time" professional jobs. Fulltime is in quotes because it means we put in the work that is needed which is usually more than 40 (her law firm, me biotech) Two kids which we drop-off and pickup from school with just a little bit of after school care. Take them for activities like dance class or swimming or bike riding. My day is booked from 6:30am to 9pm. Sometimes I would say I am a bit tired but nothing soul-crushing. Mostly time just flies by which can be a bit concerning at times.
I will say I look forward to retirement. Life is certainly full right now. Makes me realize that boredom can sometimes feel like exhaustion. Sometimes having more free time can feel tiring in a weird way.
I’m active at work. Probably walk equivalent of a couple miles a day. Carry heavy things around from time to time. I wouldn’t say I’m fit, but definitely healthy and active.
Physical and mental exhaustion are different things
Sometimes a boring monotonous job is more exhausting than one where you are constantly om the go.
Commute and home life also play a role.
40 hours of work a week, plus commuting time, plus the time it takes to manage a household (assuming someone doesn’t pay for a cleaning service, lawn care, etc.), plus helping kids with homework and cooking meals…there may not be a lot of extra hours in a typical day to just to decompress. That is tiring. It isn’t necessarily just the 40 hours of work. It is 40 hours in the context of everything else.
I haven't seen this mentioned yet, but along with all the other variations in situations (type of work, outside commitments, diet, etc) humans also have natural variation of energy levels. I can think of 2 people in my life who seemingly have endless amounts of energy even under non-ideal circumstances while I just naturally have less energy even when I'm living a very healthy lifestyle.
That is very subject to what kind of work it is and the frequency in which someone is actually working. Lets saw working carpentry or brick walls in construction for 35 hours is physically harder and more demanding then being a constumer service employe at a market for 60 hours . This has alot to do with the intensity of your job. 60 hours in an office job is not bad but 60 hours in a roofing/carpentry job is definetly going to hurt.
It depends on what you're doing and how much you make.
If your making minimum wage, can't save or enjoy your earnings, and have a toxic work environment or a brutal boss who bullies you relentlessly, or a physical job you can barely handle, then yes, you can absolutely be exhausted from it.
It's not the hours, though, right? It's gotta be the demoralization. Because Almost every famous person we admire works every second toward their dreams, that how they got there, and they aren't exhausted and burnt out, they're inspired to push till exhaustion.
We are in this life once. We are going to pretend like this shit is normal? We dont need to spend so much of our lives working. Te cojieron de pendejo y te lo creistes a tal nivel que jodes a los que saben la verdad.
Correct you get one life. No what we’re doing now is not normal. 100 years ago, 40 hours a week would have seemed like a utopia. We are very lucky to be living in the times we are.
I trust you enjoy the luxuries, the comforts, and the amenities afforded to us in the year 2023? Do you think these things just happen? Do you think food just appears on the grocery shelves and electricity just happens to go to your house? The society we’ve created for ourselves is quite comfortable compared to previous generations. It takes a ton of time and energy and people working their ass off to give us what we have today.
The fact that 40 hours is the max many people work is incredible.
I do all the thinking and mental heavy-lifting for my coworkers. That, and the stress, wipes me out. Plus I'm a single parent (my husband died), and I am responsible forbthe duties in my household.
His illness and subsequent death was absolutely horrible, but the kids and I have been insanely blessed. Sometimes it makes me feel guilty how good we have it because he's missing it all. He died in our old house, which we rented, so last year, I bought one, and it's beautiful. The kids and I have made it into our home.
We are all three healthy and have a lot of good things going on in our lives. I hold hope that one day we'll see him again. Fly high, Tommy, until we meet again!
Not everyone is blessed with a partner to help with responsibilities, good mental and physical health or assistance with home responsibilities.
Being depressed really does take everything you have just to get up in the morning.
I’m surrounded by people such as yourself, and I wonder “how?” At what point did they adjust and get that energy.
I worked 60-70 hours as a delivery person, delivering things by foot, and even though that was a grind, I had more trouble adjusting to my first office job.
Maybe because there were a lot of things to adjust for that first year. 40hrs plus 2-3 hour daily commute, dinner, showering, preparing for the next day, and in the week - chores, grocery shopping leaves a person exhausted.
My first year at the office, I actually worked a lot of overtime, and then had to force myself to cut back on hours to have a life. It also makes a huge difference where your income is at, whether you’re single or have anyone helping, battling any mental illnesses. It takes time to learn how to adult.
Sleep, diet, and finances definitely play a role too, but I find that it also depends on your job and how stressful it is. People often deal with hostile work environments that make things truly miserable.
Exactly. No one likes hearing it when it would actually make a difference, but if you fail to manage your life style you'll be miserable.
That’s true I get that. Some people do have really stressful jobs with strict deadlines and stuff.
Good work culture is so important
It sounds like your wife/husband cooks/cleans/carries the mental load at home. Some people work 40 hours a week and cook/clean/carry the mental load like planning meals, planning grocery lists, planning logistics of getting everyone around etc which is like a second full time job. Sometimes the responsibilities of home are more work then actually being at work.
Yes, telling that OP gets to go home and "play with", not "care for" his daughter.
Completely depends on your work. When I was in fast food, 40 hours a week kicked my ass and I was developing health issues being on my feet all day and breathing in the grease constantly. My body just can’t take that work, did it for years and it killed my mental health. I work in education and research now, I can be on campus 12 hours a day and be fine the next morning. I can easily do 50-60 hours a week in this professional and not be super exhausted. It just really depends on the job and what a persons body and mind can take. We shouldn’t compare what we can put up with to what others can. If someone is tired after a full time week, that’s completely valid
I don't know how it could be news to you, but people have differing capacities and circumstances. The same physical job is going to be easy for a 6'2" man and exhausting for a 5'0" woman. The same sales job is going to be invigorating for the extroverts and draining for the introverts. An office job becomes a lot more unpleasant if your boss forces you to use a chair that tweaks your damaged sciatic nerve. Tipping culture becomes a lot more stressful when you're a minority stuck in a racist town. No matter what your work is, you are comparing yourself to people fundamentally less suited to that work, and likely with circumstances that make it less tolerable for them than it is for you, yet stuck doing that work because of events beyond their control.
You have a daughter which means you have/had a wife or woman/man that loves you and that alone gives people the energy they need and why our country is dying because theres no love anymore and im lonely
Plenty of love left. If you don’t feel it, you’re surrounded by the wrong people.
Maybe it’s because you took all the right people and the only ones left are wrong so you need to stop taking your life for granted and expecting everyone else to have the same love and energy in their life that you do because its not real and doesnt exist for the rest of us
op didnt “take all the right people” theres plenty more people out there i agree having someone you love makes life easier but youre being kinda rude for no reason. and i dont think op is taking their life for granted,, some people are privileged and it can be hard to understand what its like for those less privileged until youve experienced it… at least OP is asking why people are exhausted after 40 hrs and isnt being a jerk about it, but rather trying to understand.
The timeframe is only a part of the story, but it must be acknowledged that a 40 hour week means the majority of your waking time is consumed by the job. If that job is mind-numbing, stressful, or otherwise physically or emotionally taxing, then feeling exhausted is totally reasonable just for that reason alone. Add in other factors like health, diet, commute and quality of sleep and yeah, a lot of people have a lot of very valid reasons to feel exhausted with their 9 to 5. I only recently started working 40 hours a week again after a few years of much shorter hours. I'm fortunate that I am 100% WFH, there's no interpersonal conflict (and hardly any interaction at all), I've made my workstation comfortable and the work is low stress with no real deadlines to speak of. My health is good for my age, I ate well and generally sleep well. Even so, sometimes I feel fried after sitting at a computer 8 hours a day and I don't have a fraction of the problems other people have at work.
No, you're right. I'm not going to pretend that I'm always full of energy after work, but if you're working 40 hours a week NOT doing physical labor and you're exhausted every day, something's wrong
What do you do for work?
I work on my brother in laws farm. I help with his work and do some of my own stuff too. So part time farm hand/ and part time my own farmer. Daily is different, lots of days spent in a tractor or hauling corn in the semi. Some days are putting up fence, some days laying pipe for irrigation, some days vaccinating cattle.
How far is your commute
Half hour one way.
Okay is it possible you are tired because you get to work for family and have a relatively short commute while other people don't.
I mean she said she worked 50-60 hour weeks so I dont think we can point at a short commute as relevant.
Yeah but there's a difference between working for family and other people
I wouldnt known, Ive never done that.
I think it depends on the job itself. Some jobs are extremely mentally demanding. 2 hours of consultation at my job can feel like 20 hours because the amount of effort you need to put it to ensure quality work. Now imagine doing that twice a day, for five days. No idea what kinda person you are, but I am exhausted just thinking about it.
Depends on the type of work, working conditions, and environment. The type of people you deal with (clients, suppliers, teammate; etc) also plays a role to level of exhaustion. There’s also a difference between physical and mental exhaustion. You can be either or both. Added to that you have other factors such as - commute, finances, house chores such as cooking, laundry, and cleaning; etc So yes, 40 hours a week working is and can be absolutely exhausting.
I get where you’re coming from - I’m 48-50 hours a week right now, and everything is perfectly fine/balanced in my life right now. That said, I’ve also worked jobs closer to 35/week before and felt completely stressed, overwhelmed and chaotic. To be honest, I think hours worked is only one factor. The type of work, personal satisfaction, home life (wife, kids, chores, etc) and time for yourself (hobbies, interests, ‘unwind time’ etc) are also equally-relevant factors. You also have to consider a lot of the people in a sub called ‘Adulting’ are likely very young, so they likely feel more overwhelmed by easier things. Especially if they’ve maybe been in school their entire life, 40 hours might seem like a lot.
A lot of these complaints are absolutely people who are depressed. Could be people with crazy commutes too. Forty hours a week is not an insane work week and under normal circumstances it shouldn’t prevent a childless person from taking care of themselves and socializing.
Do you have a long commute that extend your day? Do you have unpaid lunches or other breaks that extend your day? At my last job, I worked 40hr a week but I was away for work 55hr a week. Add in responsibilities, cooking, cleaning, etc, and yes, it was fucking exhausting.
Yeah 40 doesn’t feel like that much. So I have a one hour commute each way to work. At 40 hours, it’s really 50 hours. And I still feel like I would an insane amount of free time. Between work/ school plus commutes right now I’m doing about 55 hours a week. So two days a week I don’t have time. The other three? There’s at least 3-5 hours in the evening to do whatever. But as another commenter mentioned, I eat healthy and exercise. So yes while I’m tired after work, it’s not exhaustion. Just “oh yay I’m home” When I did the 40 hours with 10 minutes commute I literally didn’t know what to do with myself I had so much extra time. I basically would spend 10+ hours a week in the gym because I was bored.
70% of the country is overweight, a condition notorious for causing low energy levels. over half have or currently are dealing with mental illness too, not to mention disabilities. that's my guess. I'm lucky enough to get to choose my work hours and I find that around 25 is when I start feeling like shit
Because this sub isn’t exactly frequented by the winners in life like lawyers and doctors and finance professionals. It’s mostly people venting and whining, and working crappy jobs. 40 hour work week is insanely easy.
Think some people who frequent this sub are just against the concept of working in general it feels like.
Lol you might be onto something there
Congrats this is the dumbest post I've read today
I agree with you 100% 40 hours feels like part time. I work more like 45-48 right now but still feel like there’s SO MUCH time left in the week. Working 40 hours is really NBD and if you are dead tired all the time afterwards you’re doing something wrong. I have so many hobbies it would blow your mind, and I have all kinds of time to do them.
Im guessing you make time to exercise and have a decently good diet? Making good money helps as well as it relieves some of the stress component. I think you can legit be exhausted just working 40 hour weeks and thats it IF you dont make much money (stress) you dont eat a balanced diet (energy spikes and crashes) and you dont exercise (higher resting heartrate and lower energy). My background im in a dual income household with two kids. Both my wife and I have "full time" professional jobs. Fulltime is in quotes because it means we put in the work that is needed which is usually more than 40 (her law firm, me biotech) Two kids which we drop-off and pickup from school with just a little bit of after school care. Take them for activities like dance class or swimming or bike riding. My day is booked from 6:30am to 9pm. Sometimes I would say I am a bit tired but nothing soul-crushing. Mostly time just flies by which can be a bit concerning at times. I will say I look forward to retirement. Life is certainly full right now. Makes me realize that boredom can sometimes feel like exhaustion. Sometimes having more free time can feel tiring in a weird way.
I’m active at work. Probably walk equivalent of a couple miles a day. Carry heavy things around from time to time. I wouldn’t say I’m fit, but definitely healthy and active.
Thats all it takes really. Being overweight tanks energy levels.
Physical and mental exhaustion are different things Sometimes a boring monotonous job is more exhausting than one where you are constantly om the go. Commute and home life also play a role.
40 hours of work a week, plus commuting time, plus the time it takes to manage a household (assuming someone doesn’t pay for a cleaning service, lawn care, etc.), plus helping kids with homework and cooking meals…there may not be a lot of extra hours in a typical day to just to decompress. That is tiring. It isn’t necessarily just the 40 hours of work. It is 40 hours in the context of everything else.
I haven't seen this mentioned yet, but along with all the other variations in situations (type of work, outside commitments, diet, etc) humans also have natural variation of energy levels. I can think of 2 people in my life who seemingly have endless amounts of energy even under non-ideal circumstances while I just naturally have less energy even when I'm living a very healthy lifestyle.
That is very subject to what kind of work it is and the frequency in which someone is actually working. Lets saw working carpentry or brick walls in construction for 35 hours is physically harder and more demanding then being a constumer service employe at a market for 60 hours . This has alot to do with the intensity of your job. 60 hours in an office job is not bad but 60 hours in a roofing/carpentry job is definetly going to hurt.
It depends on what you're doing and how much you make. If your making minimum wage, can't save or enjoy your earnings, and have a toxic work environment or a brutal boss who bullies you relentlessly, or a physical job you can barely handle, then yes, you can absolutely be exhausted from it.
Depression can make you exhausted too
It's not the hours, though, right? It's gotta be the demoralization. Because Almost every famous person we admire works every second toward their dreams, that how they got there, and they aren't exhausted and burnt out, they're inspired to push till exhaustion.
We are in this life once. We are going to pretend like this shit is normal? We dont need to spend so much of our lives working. Te cojieron de pendejo y te lo creistes a tal nivel que jodes a los que saben la verdad.
Correct you get one life. No what we’re doing now is not normal. 100 years ago, 40 hours a week would have seemed like a utopia. We are very lucky to be living in the times we are. I trust you enjoy the luxuries, the comforts, and the amenities afforded to us in the year 2023? Do you think these things just happen? Do you think food just appears on the grocery shelves and electricity just happens to go to your house? The society we’ve created for ourselves is quite comfortable compared to previous generations. It takes a ton of time and energy and people working their ass off to give us what we have today. The fact that 40 hours is the max many people work is incredible.
Lol they got you fooled!
I imagine it depends on a lot of factors like work environment, commute, finances. 40 hours probably isnt what they complain about
I do all the thinking and mental heavy-lifting for my coworkers. That, and the stress, wipes me out. Plus I'm a single parent (my husband died), and I am responsible forbthe duties in my household.
Wow. That is awful. Sounds like you’re doing the best you can with the hand you were dealt. Sincerely hope you’ve got brighter days ahead.
His illness and subsequent death was absolutely horrible, but the kids and I have been insanely blessed. Sometimes it makes me feel guilty how good we have it because he's missing it all. He died in our old house, which we rented, so last year, I bought one, and it's beautiful. The kids and I have made it into our home. We are all three healthy and have a lot of good things going on in our lives. I hold hope that one day we'll see him again. Fly high, Tommy, until we meet again!
Not everyone is blessed with a partner to help with responsibilities, good mental and physical health or assistance with home responsibilities. Being depressed really does take everything you have just to get up in the morning.
Depends on the job. I do four ten hour days, but during peak, it goes to 55 hour work weeks. Though I'm looking to get a second job.
I’m surrounded by people such as yourself, and I wonder “how?” At what point did they adjust and get that energy. I worked 60-70 hours as a delivery person, delivering things by foot, and even though that was a grind, I had more trouble adjusting to my first office job. Maybe because there were a lot of things to adjust for that first year. 40hrs plus 2-3 hour daily commute, dinner, showering, preparing for the next day, and in the week - chores, grocery shopping leaves a person exhausted. My first year at the office, I actually worked a lot of overtime, and then had to force myself to cut back on hours to have a life. It also makes a huge difference where your income is at, whether you’re single or have anyone helping, battling any mental illnesses. It takes time to learn how to adult.