Today you’re going to learn how to stop feeling tired.

There’s a common saying that you shouldn’t work hard, but rather you should work smart. While that’s sort of true, it’s not exactly something that’s easy to do. If anything else, how to work smart eludes most of us. Not only that, there’s also the fact that we are innately lazy.

There’s no denying it. WE LOVE COMFORT. There, I said it, and while a lot of people would disagree with this statement, it’s simply something that they have to put up with. After all, it’s a fact of life that we humans prefer comfort and convenience. Sometimes, this means just being lazy and not getting anything done.

I’m not talking about procrastinating. I’m talking about simply being lazy and not wanting to do anything. However, if we let that sort of behavior control us day in and day out, there’s a huge chance that nothing will happen in our life. True, there are only 24 hours in a day and the limits that this imposes on us can be pretty discouraging when it comes to how much we can squeeze into those hours. Nonetheless, you shouldn’t let that stop you.

The truth is that 24 hours a day is more than enough time. You have to not just work smart, but also prime yourself to be as productive and as energetic as possible. In line with that, this article will be a guide to having more energy, stopping being lazy and just being more productive in general.

That being said, let’s start off with the list.

How To Stop Feeling Tired

1. Learn How to Plan

The history of the to-do list goes way back. It’s something that humans have used extensively over the years to great effect. In fact, it is one of the best ways to be productive, but that’s only if you know how to make a proper list.

The best way to do this is to organize your list in a such way that it helps you prioritize your most important tasks. This is because once you finish these important things, it will be easier to dedicate time and energy to anything else that’s less important. To not overwhelm yourself, list three important things that you have to finish no matter what. Once you’ve done that, it will be easier for you to list other things that should be done by the end of the day or week, depending on your to-do list.

While we’re talking about to-do lists, it’s a good idea to discuss planning as well. After all, the best way to go about with your to-do list is to to plan for it, and the best time to do this is not in the morning, but before you go to sleep.

Take thirty minutes to an hour to plan your day. It doesn’t have to be exact, but it must be somewhat accurate. Think of it as an outline of what you’re about to do tomorrow. By doing this, you significantly reduce work anxiety and it makes it easier for you to know what you’re supposed to do. Not only that, knowing what to do tomorrow makes it easier for you to get sleep and not waste time thinking about what you need to do.

2. Start Eliminating Ego Commitments

Not all commitments are worth committing to, especially if they are something that’s just going to boost your ego. Sure, some more credentials on your resume is good, but sometimes, doing extra work can make you less productive.

Our ego is as much the reason why we’re on top as why we’re at the bottom. While doing something may make you look cool, is it really something that makes you more productive? If it’s not helping you in any way, then scrap it.

Remember, anything that doesn’t bring you real benefits is a waste of time and most important of all, energy.

3. Know When You’re at Your Most Productive

Are you an early bird? A night owl? Are you easily tired after lunch? Are you best after a nap? Are you best after going to the gym? As much as we’d love to say that we’ve cracked the whole formula for productivity, we haven’t. To say that it’s not an exact science may be the best way to put things, so be sure to track what works for you best and plan around it.

Once you get to know when you’re most productive, it will be easier for you to get more things done without succumbing to your laziness.

4. Make a Habit of Sticking to Habits

As redundant as that may sound, I don’t mind telling it to you over and over again. The truth is that the best way to overcome laziness and feeling tired all the time is to make a point of doing everything you’re meant to do.

For example, scheduling tasks such as sending out emails only at certain times reinforces the behavior of you doing something over and over again. Once you do this, you will eventually STOP being tired as you also start to develop more things to do on a regular basis.

Think of it as an autopilot of sorts.

5. Don’t Check Your Inbox Often

The reason why I use sending out emails as an example in Step 6 is because doing so also means checking your emails for anything new at that time. Basically, once you’ve established a habit of checking your email only once or twice a day, you avoid getting sidetracked by having to respond to them immediately.

Set aside a time when you check your emails so that you can easily reply and not at the expense of other tasks. The same can be said for text messages, but I recommend keeping your phone away or on silent. As a bonus tip, you can choose to change the ringtone exclusively for people that you know will only text or call you if something really important comes up.

6. Know WHERE You’re Most Productive

Now that you know when you’re most productive, you need to know where you can get lots of things done as well. Whether you’re a student, a writer, an agent or a worker, it’s best that you get to know which places you feel most comfortable with.

Remember, working while you’re lying in bed isn’t exactly the best. Look for a suitable working environment and a place where you feel comfortable relaxing as well.

Once you do this, you will find yourself relaxing and working more efficiently than before.

7. Eliminate at Least One Fun Activity

Having fun is a way to have a nice break from the chaotic week that almost each one of us goes through. Unfortunately, we all have our own multiple different ways in which we have fun.

That being said, you may want to take a look at some of the things you do for fun and see if they are getting you anywhere.

As a rule of thumb, if you can’t picture yourself doing something while you’re on vacation, then there’s probably no reason why you should do it when you’re not.

For example, you don’t always have to play video games, even if they are your stress-reliever.

SEE ALSO: How To Get More Motivation: 10 Tips For Getting And Staying Motivated

8. Work out in the Middle of the Day

Do you have writer’s block? Can’t think of a new design? A new pattern? Something new to draw? If you’re suffering from any of these things, the best way to keep them from becoming full-blown laziness is to work out.

By taking a long walk, going for a quick jog or even going to the gym, you give yourself time to sweat out anything that may be preventing you from thinking clearly. Once you’ve finished your sweat session, you’ll find yourself amazed by the number of new solutions you’ve come up with for the problems you had before you went out.

9. Be Careful about Working out Too Much

Exercising can sometimes be counterproductive. If you find yourself tiring more easily these days, you may want to take a look at your workout routine. Remember, you’re not getting younger, so you’re not supposed to lift and run as much as you could a few years back.

Ease back into a less straining routine or just forget about bulking up when you’re already in your late 50s. However, if stopping your current activity or toning it down isn’t possible, Tom Holland has a tip for you.

He says that you can cut back 25 percent of your usual activity for a week and add that 25 percent back the next week and add another the week after. This way, your body takes some time to get used to the routine and it can ease its way back into things.

10. Take a Nice, Long Walk

The best walks are on the beach, in a park or somewhere around nature, but if that’s not possible, just take a long walk.

A long walk is something that can help you clear your mind of things. To put it simply, it helps you de-stress yourself. Not only that, taking a long walk helps you solve problems that you may currently have. By solving problems as you take a walk, you end up being more productive instead.

Besides, by taking a walk, you’re engaging yourself in a form of exercise and as previously mentioned in this article, exercise is a good way to kick the tired out of you and be more productive.

11. Take a Close Look at Yourself in the Mirror

No, I’m not joking. I’m really asking you to take a close look at yourself in the mirror.

Are you done?

Let me ask you: what do you see? Because as far as I know, I see someone who is living and breathing. I see someone who has fought and persevered to get to where they are. I see someone who has lived through worse before. More importantly, I see someone who is not just a bum, but rather, someone who can get things done.

If you still can’t see that, then tell yourself, “I will get things done.” Keep on repeating it and psyche yourself up whenever you feel that you’re procrastinating, feeling tired or just not getting things done.

After a few months of doing this, it will become a habit and you will find yourself seeing the benefits of doing so.

12. Learn to Flirt

If you’re up for some harmless fun, then flirt. There’s not a single exercise out there that gets the heart pumping like a little flirting. Yes, even when you’re married, you can still flirt, but mind you, there will be consequences if you do something MORE than just plain flirting. That’s material for another discussion altogether.

What I’m suggesting here is to just flirt and keep it as innocent as you can. If you do this often, it will cause a rush of endorphins and dopamine to your brain, two things that are guaranteed to make you happy and in turn, more productive.

13. Be Careful about Drinking Too Much Caffeine

Whether you drink coffee or other caffeinated drinks, it’s important is that you pay attention to your daily consumption of any of these beverages.

While coffee and soda may boost your alertness, they are going to get the better of you if you make a habit out of them. The truth is that once you start drinking 5 double-shot espressos a day just to function well, you may develop a dangerous dependency on coffee. When you’re dependent on coffee to function, you will feel tired without it, will no longer be as productive as you once were and will end up having to work more just for the same results.

14. Have Sex

It’s plain, simple and effective. If you’re looking for the quickest legal way to send endorphins to your brain, sex is the answer.

15. Watch Cat Videos!

This also applies to any other funny things that you can find on the internet which simply make you laugh.

The truth is that laughter is and will always be the best medicine. It works for terminal patients and it will clearly work for you, someone who’s feeling tired all the time and who wants to be more productive.

SEE ALSO: How To Become An Optimist: 37 Awesome Tips To Help You Get Started

16. TALK Your Way to Productivity

When I say talk, I mean literally talk to other people. Don’t just send them messages, leave them voicemails or call them. What I’m telling you is to go out of your way and talk with friends. It doesn’t even matter if the person is a friend or not; they can be a co-worker or even a stranger.

What you need to do is just talk and socialize with other people. Remember, we humans need to socialize and with that comes physical interaction. To say that we have a need for both things is an understatement. If we can’t address those needs, we aren’t going to feel as good as we want to or should.

So, to keep yourself feeling healthy, less tired and more productive, you may want to invest a bit more time talking to and socializing with other people.

17. De-Stress Yourself

One of the reasons why you may not be getting enough done and are feeling tired all the time is that you’re to stressed out. While it’s true that stress does have a few benefits, too much of it is bad for you.

What you need now is to de-stress. You can go on a shopping spree or better yet, take up meditation and/or yoga. The latter has proven itself more effective than any other means of de-stressing because it starts where stress comes from: your brain.

18. Don’t Forget to Rest

Sometimes, we can get so engrossed in the idea of being productive that we forget that we’re just humans. Once that happens, we forget that as humans, we can’t work 24/7 and that our bodies will eventually tire out.

Even though this whole post is about feeling less tired and getting more things done, this also means that you have to recognize that you’re a human being. You need to rest and replenish all the energy that you’ve spent trying to be productive all day.

So, sit back, relax, take a nap, have a drink or do whatever it is you do to get yourself some rest.

Remember, tomorrow is another day.

19. Don’t Forget to Reward Yourself

Our body and brain work in a such a way that our subconscious mind seeks out rewards. Why not? Rewards make you happy. However, this is probably why some people tend to watch cat videos on the internet after an hour of productivity. While an hour of productivity is fine, it’s not exactly a lot and shouldn’t be an excuse to get distracted.

Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t reward yourself for a job well done. The truth is that you need to give yourself some happy hormones every now and then.

Whatever it is that gives you a rush of dopamine into your brain, do it. Just a warning, don’t do anything illegal. I know how exhilarating the rush of breaking people’s windows can be, but trust me, it’s not worth it.

I hope that you’ve learned how to stay productive and be more energetic all throughout the day.

Remember, while this article does contain lots of information, it doesn’t contain everything.

Now that you have finished, I would like to ask you: what’s your secret to having more energy? What do you do to make sure that you stay productive all throughout the day?

I want to thank you for taking the time to read my article about how to stop feeling tired. I sincerely hope its contents have been a good help to you.