You are too tired when you are so tired you can’t rest. Rest is not only doing nothing but also doing something that replenishes. A recharge or boost is not necessary only when you’re tired. For all to do life well we need to be resting before we need to.
Productivity, the kind that matters, only works from rest. Rest is not the same for everyone. Something rejuvenating for someone can suck life out of another.
Rest and being responsible is tension I have to track and manage often. I’ve made this mistake too many times. Sometimes we do have to work a little harder and longer. The times I have stayed in this mode for long I’ve suffered for it.
In fact, the work that I thought I would do well in, while in that mode, also suffered as a result. I’m not suggesting that work is something you always need to escape from. It might be, or not. This is besides the point.
This has to do with how you approach being both responsible for your work and well-being. You might lose your work. Your cause may suffer. It is difficult, and in extreme cases impossible, to reclaim your health and well-being.
Make sure that you don’t get to a place of being too tired. You are too tired when:
Cannot
You are too tired when you cannot rest. Like I’ve intimated rest is when you do something that replenishes you. It can be the absence of activity as well as reading a book, a walk, painting and more.
You’re too tired when you just don’t have the energy to pursue those things that help you reboot.
Chore
You’re too tired when it is now a chore to do something that filled you. I’m not suggesting that you’re always going to feel recharged by whatever activity. It might be possible that you need to find a different activity.
But, this is something worth keeping in your sights.
Outro
Even if your work is energising, it is still healthy to occupy yourself with other interests. You’re not a one-dimensional person. There are still yet more ways to live. To revel in life. Things to discover and explore about the world, about yourself.
No matter how hectic or pressing work or life gets, always take time to rest. You’re irreplaceable; other things may be irreplaceable but they’re not as precious as you. For your sake and the sake of your mission to the world, take care of yourself.