Weird patterns of work tiredness

A few weeks ago I had a chance to talk with Oliver Weigelt , PhD, about his research in the field of human energy and one particular insight struck me:

In the span of the working week, we feel the most exhausted on Mondays (Blue Monday Effect), and the least exhausted on Fridays (Thank God It's Friday Effect). On the other working days, our tiredness remains stable. We're tired, but stable.

Why is that?

I find two potential explanations for this phenomenon:

1. We have the highest amount of tiring work on Mondays and the lowest on Fridays.
2. The excitement from our weekend plans (that can include laying on the couch and doing nothing) give us energy to stay optimistic over the course of Friday.

This insight comes well together with the results from research conducted on nurses in UK. The participants of this research reported the level of energy they feel over the course of their 12h shifts. It appeared it's not about the amount of physical effort they engaged in, but the sense of purpose, that was a better determinant of exhaustion.

The nurses that didn't find their work internally rewarding, meaningful, were tired more after the shift than the ones who found their purpose in what they do.

So while explanation 1) can certainly be a case for many of us, it appears we are just not loosing energy after work, but also motivation and this is something we can change!

Why it's important?

In a study I have conducted in 2022, I realized that over 60% respondents would like to use the time after work meaningfully, but they often feel too tired. So I'm now super excited to learn more about energy and experimenting in this field on my own body and mind for you :D

What to do with this insight?

Since we frequently deplete our motivation, rather than energy, throughout the day, we can work on making our days more exciting. Here are my ways to change that. I'm testing them right now on myself, with some first positive results:

1?? Distribute the fun and meaningful part of work equally over the week.

2?? Distribute fun free time over the span of the week to make every day just as exciting as Friday is.

3?? Bring your attention mindfully to what's good in the day to maintain motivation and grit until the late bedtime.

What are your hacks, to keep yourself motivated? :))

Want to learn more?

It's just one of many insights I collected from dr Oliver Weigelt. While I plan to post some more in the future, you can also listen to our talk on Spotify and not wait for me??

Other research mentioned above:

?Johnston, D. W., Allan, J. L., Powell, D. J., Jones, M. C., Farquharson, B., Bell, C., & Johnston, M. (2019). Why does work cause fatigue? A real-time investigation of fatigue, and determinants of fatigue in nurses working 12-hour shifts. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 53(6), 551-562.