Why Working From Home Makes You More Tired
Working from home promised flexibility and eliminated commuting — but for many people it introduced a different, sometimes more pervasive fatigue driven by the collapse of work-life boundaries, reduced incidental movement, social isolation, and video call overload.
Boundary collapse and always-on exhaustion
Without a commute to mark the transition between work and home, many remote workers find it difficult to disengage from work. This produces longer effective working hours, fewer genuine recovery periods, and a constant low-level availability that prevents the rest needed for energy restoration.
The absence of natural stopping cues (the office closing, colleagues leaving, a commute) means many remote workers work later, respond to messages in the evening, and experience work-related rumination into the night — impairing sleep onset and quality.
Reduced movement and poor environments
Commuting — however irritating — provided incidental movement that many remote workers lose entirely. The drop from 5,000+ daily steps (office) to 1,000–2,000 (fully remote) significantly reduces energy, mood, and afternoon alertness.
Home working environments are often sub-optimal: poor natural light, kitchen chairs rather than ergonomic seating, inadequate screen setup. Poor ergonomics create muscle tension and fatigue; inadequate light (particularly in northern climates in winter) reduces alertness and mood.
Video call fatigue
Video meetings are cognitively more demanding than in-person meetings — maintaining an artificially close gaze, monitoring your own appearance, processing compressed video of non-verbal cues, and managing audio delays all add cognitive load beyond the meeting content itself.
Deliberate structure helps: cameras-off periods, audio-only calls where appropriate, gaps between calls rather than back-to-back scheduling, and walking meetings for non-visual discussions all reduce the specific fatigue of video-heavy remote work.
Our assessment evaluates work patterns and lifestyle factors to identify the specific drivers of your WFH fatigue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I feel more tired working from home?
Working from home can blur the boundaries between work and personal life, leading to longer hours and less recovery time, which contributes to increased fatigue.
How does reduced movement affect my energy levels?
The lack of incidental movement, such as walking during a commute, can significantly lower daily activity levels, which negatively impacts energy, mood, and alertness.
What is video call fatigue and how can I manage it?
Video call fatigue arises from the increased cognitive demands of virtual meetings; managing it can involve using cameras-off periods, audio-only calls, and scheduling breaks between meetings.
How can my home workspace impact my fatigue?
A poorly set up home workspace with inadequate lighting and ergonomics can lead to physical discomfort and fatigue, further exacerbating feelings of tiredness.