Working hard, in a different way.

Are you like me and are spending most of your time in front of a screen? Laptop? Tablet? Smartphone? Or whatever new, fancy gadget you own? If you do so and if you aren’t only doing it for fun but also for work you might know, that you can be exhausted after this kind of work.

And that’s justified, for sure. The brain, which has to do the most work, in this case, needs a lot of energy to function on a high level. And most of us need a high level to do the job. Being it reading, writing, researching, editing, translating, improving or all the other fun and exciting things we can do thanks to these new technologies.

Besides making it possible to earn money, the internet and all the screens are making it possible to be a digital nomad of some form and work from wherever we want. So we can enjoy a beautiful view, relax in a cooling pool or go for some delicious food after our work is done.

Much better to relax like that. That’s for sure.

But let’s come back to the exhausting work part. We still are sitting, or lying most of the time. Some have a standing desk, but I think you know what I mean. There isn’t a lot of physical movement in front of the screen. No matter how much your brain is thinking and how much energy it needs, you still aren’t moving. But you are exhausted afterwards.

And most of the time I am okay with this. Count in some walking on the beach, some swimming in the pool, some morning runs, and here you have your exercise. Something for your body to do.

But today I found something different. What happened today? I helped a friend move. What did that mean? We had to carry all his stuff three floors down to the car. So there was a lot of lifting, carrying and climbing stairs. And after today my body feels different.

I am more exhausted than I was for a long time. My arms feel like they are much longer from all the heavy stuff, my legs feel like they are made out of pudding and don’t even ask about my back. So basically everything hurts and is tired. But also something else. Besides the tiredness, I feel fantastic.

Usually, my brain is tired after a day of work. Sometimes my body is tired after exercising. But today the tiredness has a meaning. Today I have done something to help someone and can feel it in my whole body. What an amazing feeling.

Don’t get me wrong. I love my work in front of a screen. I love to be able to travel the world because I only need my screen and my brain to do so. But some days it is nice to feel, what hard, physical work can feel like and how much better I am going to sleep tonight, because not only my brain is exhausted but also my body. Good night.