Realized I was burning out because I was trying to work in 10 different time zones at once

For two years I kept wondering why I felt exhausted all the time while 'living the dream' traveling. I was hopping between clients in NYC, London, and Sydney, never saying no to a late night call. Last month in Chiang Mai I literally fell asleep mid-sentence during a video chat with a UK client at 3 AM my time. My buddy looked at my schedule and said 'dude you're basically working 20 hour days every day because you keep moving.' That hit me. I finally picked two time zones max and told everyone else my hours are fixed. Has anyone else had to learn the hard way that being available everywhere means you're never actually available anywhere?

3 comments

3 Comments

fox.derek2mo ago

I feel this in my bones and also my sleep schedule is crying.

the_hayden2mo ago

That "sleep schedule is crying" line really hits home. I've been waking up at 3 AM for no reason the past week and it's like my body forgot how to sleep through the night. Coffee is the only thing keeping me going at this point.

butler.finley2mo ago

The 3 AM wake-up is the worst kind of surprise wake-up (scheduled by nobody and unwanted by everyone). Coffee is basically a medical necessity at that point.