Living alone teaches how many small jobs were hidden inside the word household.

A shared home hides its own maintenance. Bins, bulbs, forms, the noise the boiler started making, the thing that needs collecting before six: all of it was always happening, and some of it was being absorbed by somebody else without either of you counting. Living alone reveals the full list at once, which is why the first months can feel disproportionately tiring. The work did not increase; the sharing stopped.

Write down everything you did to keep the place running this week. If you live with people, compare lists honestly. If you live alone, use it to see why you are tired.