Not Enough Hours or Too Many?

[Dia Minha]

I have often heard people complain about there just not being enough hours in a day to get everything done that they need to or at least that they want to. I have come up with the conclusion that I do not need more hours in a day, I need less.

I really could use 8 hours of sleep every 20 hours. I think I would accomplish more in the 12, than I do now in 16.

What about you? How many hours in a day do you need?

[Big_Sissy]

I know you are being serious, but are you nuts? I never seem to have enough time, but for me, it's a matter or organization -- or lack thereof.

[Erudite]

hmmm...I guess I need that explained too (that's what BS meant to say, I'm sure). How would having less benefit?

Most days I feel like I have it about right, so long as I get the "big" stuff done. I have to sleep at least 9 hours a night, and then if I get my scripture study done, make an effort at cleaning, work a couple of hours, cook something reasonably nutricious, and be good to my kids in some way, I'm successful. But then my definition of successful has been adjusted over the past year, so maybe I'm off-base.

[Dia Minha]

Ok, let's see if I can make more sense. I find that I spend about 2-4 hours a day not getting very much done, because I am so tired. So out of every 16 waking hours I am not being productive for 3 of those hours. Now if I could be awake for 13 hours and then sleep for 8, then I could be productive for that full 13 hours and not lose the 3 hours every 24 hour period. Does that make more sense? In other words there would still be the same amount of hours each week, but there would be 8 days a week instead of just seven.

[Erudite]

I heard a good quote the other day..."Time that you enjoyed wasting is not wasted time" or at least that's close to it. I bring it up because sometimes we look back on our day and wonder where the day has gone because we can't see that we accomplished much, but if we look at it in the terms of the quote...perhaps we accomplished more than we realized??

But you're saying that you'd just cut out that 3 hours of feeling tired to be productive the other 13? Did I understand that right? And over the week, you'd gain those tired hours back because there would be more days, more sleeping periods, more productive periods. Am I understanding?

Interesting concept. I've wondered often if my body isn't on a 28 hour day rather than a 24 hour day because it is SOOOO hard to keep my sleep schedule in place. A good night's sleep generally means that I have energy throughout the day late into the night...so sleep is lasting me longer than it should and I'm not tired when it's sleepy time again. So I guess I'd adjust the week the other way and go with 6 days with longer sleeping times and longer awake times.

We both need our own planet on different rotational cycles!!!

[Dia Minha]

Yep, I think you got it E. I wish I could just enjoy my down times. But I seem to just get frustrated, because all I can do is think about everything that needs to get done. I have entire days where all I do is fight the fatigue hard enough to take care of the basics. I tend to eat more (way too much) and try to rest with the idea that after resting I will feel better and get something done, but I never do.

I actually saw a study once that tested peoples sleep cycles. They put subjects in a room with no time piece and no access to the outside, so they couldn't see what time of day it was. Most subjects tested adjusted to either 23 hour days or 25, I can't remember which. It did seem, however, that there were a few that tested further in one direction or the other. I think it would be cool to be a subject and really see what my natural cycle would be.

[Big_Sissy]

Ahh, I get where you're going with this. That's actually a very interesting thought for sure. I'm going to have to think about this.

I love your quote too E. I've no officially subscribed!

[Erudite]

Fatigue is a tough one. The other day I had a bad flare-up that put me in bed. The book I was reading at the time...I couldn't concentrate on it at all. It was too complex and too many ideas to keep straight. But I knew I wouldn't be sleeping, even if I did feel exhausted. So I went to my 12yods room and asked for a recommendation from his shelf. Over the next couple of days, I read this cute book called Ginger Pye. It was a newberry award winner and it was easy on the concentration factor, with just one thing going on at a time. It made my down time enjoyable...I was still tired and would fall asleep more quickly when reading the book, but it was fun to read while I was getting there.

I wouldn't think there's a lot you could do with the "down time", but I bet if you gave it some thought, there ARE things you could be doing which you enjoy doing so that they are not wasted time. Maybe the down time is for reading to your kids? I often crochet during down times because my mind doesn't have to be engaged and the more active I keep my hands, the less they hurt. I guess I've become a conissieur (sp?) of down time, since I have it a lot. For me, it's a matter of attitude. Rest doesn't have to be wasted time any more than it has to be sleeping. Sometimes a change is as good as a rest. That's another something I heard somewhere and I think that's what makes the Sabbath rest day...when very few of us actually get to rest... a good thing.

[Dia Minha]

Good ideas. Thanks E!

I really just need to decide that it is ok if I spend more time reading to my kids then taking them to the park and more time writing on the computer than cleaning house.

[natickgirl]

Great thoughts, E. I like the idea of rest being even just a change in activity. I definitely enjoy "down" time if I have a good book, an interesting online discussion, or a really great DVD. I can't read to my kids during my down time, though, because I fall alseep!

My problem is I am fatigued during much of the day, but very alert at night. I always have been a night owl despite my mother's attempts to make it otherwise. Even if I go to bed early, I'm groggy in the early morning, OK from about 8-11 am, then dragging until around 6 pm. I always have the most energy from 6-11 pm. I feel like I could get so much more done if my energy burst was during the day while my kids are at school rather than at night!

[Dia Minha]

Generally everthing that needs to get done during the day has to get done before noon or it becomes a real struglle after that. My children have even begun to notice that it is easier to get my help with something if they ask first thing in the morning. Sometimes I will have another up time along the afternoon or evening, but very seldom. It is very frustrating, because it makes it really hard to get dinner on, clean up, and get to any activity like Pack Meeting or Enrichment night. However, if DH and the kids don't get dinner cleaned up at night, I can usually get it done in the morning. I would rather use that time to do laundry or scrub bathrooms, but it works.

One thing that I have noticed is that I can use music to help lift my energy and mood levels. This doesn't always work, but it sure helps. I have the soundtrack from the movie "My Girl'. It has a lot of upbeat songs that can help me get moving. I always accomplish more when it is playing.

I guess I need to get me a down time CD too. Maybe if I had some music that was calming and relaxing, I could spend 30-45 minutes really relaxing and not just trying to relax. Then maybe I would feel better when I had to get up.

[Erudite]

Dia, you've talked about the fatigue before. Have you talked with your doctor about it? I had a bit of a sleep study done as part of my diagnosis to make sure that my oxygen levels weren't dropping too much too often. It was just a little monitor I wore on my finger for 5 hours one night and it let me know that my oxygen levels are normal so that I didn't have to do the full on, go to a place, get wired up, attempt to sleep in a strange bed study. But my DH did. He has sleep apnea and can't even take a good nap without his machine on his face. But that makes a pretty big difference to his life. Anyway, you should ask. There could be a relatively simple fix for you...because switching planets is probably not in the cards anytime soon.

[Erudite]

NG, I know what you mean. A talk, given in church last week, reminded us that we should get up early and do our scripture study then. It's just not do-able for me. I have to be moving around a lot before I'm any kind of coherent. I do my scripture study and personal prayers after the kids go to school, because by then, I'm fully awake. Even then, though, I find myself drifting away from what I'm reading very easily. I have to keep a study journal near by to remind me what I'm studying. I too get the major burst in the evenings.

So we need a planet with shorter days in which the evening is the morning...right?

[Dia Minha]

Yes, E, I have talked to my doctor. He figured it was the long heavy periods that was causing my low iron and if I got that taken care of my energy levels should come up. Since getting that under control I have been feeling better.

Personally I really think I'm struggling with some minor deppression and some anxiety. I am trying to control it with diet and excercise. I would rather fight this than the side affects from the medication. I have had really bad depression episodes before and this isn't bad. My husband knows what to watch out for too. In other words I'm working on it and at this point no one needs to be overly concerned for me, but I will let you know if my situation changes.

[Erudite]

Psalms 16:8-9

I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.

It works. I've tried it, often, and it works.

[natickgirl]

Originally Posted by Erudite

So we need a planet with shorter days in which the evening is the morning...right?

Yeah, I guess we do. You & me on planet twilight!