Photo Credit: Nathan Dumlao at Unsplash
Right now I’m thinking about the movie Men in Black. One might think that this is a random thought, but I assure you that it’s totally appropriate. When Will Smith is discovering the ins and outs of the MIB organization, Tommy Lee Jones explains that they function on a 36-hour day. Oh, how I wish that were the case.
Today, I had plans to read a few chapters for my homework. Yes, even teachers/health coaches have homework. However, the day completely left me behind. I didn’t even leave the house until noon, and eventually made it to Starbucks (my favorite place to study) where I managed to read a single chapter. I didn’t even get to take the practice quiz. Where does all of the time go?!
Right now, we try to cram in as much as we can in a 24-hour day. We’re expected to put in an 8 or 9 hour work day, get 7-9 hours of sleep, and still have time to build relationships with our families, develop hobbies, and provide ourselves with self-care both physically and mentally. Two thirds of our day is taken up with tasks that aren’t really of our choosing. Hopefully, you love your job since you have to spend so much time there. Hopefully, you don’t cut yourself short on the amount of sleep your body actually needs. Hopefully, you give your body and brain a little love every day. I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely guilty of mismanaging the time I’m given each day. I tend to gouge my sleep in favor of working longer hours. In doing this, I really don’t have much energy to devote to hobbies and other interests.
A 36-hour day seems as if it would be a dream come true. Think about it. If the day became 12 hours longer (while still doing Monday through Sunday), people would have time to work, spend time with family, and have time for hobbies. Sleep deprivation could be a thing of past (provided people didn’t start working those extra hours of the day). People wouldn’t feel overworked and stressed because there could be rest time in between, and they would actually have time in the day to pursue other interests. I also have to wonder if people wouldn’t need mental health days with all of the extra time.
My question: Could Americans today handle something like this or would we squander the extra time away and fill it with more work and more stressful activities?
