The Math of the 26-Hour Day

Special thanks to just rojie for today’s writing prompt.

List all the things you wish you had more time for and the reasons why you don’t have time for them.

If I’m being totally honest, there are a lot of things I wish I had more time for. I suppose it depends on whether you’re talking about more time in general to achieve life goals, or just having more hours in a particular day to tackle a to-do list. For the sake of this post, I’m going to focus on the things I wish I could fit into my daily routine—and why they often fall by the wayside.

The Daily Grind

I wish I had more time to read. I’ve been trying off and on to read Anna Karenina for what feels like two years now. I wish I could devote more of my day just to getting lost in a book. The reality is that after getting out of work, the “teacher armor” I wear all day feels incredibly heavy. By 4:00 PM, I’m not just relaxing; I’m often physically spent. Today was a perfect example—I came home and fell asleep on the couch. It wasn’t a luxury nap; it was a requirement.

I wish I had more time for a consistent workout. I don’t know if it’s truly a lack of time, or if I just need to find a better way to prioritize it. During the school year, working out right after school works well enough, but it’s a constant battle with that desire to decompress. I can say with certainty that I’m not one of those people motivated to get up extra early and hit the gym before work. That takes a level of dedication I simply don’t possess right now.

I wish I had more time to make sure I speak to both of my kids every day. Sometimes I have to pick and choose my battles. With Kid 1 being 19, in college, and away from home, getting a hold of him is a bit of a crapshoot. With Kid 2, it’s easier, but still tricky while juggling his schedule, his mom’s schedule, and my own. I’m so glad he has his own cell phone now; being able to call him directly instead of going through his mother is a game-changer for my peace of mind.

The Weight of the Drive

The biggest weight on my schedule right now is visiting my mother. She’s in an assisted living facility about 25 minutes from my house. That’s nearly an hour of driving round-trip, plus the two hours I spend there nearly every day. That’s three hours of my day essentially sacrificed. I cannot even begin to imagine how many more things I could get done with an extra three hours.

The situation is getting complicated because Phred is talking about bringing Mother home for the summer as a cost-cutting measure. While we’re all teachers and have the summer off, I worry about the reality of it. Bringing her home means being “on-call” for meds in the middle of the night and providing constant care. Phred gave up years of her life to do that, and I have to be honest: I won’t do it. It sounds crass, but we concluded over a year ago that we couldn’t effectively care for her without professional help. I don’t think that has changed 18 months later, even if the money is running tighter than we expected.

The Bajoran Solution

I would love it if I could invent the 26-hour day, as I’ve mentioned in previous blog entries. It’s a concept I admittedly “stole” from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine—on the planet Bajor, those extra two hours are just part of the natural rotation. But here on Earth, I’m still stuck in the 24-hour cycle. And if I’m being truly honest with myself, if I actually had those extra two hours, I’d probably just find a way to piss them away anyway.

For now, I’ll just have to make do with 24.

Rebuilding a life takes grit, consistency, and a lot of ‘Option C’ thinking. Whether I’m 900 days into a streak or reflecting on the decade of posts that led me here, the mission remains the same. New to the blog? Start your journey here to see the blueprint behind the rebuild.

Today’s post is inspired by the WordPress Daily Prompt. While I’ve taken the topic in my own direction for the Road to 1,000 Days, you can find more responses to today’s prompt HERE .

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The article “The Math of the 26-Hour Day” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob.