As just about any parent knows, sleep is a virtue, a thing you once remembered happening or something that comes in hourly blocks at best. While guaranteed sleep can never be that, especially with twins, the biggest defeat is really the draining feeling you get. For me, this is exceptionally difficult to deal with during the work week. Come just about every day at 3pm, my eyelids get heavy, my desk looks more and more comfortable to rest my head on or a massive craving for sugar is thrusted at me.
For me, the issue is that I’ve lost all energy by the afternoon and am supplementing it with negative energy boosting things like drinking a soda, eating a candy bar and even procrastination. While the soda and candy gives a quick sugar rush, I am always hit with an increasingly hard sugar crash not too long after. Jim Woods wrote an article at Time Management Ninja about how using the time you have at your disposal on draining activities versus replenishing activities. His view is that that free time you have that is not spent either working or sleeping needs to be used intentionally and you need to decide to use the time in an intentional way, with the results either draining or replenishing your energy levels.
Sometimes it is okay to spend your time on what Jim call the draining activities: watching television, worrying about things you can’t control, etc. Sometimes there just isn’t a better place to be than on your sofa watching mind numbing TV. However, this isn’t going to help boost your energy levels. Not even catching up on sleep on the weekends will help to get you evened out, at least according to a Pennsylvania State University study.
Instead, time can be better spent going on walks, playing with your kids and physical exercise. I’ve polished off the first two pretty well and pretty regularly. One aspect that I feel I’m missing out on recently is the physical exercise aspect. Especially since having the twins, I haven’t consistently played any sport regularly, with most outings being a one-off here and there, where what will really help boost my energy levels will be getting back to regular activities like playing ice hockey, going for a skate or getting a mix of golf, football and just about anything else in. That’s one of my goals over the next six to twelve months and one I hope when achieved will boost my energy levels so I can be even more active with the kids and not feel like my forehead is meant to be attached to my desk.
Twin Daddyo 