Fatigue is my best friend

Ever since our children were born, my wife and I cannot recall not ever feeling tired. Now that isn't completely true. What we mean by that is that we generally feel tired. When we wake up, during the less busy moments of the day, when taking a break from what we are doing and so on.

How to deal with ever lasting fatigue

So the fatigue is there and it doesn't seem like it will be gone any time soon.Yet, there is so much work to be done. I've got several projects I'm working on, life painting sessions twice a week with now even a minor sculpting class this year. I have to study for an examn that I'll take in december (sorry, can't tell you more right now). Work is very busy too. Then there's my lovely family. They deserve some attention too.

Acceptance

The first thing to do is to accept the fact that I'm tired, and that it will last forever. The only thing I can do about that is to sleep as much as I can. In reality, this means maximum 7 hours of sleep and more often than not with 1 or more interruptions per night, thanks to our youngest toddler. It's said that people need less sleep when they get older. That is untrue. People just learn to deal better with fatigue as they grow older.

I've learned to accept the fact that I'll always be tired. Accepting this has made it possible for me to deal with it in such a manner that it doesn't overtake my life and stops me from being creative or from doing the tasks that must be done, even though I don't like to do them. I've embraced the fatigue and made it my friend.

Time Management

Efficient time management is key to avoid that fatigue will take over. There are only 24hrs a day and I need 7hrs of sleep so that leaves me 17hrs per day to do everything I must or want to do. Planning my activities is great because the time allocated for these activities is scheduled. I share my calendar with my wife, so she is aware of the things I'm doing.

There are 3 types of activities that I generally do: 

• things I like doing, 
• things I don't like doing (but must be done), and 
• places or people to visit.

For most people, it will be obvious that the places and people to visit are put in a calendar. This way, our electronic tools can remind us in time to make the visit. We don't forget about them while we don't need to keep them in our mind and there is more room in our head for other things.

The things that must be done are less likely to be postponed when scheduled. Say you need to clean your terrace with the high pressure cleaner, but you really hate doing it (meh = check!). You know that it takes you about 90 minutes. You will less likely stall and do it on the day and moment you've planned it if you've scheduled for it in your agenda.

The things I like doing must be scheduled in my agenda or there is a high risk that they will not happen at all. Every monday and tuesday evening, I've scheduled life painting class. It's been like that for the last 6 years and while the days of occurrence may differ from year to year, I keep scheduling 2 evenings a week for this, because it's extremely important to me. Our youngest daughter still has to come to learn this, but the other members of the family are used to it. Drawing or painting time on other days simply does not occur if I don't plan it. There is always something else to do around the house: watching the youngest kids, cleaning, making food, helping with homework, and what not.

Fatigue is my best friend

 

So when I'm tired or not, I plan my activities because they have more chance of being done and more chance of being done at the time I want them to be done, then when I don't plan. Weariness is always there, but it doesn't stop me from being creative. My creative time is planned and when inspiration occurs, it steals time from the less pleasant things I have to do, rather than the other way around. I am in control and I deal with my fatigue efficiently.