I just keep thinking of all the enriching things I could be doing with my life and time, and 1/3 of it is spent just working.
So i try to find ways to incorporate some of that enrichment during the workday – like reading during my lunch break, or crocheting at my desk when I have some downtime. But not everyone has that ability, and I'm lucky.
But I think of how I grew up going to school all day, doing my homework and getting straight A's, and also excelling in a bunch of other activities that I also enmeshed with my school life – like sports, social activities, music, art, innovation and language studies…. we obviously didn't have the additional burden of needing to carry the mental load of adulthood, manage our own schedules, make/prepare our own food, household chores (to the full extent)
Like I think about how my day would be so much better if I not only was paid properly, but also if i could spread it out more. I've thought of coming to work at 7 and leaving at 5 and taking 2 hours midday to not only eat but take a catnap, relax and redirect my brain power to something else, go to a yoga class (since the only ones available around me are during work hours, so those things are only accessible to SAHM/housewife types or retired folks) or just do something. I also know that once I leave work I will not feel happy about coming back. So I often don't even leave for lunch, I just sit at my desk and eat whatever scraps I brought with me for the day.
And then, since the job doesn't pay enough to even barely get by, we have to use more time of our day to find supplemental work and then proceed to do supplemental work, using up the remaining 2/3 of our time once found. So goals and aspirations, needs around the house, sleep, physical and mental healthcare, hobbies and socializing and building community….all gets pushed aside or sacrificed.
My job isn't too mentally demanding, thankfully. But I end up burnt out because I spend all of my thinking energy stressing over how to make my life better all around, while financially better is at the top of the list…
it would just be better for everyone overall if our work lives were more part of our lives and not forced into this designated be-all chunk of time.