| By Barbara Wallace | November 6, 2009 |
Last night, as I was scanning the list of everything I’ve got to accomplish in the next few weeks, I came to an important conclusion. Seven days a week are not enough. I need an eighth. I don’t really care when we slide that eighth day in. Between Friday and Saturday, or right after Wednesday – doesn’t matter to me. Nor do I care what we call the day. It can be Fraturday, Wednesday Number 2 or even Barb’s Extra Day So She Can Get Her Writing Done Day. All I care about is getting that day on the calendar.
Pipe dream you say?
Well, turns out I’m not alone. Nor am I completely looneytunes. Turns out there is an actual movement afoot. Apparently, unlike other time periods, like the month which are based on lunar or natural cycles, the seven-day week is fairly arbitrary. The most logical source for it the Bible, which talks of God resting on the seventh day. (Note: Since none of us are actually resting on the seventh day, I’m pretty sure God would be okay with us creating an eighth so we can.) Proponents of the eight day week claim it will give parents an extra day to spend time with their families, will eliminate stress-related costs, and increase productivity.
I saw we go for it. Near as I can tell, the only people who would fight the change are the calendar makers.
Meanwhile, I’m intrigued by another website: theeightdayweek.com. This site is an experiment which carves days into 21 hours rather than 24. We take those extra three days and “As a result, “after five days you’ll be twelve hours ahead of regular time.” Which means after 10 days, you’ll be on an eight day a week schedule. And by the end of the year, you’ll have 417 days rather than the 365 everyone else has.
I like it. Like many of my contemporaries, I suffer from insomnia. I’m not sleeping eight hours anyway, so why not take those hours I’m tossing and turning and put them to use. The site features a calendar and clock download. As soon as I can find some free time, I’m going to give those downloads a try. Who knows, maybe those extra day will mean I’ll get my revisions done that much sooner. Or I’ll finally get to the laundry that’s been piling up the past few days.
Which leads me to the other thing I discovered I need: A self-cleaning house. Not a maid, not a cleaning service. A house that cleans itself automatically. A quick search of the Internet came up empty. (Weird weird since my husband and son are pretty sure they live in a self-cleaning house, but I digress.) I guess that means I’ll have to wait until one is invented.
Maybe once we gain that eighth day, some woman will have time to do so.
November 6th, 2009 at 10:42 am
I’m right there with you, Barbara. I need an extra day. Or maybe a few extra hours in the day–with the stipulation that I have the energy to put them to use!
Or maybe I just need an Alice–like the live-in maid on the Brady Bunch. I’ve got a thousand more things to do than just embroider, which is what Carol Brady always seemed to be doing!
November 6th, 2009 at 10:52 am
I concur with your wish for an 8 day week, although rather than cut each day down to 21 hours, I’d like to increase them to 28-30 hours.
I need time for work, play, rest, and sleep each day and those extra 4-6 hours would make a big difference particularly since work never takes just 8 hours of the day!
A three day weekend for non-employment work? Fabulous!!!!
November 6th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
You had me at “eight day week” and “self-cleaning house”… oh, bliss!!
November 6th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Self cleaning house? Sign me up! And you realize, Barb, that things are just starting to ramp up for the holidays. Deep breath…
November 6th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
Hmmm… I’m not sure about the eight day week helping in the long run. Sounds a lot like the paperless office and more leisure time we were all promised when computers started to be more prevalent in the workplace. Instead, we ended up working longer hours and now through phones and e-mail most people work pretty much 24/7.
BUT. A self-cleaning house. There’s something I could get behind without question!!! Sign me up. Now.
November 6th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
I’m with Maureen. If I had 8 days, I’d still be running around the same way I do now. A self-cleaning house, that would actually work. Not that I clean, but my husband would sure appreciate it.
November 6th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
I don’t think another day would help either. It’s sort of like when you think “If only I had another closet.” When you finally get one, you fill it up, and you’re still out of room.
November 6th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
I’d be for the 8th day as long as it falls between Saturday and Sunday so it would be a 3rd weekend day and not a 6th work week day.
November 6th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
Sleep? What’s that?
A self-cleaning house? OMGosh! Heaven! Can I also request a house that cooks? 
An extra day on the weekend (great thinking, Beth!)? I’m so there!
Yes, please to all of these wonderful ideas. Where do I sign and how soon can we implement these essentials for my new improved life?
November 6th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
I’m putting self-cleaning house down on my Christmas list. . .
November 6th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
I’m with Gail. I can forgo the self-cleaning house for a cook. Healthy noon meal, light supper. THAT is what I’d love. And, if I had the extra day I’d find a way to fill it up…..
Fun post, Barb!
November 6th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
LOL, what a wonderful post. I love the number 8, so I’d love an 8-day week. But, alas, I fear an 8-day week wouldn’t work, either. We’d just get so busy that we’d need a 9-day week, etc., etc.
I’ll have to check out that website!
November 6th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Very cute, Barb, but I’d not opt for a eight day week. It’s rather like George Carlin’s diatribe on Stuff–we’d soon find that extra day full and be jonesing for another. Me? I’d like to add a few hours to our current days. Why not 30? Nice round number, so much easier to use when thinking in military time.
The self-cleaning house is another matter. Bliss. Heaven. Sounds rather Star Trekkie and right up my alley.
November 6th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
Hey – you may be onto something – hadn’t thought of that. I can’t stay asleep all night either and end up writing then anyway. Would love to have a 3-day weekend – 1 day to do chores, 1 day to rest, 1 day to do something fun.
November 6th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
As someone who quit her outside job in the spring to write full-time, I had visions of how much extra time I would have.
Somehow it didn’t work out as I’d envisioned, and I still feel stressed with not enough hours to get it all done. So adding days doesn’t necessarily mean reducing the crush.
But I’ll take the self-cleaning house and the cook any day! Sign me up!
November 6th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
What Alix said LOL. If I had eight days, I’d just screw it up
We’ve chosen careers that unfortunately 365 or 417 days in a year, we never have enough time!
Some people swear by http://www.flylady.com/
She’s an organizer and helps simplify our lives. Get some rest, Barb!
November 6th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
I can get behind the self-cleaning house idea, sign me up!
Not sure about 21 hour days. I need my sleep lol
November 6th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
So no one wants another day, but everyone wants a self-cleaning house. I can get behind that.
BTW, I read an article once that said it’s not the cleaning that’s the problem – it’s your family’s insistence on using the house once it’s been cleaned. I can buy that argument. I mean really, can’t my son sleep on top of the covers so they don’t have to get washed again? And do they have to actually walk on the floors or use the bathroom?
Don’t get me started with the cat’s insistence on leaving fur places.
Thanks for the comments everyone!
November 7th, 2009 at 12:18 am
Hi Barb,
I’m signing up for the self-cleaning house also, that would free up at least a day in the week. I did learn rececntly how much fo the stuff the family can do for themselves when they have to. Not being able to drive or do many things since January has made them very self-sufficient. I beleive many of the families rely on Mom a little too much and alas we let them.
My solution. Every Mom takes a week off to help the family train themselves and after that instead of adding the 8th day, she gets one of the 7 all to herself to do her stuff. Not house stuff, not kid stuff, or family stuff.
So all hail to the new day of the week called Momday, to be inserted in place of whichever day you wish. For those of you who aren’t Mom’s you may inster the alternate day of Meday.
Donna
November 10th, 2009 at 9:59 am
OMG how did I miss this? Excellent!!! Thank you for the eye opener.