The dilemma of double knowledge work a day

As I was listening to my manager's small talk story of the day, I wondered "wow, she can get up after work and do home renovation after a long day of working? I can't even put myself to write a few words." And then I realized "they're not exactly the same efforts."

I have a so-called "knowledge work" job. I end most working days with throbbing headaches, sore eyes and a body that yearns for some movement. With all these symptoms, I expect my body to obey my desire to continue sitting behind the desk, stare at the screen and churn out some more words; but more humane and creative than my day job's bland and functional words. Oh, and then finish the day by comprehending some challenging works of literature.

To nobody's surprise, my mind and body do not yield to these wild desires and leave me unfulfilled. Now, if I had gained another kind of pastime, a more physical one, like DIY projects, sports, handcrafted arts and so on, I might've had an easier time to finish my day job and get to my active hobby. But the heart wants what it wants and in my case, it's literature.

To respect my body's need for the balance between cognitive and physical activities, I know I need to plant some reset buttons here and there. Maybe a shower or exercise break in the evening when the day job is done. Or a more challenging but powerful one: breaking the large evening to midnight free time to two smaller but more meaningful chunks: a few hours early in the morning before the day job starts, and a few hours in the evening; with the caveat of adhering to a strict schedule: sleep early and long enough, work efficiently and exercise, have meals and do chores among any other human necessities at exactly the same time every single day to preserve time and energy for the second knowledge work of the day. Yes, the cost is high. Is it worth it? Well, it entirely depends on the individual.