Daylight Savings: 5 Things to Do with Your Extra Hour

For me, the most glorious part of Daylight Savings is the illusion that comes in the fall: the extra hour that magically appears in our day. The best way to make this "extra hour" really special is to celebrate it. Why just do the same things you do every day when you could truly savor it?

Daylight Savings: 1st Thing To Do With Your Extra Hour - Start Your Day Early

Often people stay up an extra hour, or grab an extra hour of sleep. Why not use the extra hour that Daylight Savings creates to jump start the next morning?

Maybe you've been meaning to quit skipping breakfast, or trying to find time in your daily routine for a little exercise. If you go to bed at the same time you usually do, and wake up an hour earlier the day after Daylight Savings, you will have got the same amount of sleep as usual. You can use this hour as the kick off point for your new routine.

Did you ever wonder why some people linger over the paper before getting going in the morning? This could be your chance to find out!

Daylight Savings: 2nd Thing To Do With Your Extra Hour - Take a Break and Pamper Yourself

You probably already spend much of your time on the go. The temptation to cram any one of dozens of activities into your extra hour is probably overwhelm. Just say no.

Give yourself an hour for you. There are so many things that you can do for yourself. Meditate, or reflect on your life and your goals. Take a bath, get a massage or paint your nails. Pick any activity that lets you relax completely. Use your extra hour from Daylight Savings to refuel your mind and your spirit.

Daylight Savings: 3rd Thing To Do With Your Extra Hour - Enrich Your Mind

When was the last time you made room in your schedule for learning or enriching your mind? The extra hour from Daylight Savings is the perfect time.

Move some chores to a later time, and spend an hour at the museum. Visit your local library and pick at least one book that you would not ordinarily give a second glance. Grab the newspaper or pick a cable news show and catch up on current events.

It is always a good thing to keep learning and growing. "Found time" gives you a chance to fit that in without disrupting your daily routine.

Daylight Savings: 4th Thing To Do With Your Extra Hour - Up Your NaNoWriMo Word Count

For many NaNo participants, every minute counts. An extra hour is a godsend. Dedicate this hour to NaNo and NaNo alone and see what you can accomplish.

What, not everyone does NaNo? Commit yourself to your current project, whatever it may be. How many AC articles can you write in an hour? How long have you been putting off that paper? Your refrigerator isn't going to clean itself!

Committing your extra hour to working on a project may not be the most fun use of your time. Think of the satisfaction that you will feel at your accomplishment to keep you motivated.

Daylight Savings: 5th Thing To Do With Your Extra Hour - Make it Quality Time

No, I'm not suggesting that you wake up at 2 am when the clocks go back to fit in some quality time. For many of the people on your quality-time list this wouldn't work out well. If it would, though, go for it! A little bit of something unusual and unexpected is always fun!

The beauty of Daylight Savings in the fall is that you can stay up an hour later and still get the same amount of sleep. Give your kids an hour of undivided attention - and use the extra time that you're up to finish the tasks you would have done. Call an out of town relative that you don't see often. In an hour you can also write quick cards or lovely letters to several friends and relatives - all of whom will be delighted when they receive them in the mail.

However you chose to spend it, remember to enjoy your extra hour!

** For all of the details on the Fall 2007 time change, see Bridgett Williams's article "Fall Means Daylight Savings Time Ends: Remember to Fall Back!".