On Saturday night, I stayed up a bit later than usual because I knew I would get an extra hour of sleep due to the end of Daylight Savings Time. I figured that watching a movie was a great use of my “extra hour.”
Sunday morning, I woke up at the usual body time, which was really an hour earlier than usual, so I decided to go out to breakfast.
And when I came home, it was still early, so I thought I would use the bonus time to walk the dogs.
After that, it was still morning, so I winterized my front gardens and clipped all the plants in preparation for the long frost that is to come. Another extra hour!
Then I decided to make chili for dinner — something that takes two hours instead of the usual pop-it-into-the-microwave meal — and even that was done by the time I would normally be heading home from work. Bonus!
And after dinner, it was still “early” so I was able to do some additional things around the house that normally I wouldn’t have time to do. Extra hour number six!
I am not sure why the time change has this impact on me, but it does. Finding one free hour is almost magical — it turns into several more. The same is true during the week when a meeting is cancelled and my schedule suddenly has an opening. One found hour becomes much more productive than normal.
What can you do to psych yourself out so that you feel like you have “found time” at random times during your week? Or could you adjust your sleep schedule so that you actually do have an extra hour in the morning? Or alter work times so that you have time alone in the office?
Daylight Savings Time truly is like saving — at the end, it pays you back with interest.
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