Daylight Savings - 10 Great Ways to Make Up for Lost Time
Daylight Savings
At 2:00 am on Sunday, March 14, 2021, clocks in all but two states will move forward one hour to 3:00 am. What this really means, in our household, is when we wake up at 10 am, immediately it’s 11:00 am and just like that, we lost an hour of the day. We could wait until November 7, 2021, to gain that hour back, but that seems a bit unrealistic. So…. while we just lost an hour, the good news is that we gained an hour of evening sunlight, literally overnight. What will you do with the extra hour of sunlight? Keep reading to find the 10 ways to make up for lost time and make up for lost time.
While you can stick to your routine and accept this hour of loss as a parent, you can also take FULL advantage of the hour of sunlight by making up the time in the sun with your family (keep in mind that on this first night when it is time for bed, your body may not be ready and you may find yourself becoming restless, and this restlessness can turn into sleep deprivation the following day). If sleep difficulties define you, be conscious and plan now for next Sunday:
- create a schedule that includes doing household chores or events an hour earlier;
- plan lunch and dinner and hour earlier;
- avoid doing the following in bed, watching TV, reading, or scrolling though social media during bedtime.
- For more tips on how to alleviate the switch, click here.
Putting into Practice - Daylight Savings
After taking care of your sleep concerns, you will want to jump start your body’s adaptation to its new circadian schedule by planning for a full day of activities that include both family time and personal time. I encourage you to look for ways to be active throughout the day physically and/or mentally. Of course, by this time of the year, we may get glimpses of spring arriving. So, here are 5 ways to make up for lost time and make the most of the sunshine and outdoors.
- This can include a hike,
- Shooting hoops or tossing a ball around,
- Going for a bicycle ride,
- A long walk to a friend’s house, or
- A jump start on spring cleaning.
For our indoor inhabitants, here are 5 more ways to make up for lost time by making the best of the sunshine. This can include
- Playing a game,
- Doing a 1000 or more-piece puzzle,
- Working on crossword puzzles
- Downloading an app for the family to learn a new language, or
- Finally cleanout the attic, basement, or closet of relics.
Keep in mind, these ideas were generated with the notion of spending time with your family while jump starting the reconditioning of your mind and body.
So, break out of your typical mold and engage in an activity that is out of the norm. Remember, the intention is to stretch and challenge your mind and body, and in return, your mind and body will ease into a new bedtime routine that engages your body into a full deep sensation of relaxation. To support and ease your child’s bedtime routine, engage in a bedtime story or discussion about the day’s events.
I hope you feel accomplished and satisfied regarding the time you spent with your family and for squeezing an “extra” hour from a 23-hour day. Who knows, this can become a new family tradition which may included staying in bed an extra hour on November 7, watching an extra movie or an episode of your favorite television series.
Testing the Theory of Daylight Savings
To test my hypothesis, I asked my 11-year-old daughter, “How would you like to make up for losing an hour of the day?” Her response was simple, she said, “I’m hungry.” It was in fact lunchtime when I asked and my lesson learned, never to ask my daughter questions during lunch time. An hour later and with a full belly, I asked her a second time how she would like to make up for losing an hour of the day. To my surprise, she had similar thoughts which included doing a puzzle, bike reading or hiking. She later recanted her idea about hiking but that is another story.
I posed the same question, “how would you like to make up for losing an hour of the day”, to my soon-to-be 14-year-old son. Without thinking, he suggested playing video games (how did I not see that response?). After pressing him a bit more, he gave an answer that just proves I have a lot of work ahead of me; he said “IDK”. Seriously, he used the initials and the only thing worse than hearing a kid say “I don’t know” is hearing them use the abbreviated version. Maybe an abbreviated I don’t know to “IDK” is a good thing when we lose an hour – not sure. But it is moments like this when I gladly get to exercise my power to issue executive orders and press for a response.
Creating Memories
Regardless, whether everyone is all in or not, is a story for another time. For now, I’ll put into play, “Daddy knows best” philosophy and find ways to make up for lost time. Despite any lack of enthusiasm from my children, we will push forward. This will not stop my wife and I for creating the ground work for creating new memories. Hopefully, when our kids become parents, they will look back with fond memories on days of just simply “eating” and “playing video games”. At this point, it doesn’t matter. The focus of the article is not to present original ideas on how to make the most of a 23-hour day but rather plan ahead on how to make the most of a 23-hour day.
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