What would you do if you had an extra hour every day?
Would you spend those precious minutes doing work or chores? Or would you spend it sleeping or watching an extra episode of your favourite series on Netflix? How about doing yoga or a spin class?
I posed this question to my Instagram followers and I loved the responses. Guess what? No one wanted to spend their extra hour doing work or chores. Every response included some form of self-care, with the majority of responses being SLEEP!
But now I’m confused…..because if self-care or sleep (which can be self-care) is the first thing you would do with that extra hour, why aren’t you making it a priority in your daily life now? If it’s the thing that over and over again you neglect to the point that it’s the first thing you would do with an extra hour…..wouldn’t it make sense to just put it into your schedule now?
Yes, your life is busy. You’re juggling meal prep and cleaning with taking care of your family on top of working a long draining day and then you are so wired by the evening that you have no choice but to “unwind” for those few minutes with your phone as your mindlessly scroll through social media because it’s easy. But, do you feel refreshed afterwards? Do you feel that was a productive use of your time? What if instead you made your ideal “extra one hour a day task” a priority and actually scheduled it into your day?
While that may seem like a tough feat at first, try easing into it by scheduling an hour per week or 10 minutes per day which you can imagine as your “extra time”. Pretend that this time is a gift to you that does not take away from the other minutes in the day or week. Soon those minutes will become a priority and habit.
While I may sometimes have delusions of grandeur, I am fairly sure that I don’t have the power to grant you an extra hour every day. However! The stars are aligned, and with Daylight Saving Time this weekend, you will get an extra hour to spend however you would like! This is an opportunity to be intentional with that hour and spend it the way that leaves you feeling the most productive, nourished and satisfied. Make the most of it!
p.s. Daylight Saving Time can be a pretty rough adjustment for some people. Check out a few tips below on how have it be minimally disruptive for you:
- Bedtime: if you don’t have to wake up at a certain time every day, try gradually moving your bedtime and wake time by 15 minutes each day until you adjust
- Melatonin: take 3mg of melatonin approximately 1-2 hours prior to the time you usually go to sleep
- Light-wake alarm clock: game-changer. If you don’t already use a gradual light alarm clock to wake-up, go order one now. It is the most natural, delightful way to wake up and does not startle you awake like your traditional alarm clock does.
- Sunlight: try to get as much exposure to daylight as possible so that your circadian rhythm adjusts.
- Self-care: I don’t think anyone would be surprised that I added this to the list. Take a bubble bath, go for a leisurely stroll, sit under the moonlight, do a puzzle, knit a sweater. I don’t care what you do, just do it distraction-free and intentionally.
