5 Things to Do with That Extra Hour from Daylight Saving Time, According to AT Editors

I know, I know. Daylight saving time ending can easily inspire a swirl of dread. After all, it means you’re officially welcoming in shorter days for the next batch of cold, gloomy months. Trust me, I’m not happy about the sun setting at 4:44 p.m. on Nov. 8 where I live in New York City! What I do like, though, is that extra hour you get from setting your clock back. It feels absolutely luxurious to catch yourself at 10 p.m. and think, “Hey, I could stay awake an extra hour tonight since I’ll get than hour back overnight!” It’s almost as good as waking up thinking you have work, only to realize it’s a day off. Almost.

Because I want to focus on the positive side of ushering an early twilight starting on Nov. 7, I asked the Apartment Therapy edit team for their ideas about how to take advantage of that extra hour. Here are some of my favorite ideas of things that can take just an hour (or less!):

“We all have a long TBW (to be watched) list, so give yourself the extra time to relax on the couch and try one out. It might be the start of a beautiful binge-watching sesh!” —Nicoletta Richardson, Entertainment Editor

“First, it’s called Daylight Saving, not Savings with an s at the end. And you’ve probably been writing the time wrong for the past eight months — if you’re in eastern time, it’s EDT from March through November, and EST starting today. Here’s a good place to start.” —Tara Bellucci, News & Culture Director

“To me, there’s really nothing like a warm bath after a long day. With my extra hour, I plan to take my first bath of the fall/winter season! (This makes it sound like I don’t bathe regularly, but I promise I do!) I’m looking forward to resting, relaxing, and mentally preparing for a long winter — one that is ideally filled with many more calming nights in the tub.” —Madeline Bilis, Real Estate Editor

“I might use the extra hour in my day to try a new recipe. I never want to make anything that’ll take 40 minutes to an hour when it’s time to make dinner. I’m too hungry and too tired! But the extra hour (over a weekend, too!) feels like the perfect opportunity to try a recipe I’ve bookmarked and a great way to start off the fall/winter hibernation szn with something warm and delicious.” —Sarah Everett, Editorial Assistant

“Though sleeping in too much isn’t a great way to ‘catch up’ on lost sleep during the week, and you run the risk of throwing off your circadian rhythm, I plan on sleeping in. You don’t need to be productive every second of every hour of every day, so I’m fully leaning into using the 25th hour to rest, and wake up without an alarm.” —Ella Cerón, Lifestyle Editor