6 Luxurious Ways to Spend Your 60 Extra Minutes of Daylight Saving Time
In case you haven’t heard, this Sunday, Nov. 6 is Daylight Saving Time. That’s the beautiful phenomenon where your clock silently falls back an hour in the middle of the morning, creating an “extra” hour with which you can do … whatever you want! I love sleep, so reveling in an extra cozy hour of slumber is often how I choose to honor this annual gift. But I also love a little cheat code, which is kind of what fall Daylight Saving feels like to me — a man-made glitch that generates a bonus hour of daytime. While sleeping is a wholly worthy way to spend this time, if you’d like to get up and embrace those 60 miraculous minutes, here are six ways to do so that still feel restful.
Make your favorite breakfast.
Despite the adage of breakfast being the most important meal, it’s often cast aside in favor of coffee, commuting, or getting an early start on the workday. But this Daylight Saving Time is your chance to make the Sunday breakfast of your dreams. Whip up some pancake batter and stir in chocolate chips and banana slices. Brew a pour over coffee while the pancakes sizzle on the griddle. Beat some eggs and cook them slowly over low heat for soft, creamy scrambled eggs. Whatever your dream breakfast is, make it and enjoy it in your extra hour of time.
Finish the book you’ve been reading.
Is there anything more satisfying than reading the last line of a good book? If you’ve been slowly plodding through a novel in the minutes before bed for the last few weeks or months, take advantage of an uninterrupted hour to immerse yourself in the book and finish it up. Or, let yourself get a good start on a new item from your TBR list, finally get to that longread article you’ve had in an open tab since Monday, or cue up your favorite hour-long podcast.
Write a letter.
Maybe you have a thank-you note you’ve been meaning to write. Maybe you picked up a postcard on your last trip that you wanted to send to a friend. Whatever the case, writing a letter is a lovely way to slow down, do something for yourself, and do something nice for someone you care about. Write a love letter to your partner! Write a love letter to your future self! Write a love letter to your childhood best friend! An hour is the perfect amount of time to fold up that note and even take it all the way to the post office to mail it out.
Take a morning walk.
There’s no need to get up early, but if you do, early morning can be a magical time to take a stroll. The sidewalks are still unbusy as everyone else sleeps in, the birds are chirping amongst themselves, and the air almost always feels fresh and dewy. (At least, this is my memory from the last time I was up very early, a long, long time ago!) Call it a hot girl walk or call it a morning stroll, but a walk is a perfect opportunity to spend some quality time with your thoughts and enjoy your local surroundings.
Clean your kitchen.
Okay, this might not feel luxurious, but hear me out. You walk into your kitchen, and the counters are clear of clutter. The sink? Wiped down and free of dishes. The air? Smelling vaguely of lemons. A clean kitchen is a kind of bliss. If you have a hankering to do something with your hands, use your extra hour to give your kitchen a quick wipe down and spruce it up. Set a 30-minute timer and stop wherever you are when it chimes — then make yourself a nice cup of tea or coffee and enjoy sipping in at your freshly cleaned table.
Do some yoga.
Ever since the Presidential Physical Fitness Test of my childhood nightmares, I’ve had a slight aversion to things like running a short distance to pick up blackboard erasers or touching my toes. That said, I love a little yoga. The benefits are myriad, from relieving stress and alleviating back pain, to improving flexibility and building muscle tone. Plus, it’s a quiet, peaceful way to spend 15 or 60 minutes. If you’re not sure where to start, try each of these 10 basic yoga poses or take one of these helpful yoga apps for a test run.