This Sunday at 2 a.m., it’s time to “fall back.” We’ll set our clocks an hour earlier to mark the end of daylight saving time. By doing so, we’ll gain an extra hour of daylight.
Instead of using this bonus hour to catch up on sleep, consider getting up at your usual time to get a jumpstart on your ONE Thing. As Gretchen Rubin suggests in her new book, Better than Before, this Sunday is the perfect time to start working on improving your daily habits. When we use the autumn end of daylight saving time to set our activities in motion, we can do a lot with that extra hour.
Think about it. Rubin explained in our recent webinar that it’s an easy way to change your daily habits without having to change your body clock – and it’s the perfect time to do so. When your body is used to getting up at a specific time, the time-change periods that occur with the beginning and end of daylight saving time can impact your circadian rhythms. In fact, some researchers believe that the time changes in the spring and fall can disrupt your sleep for up to a week. While many consider the fall time change we’re about to have easier to handle than the one in the spring, people still have trouble falling asleep, wake up earlier, and are more likely to wake during the night until their body readjusts to the new sleep cycle.
Minimize the effects of daylight saving and use this time to get ahead. Instead of sleeping in, get up at the same time as you normally do. And then use that time to start establishing a new power habit that you’ve been thinking about but haven’t yet implemented. Like we tell you in The ONE Thing, your willpower is not always on will-call. In fact, it is at its highest in the morning and depletes over the course of the day. So use your morning time wisely and focus on the activities that put you in a better mindset and help you accomplish more over the course of the day. Thomas Corley, the author of Rich Habits found that successful people wake up at least three hours before they “start” their day and use the time to work on improving themselves. Some successful people use this early morning time to read, exercise or pursue some other purpose. Others may journal, meditate, or simply plan out their day. This is the time when you can focus on what matters to you. By keeping your wake-up call consistent, imagine what you can accomplish!
On Sunday, you’ll be one of many around the globe who will change your clock, as about one quarter of the world’s population in roughly 70 countries now observe daylight saving. Make sure you use the time to get ahead. What do you plan to do with the extra hour in your day?