24 Things You Can Do With an Extra Hour

Daylight Savings ended and now you have an extra hour every day. Here are 24 things you can do to get the most from that extra hour.
By Kevin Daum | Nov 2, 2012

How odd that so much of life is dependent upon time. Lives are measured in years. We count down the minutes and seconds in a game and measure our productivity by months and quarters. The clock speeds when you're enjoying a project and drags when someone is droning on and on in a meeting. Your ability to control time is nonexistent, which can be frustrating when you really need it. And who doesn't want just a bit more time, an extra hour each day? Well here's your chance.

When daylight savings time ends this weekend you can actually gain the benefit of an extra hour. We'll set the clocks back one hour on Sunday and yet our body clocks will still be on Saturday's rhythm. Instead of waking up at 7 a.m. it will magically be 6 a.m.  As long as you maintain the same wake up pattern you now get to start your day with an extra hour. Its like manna from heaven. For the next 126 days you have been granted an additional 60 glorious minutes for whatever you want. So that you don't waste this precious time, I have put together a list of 24 ideas on how to make the most of this gift. If these ideas aren't sufficiently inspiring, by all means share your own hourly activities in the comments.

  1. Catch up on all of your email.
  2. Hand-write and send five thank-you notes to people who support you.
  3. Brainstorm with a couple of colleagues on how to make the office run better.
  4. Plan a romantic evening for your significant other.
  5. Investigate two of your competitors.
  6. Google yourself. If that takes five minutes, Google all your co-workers.
  7. Make a list of pros and cons about yourself as a contributor to the company.
  8. Identify a role model and send them a handwritten invitation to lunch.
  9. Get in that much needed physical work out.
  10. Plan a weekend trip with your family.
  11. Learn a foreign language (This will require all 126 hours).
  12. Have lunch with your boss, partner or colleague.
  13. Call an old friend or relative you have neglected.
  14. Update your LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter profiles and your resume.
  15. Sharpen your powers of observation by watching people in a crowded area.
  16. Volunteer for a charity you like.
  17. Make a playlist of inspiring work music.
  18. Meditate.
  19. Clean up the desktop on your computer (or your desk).
  20. Plan the perfect dinner party.
  21. Read that business book that's been waiting.
  22. Write a short story.
  23. Give yourself a clothing makeover. (Yes, that means shopping.)
  24. Read all my previous columns. (If you found value in this one of course.)

Note:  Yes, of course I realize that technically you must go to bed later to gain the hour of time each day. But honestly, aren't some of the ideas above worth sacrificing an hour of sleep?