How to Create Yourself an Extra Hour a Day

This Sunday, October 25th, British Summer Time ends (I wonder if it even started this year?).

Remember to put your clocks back one hour this Saturday night.

It means lighter mornings but darker evenings.

As the evenings draw shorter it doesn’t sound too positive, but I wonder in a strange way if it is a day for celebration?

It means in theory that we get an extra hour to use however we like that day.

“Extra hour in bed” I hear you say?

How could you use this extra hour for maximum benefit?

Wouldn’t it be great to gain an extra hour every day of the year?

What would that allow you to do?

It is possible; here are some tips to try.

Get up an hour earlier

If you normally get up at 8, set the alarm an hour early this week to get up at 7 as it will actually feel like 8 and you’re used to getting up at that time already.

You can always go to bed earlier too; we tend to get more done in a morning than last thing at night.

Take care of yourself

Get enough sleep.

Turn off the TV and go to bed at a decent hour; ensuring 7-8 hours sleep each night.

While this may seem at odds with gaining an hour by getting up earlier, being well rested leads to higher productivity and fewer mistakes, freeing up valuable time.

Eliminate time wasters

Analyse your day.

Where do you waste time?

Do you spend more time than necessary talking on the phone, checking your email or watching TV?

Schedule a set amount of time for these activities and confine them to the scheduled time slots.

Ask yourself if a task even needs to be done.

Prioritise what must be done and identify what can be eliminated.

Avoid putting things off

Whatever the task, just do it now.

Procrastination is a huge drain on time.

Undone tasks clutter your mind, creating a distraction that leads to more procrastination.

When you see a simple task that needs to be done, spend a few minutes to get it out of the way quickly so that you can efficiently move on with your day.