What Would You Do With An Extra Hour Each Day?

I can’t believe that it is November already! The past month has gone by in the blink of an eye, and I have constantly found myself rushing from task to task. I frequently found myself wishing that there was just one more hour in the day.

This Sunday, we will all receive this gift: an extra hour in our day. With Daylight Saving Time ending on November 6th, each of us will have an extra hour in our day to accomplish the tasks on our to-do lists. While we only receive this gift once a year (and have to give it back in the spring when we move our clocks forward again), it brings up a topic worthy for thought: What would you do with an extra hour each day?

While I realize that we will not receive the gift of an extra hour every day of the year, this is a question worth considering. The reality is this: we all have extra time, even without turning back the clock. Many of us may feel like this is not the case – and as a busy college student, I completely understand. Sometimes it feels like I have crammed as much as possible into the 24 hours I have each day. But this weekend, before you turn back your clock, take some time to consider the following:

1. Make a list of the things that are most important to you. These could be values (such as family and faith), or even goals (such as academic goals or personal goals).
2. Look back at how you spent your time over the past 7 days. Identify where you spent your time focused on the things that are most important to you. Also identify where you may have wasted some of your time.
3. Decide what you will do with your extra hour.

Now, don’t take this literally. I’m not saying that we all need to pick something new to do for an hour every day. What I’m saying is this – we make time for the things that are most important to us. Look at your schedule, and determine where you have extra time (or time that could be reallocated) to focus on your goals and values. Over the course of the next month, make a change that reflects this! Whether this is spending more time with family, spending an hour each day learning a new language, dedicating more time to community service, or anything else – stick to it this month. Decide what you will do with your “extra hour.”