How to Set Yourself Up For a Successful Transition From Summer Hours to Winter Hours

The darkness is coming! The darkness is coming!

If you’re like many people, you feel the impending doom and gloom of the change from Daylight Savings Time (DST) to Standard Time.

Although not true because we still have 24 hours each day, having fewer daylight hours makes it feel like we have less time. This often affects our evening routines and leaves many of us feeling sunlight starved.

I notice this shift affects my clients who are trying to get or stay organized.

The change in daylight hours makes it harder for some people to get things done in the evening, meaning life starts to fall into a more disorganized state.

Studies have shown shorter daylight hours can affect sleep, productivity, physical health, and people’s general state of mind.

There are ways to combat this shift and lessen its’ impact.

Here are some tips for the days immediately before and after the time change:

• If there is sunlight on Sunday morning, go outside! Spending time in the morning sunlight helps regulate your internal clock.
• Make incremental 10-15 minute changes to your eating and sleeping schedule.
• Eat more protein and less carbohydrates.
• Do you have meetings with people in other states or countries? Double-check to see if and when their time changes.

Try one or more of these ideas if you’re seeking to save daylight during the duration of standard time.

• Get a head start. Getting up while it’s still dark is one of the less-fun parts of winter. But if you get a head start in the morning, you may be able to finish early enough to enjoy some sunshine at the end of the day.
• Related to that, can you rearrange your work hours? If you have a flexible schedule, why not work an earlier “shift” or split your hours so you can squeeze in a walk around 4 p.m.?
• If adjusting a work schedule isn’t possible, try to get outside during your lunch break. Eat early or late and take a walk at 12 p.m. Or at least try to find a nice place outside to eat your lunch.
• Is it possible to create an “outside office” to use as long as the weather remains fair?
• Some people begin to feel blue late in the winter, whether they have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or not. Consider spending more time around warmer light sources (not cold, fluorescent light).
• Darker hours means we use more artificial lights, which can impact our sleeping patterns. Even though it’s dark, try to turn off screens at least 30 minutes before bed so your sleep isn’t affected.

While there’s not much we can do about shorter daylight hours, we can adjust a bit to keep feeling motivated and stay productive. And if nothing else, darker hours mean more time to organize indoors!

I’d love to know your thoughts!

Comment below about which strategy you’ll try. Or share an idea that’s worked for you in the past.