How to Manage Daylight Saving Time This Weekend

Ready to lose an hour of your weekend?

This weekend will be shorter than the rest as we lose an hour between Saturday and Sunday. Now, I firmly believe that if we are losing an hour of our weekend, we should also lose an hour of the workweek. It's only fair. We need the weekend for rest, to recharge our batteries, and ultimately take car of our mental health. We are not machines. We can't work this much!

Get our free mobile app

OK, now that I have officially worked myself up, let's get back to business.

Daylight Saving Time is happening this weekend. And while we're not stoked about losing that precious hour of sleep, we are going to have to suffer power through it. It's inevitable.

So here are some ways to help you manage...

1. Focus on the Positive - Sure we are losing an hour of sleep this weekend, but we're gaining more daylight. We spring ahead to give us more daylight during this time of year. We will see more sunlight later in the day beginning on Sunday. This is also a sign that spring and summer are on the way, so keep that in mind.

2. Change Your Clocks on Saturday - While a good chunk of your devices will automatically adjust to the time change in the overnight hours, there will still be clocks you need to adjust manually. These include your microwave, oven, car, any old-school analog clocks in your house, coffee makers, etc. If you can set your clocks ahead on Saturday evening, rather than catching up on Sunday morning, you can start to trick your body into thinking it's later than it really is. The secret is to stick to the time on the clock after you change them. If it says 6 p.m. and you eat dinner at 6, then eat dinner. If it says 9 p.m. and you normally go to bed at 9, go to bed. My mother did this and it helped us kids feel less groggy in the morning.

3. Get Up in the Morning - Call me crazy, but I try to stick to a normal sleep routine even on the weekend. Which means I set an alarm (gasp). I recommend you do the same. Get up at a decent hour and don't sleep in. But the key is that you get up. If you lay around, snoozing and feeling sorry for yourself, you aren't doing any favors for yourself. If you have to, set a time for breakfast or brunch with friends. You need something to get you out of bed.

BONUS: Deal with It - It's a part of life, at least for the time being. The more you just accept that you'll be a little tired, the better. If anything, use it as an excuse to pour an extra cup of coffee.