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You’re losing an hour… make up for it: Five ways to make most of shortened Sunday as clocks go forward

We’ve all been there, wishing we had more time to clean the house, finish homework or go out with friends.

And with daylight saving happening this Sunday we’re set to have even less time on our hands.

To add insult to injury it’s also on the weekend when we look to shower ourselves with some ‘me time’.

We don’t usually moan too much because when the clocks go forward it is time to welcome warmer weather and lighter days but what can we do to make the most of those precious hours of sunlight?

MM have been taking a look at what you can do to make the most of your days and those crucial hours in five simple ways.

Get up an hour early

Weekends are designed to relax and recuperate and forget about those problems at work.

It’s also about those lush lie ins but why not set you alarm an hour earlier and make the most of that extra time.

You could go for a walk around the local park, do that pile of washing that’s been sitting in the corner of the room for days or even squeeze in an extra couple of Friends re-runs.

As Benjamin Franklin famously said: “There will be plenty of time to sleep once you are dead.”


WAKEY WAKEY: Get up earlier instead of wasting time in bed (©Wakeup, with thanks)

Swap cooking for convenience

Sundays are famous for one thing and one thing only – the roast dinner.

Traditionally families, couples and friends all over the country join hands to gorge on enough meat, vegetables and Yorkshire puddings to put them into a satisfying food coma.

The average roast chicken dinner would take around 90 minutes to cook from scratch but opt for a microwave equivalent instead and you will be saving minutes (and money!) in no time.

A Bisto Roast Chicken dinner will cost you around £2 from your local supermarket and takes 12 minutes to cook from frozen– Voilà! You have made your hour back without making too much of a sacrifice.

Take the festival approach

Every day we take time to complete menial but essential tasks in order to maintain a good level of personal hygiene at all times.

We spend around ten minutes in the shower (with a couple of minutes drying time), four minutes brushing our teeth, three minutes washing our hands and two minutes moisturising!

It may seem like a sacrifice, and for many it will be, but all you need to do is make a few simple changes and you will be claiming back those minutes in no time.

Instead of showering resort to a ‘convenience wash’ with some moisturising wet wipes and dry shampoo.

For brushing your teeth, buy a pack of minty fresh chewing gum and for washing your hands carry a portable sanitizer bottle.

The whole process should take you a couple of minute’s tops each day so pretend you’re at a three-day-festival and you are on to a winner.

Ditch Facebook for a few days

It is estimated that we spend 8.3 hours every month checking our Facebook pages.

Whether playing Candy Crush, posing for those trendy selfies or stalking your crush the social media site has seen millions of people spend unnecessary time on it.

Ask yourself, how long do I spend each day browsing Facebook?

Simply ditch it for a day (if you can resist the urge) and that pesky hour will be yours again in no time.


LOG OFF: People spend over eight hours a month on Facebook (©MarcoPakoeningrat, with thanks)

Watch the footy highlights

Most lads spend their time religiously watching their favourite football team for prolonged periods of time and although this may seem like sacrilege, there is an easy way to trim the minutes.

If you are lucky enough to support a Premier League team, skip the match and watch the highlights on Match of The Day in the evening.

It will take you around 30 minutes to watch all of the interesting bits and you get the added bonus of not having sit through the adverts.

Image courtesy of Moyan Brenn, via Flickr, with thanks

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