Post Academic

"You can't stop time..." by Ranveig (Public Domain)

Two words: Fall back!  Every since my college days or maybe even before, the Sunday on which Daylight Savings ends has been my favorite day of the year, because it’s the 25-hour day.  So what if it’s gonna start getting dark earlier now and my body clock gets out of whack, it’s all worth it to milk that extra one hour we get today.  I’m not one for planning my day minute-by-minute any more, but I love budgeting the bonus hour we pocket today.  And somehow that hour becomes something like seven, because I tell myself all day I’ve got extra time to spend.  Here’s everything I can somehow pack into that single hour:

Sleep: This is the best way to begin the day, either sleeping the same amount but waking up an hour early or banking more sleep while getting up at the same time.

Studying: This hour seemed to matter a lot when I actually, you know, studied and/or did research.  Of course, I probably could’ve found an hour for reading pretty much every day if I was more efficient, but receiving time from the change just seemed better.  Then again, the extra hour became less enjoyable when I had to use it grading papers.

Hanging out: Back in college, the extra hour could be stretched into multiple social plans, since I could spend a little more time to meet up with friends because I seemed to be an hour ahead of the game all day.

Errands: There’s always shit to do when you’re trying to sleep or catching up on studying/grading papers or killing time with your friends.  This is the one day you can actually catch up on all those things you’ve been putting aside, like doing laundry, cleaning your room, organizing stuff.  You might not be able to take care of everything, but getting even a little stuff done will make you feel like you’ve accomplished something.

Added bonus this week: UC types (and probably all public employee academics) get Thursday off for Veterans’ Day, which some could turn into at least a four-day weekend if you find a way to take Friday off.  And for those with envious Tues/Thurs schedules, you end up with, like, half of November off, seeing that you get basically a week’s vacation this week and for Thanksgiving.  It’s not bad timing either, considering you can chill a bit before things get crazy with job applications/final papers/grading final papers/holiday travel next month.

Now stop reading this post, and go use up those extra 58 minutes you still have left today!