How Will You Claim Back Your Lost Hour?

The clocks going forward might mean we get more sunshine, but not everyone is happy about losing an hour in bed. If that sounds like you then we have some ingenious ideas to help you claw back those lost 60 minutes.

Don’t lose any precious Netflix bingeing time just because the clocks have changed, but do take advantage of the Skip Intro feature. It appears on the screen when you’re streaming certain shows and means you can get straight to the action instead of watching the intro every time.

Keeping up-to-date on the latest bestsellers can feel like a full-time job, but audiobooks are a saviour to help you feel literary without having to turn the pages. You can go one step further and listen to them on double speed to regain your stolen hour.

Like most busy parents, you probably find yourself repeating things to each member of the family individually, as you all come and go in the house at different times. Save yourself the time and energy by briefing everyone at once. Family dinners are a great time for this, even if you’re only all sat together for half an hour.

Speaking of dinner, the evening meal is an opportunity to save some time. Make a meal for the whole family without breaking a sweat. The Cook4Me has 100 built-in recipes and loads of them take less than a quarter of an hour to make.

If you think about it, putting the kids into their pyjamas is such a waste of time! Skip the nightwear and dress them in their school uniform right after their nightly bath and you’ll have a head start in the morning, saving you precious seconds.

Exercise is really important for keeping you happy and healthy, but it can be a time-consuming business. Swap out your hour-long session at the gym this March 31st for a 20-minute high-intensity interval training workout and that’s 40 minutes out of the hour you haven’t lost.

More militant advice on saving time would tell you to delete all your social media profiles, but we’re not that mean. Simply turning off the notifications on your phone for the likes of Facebook, Twitter and Insta will mean you look at the sites less often and all these little gains will soon add up.

Just like patting your head and rubbing your tummy, you can do two things at once. Go for a walk and chat with your BFF at the same time. Make the beds while listening to your favourite podcast. Do the ironing while cooking dinner… OK, so maybe not, but there are some tasks that can be combined.

Choosing clothes each morning and trying to avoid clashes takes up valuable minutes, so be boring to save time. Get loads of clothes the same and throw them on after your morning shower without a second thought. It will also mean you don’t have to separate them for the wash.

…and if you find you’ve saved more than just the hour you lost with the clocks going forward, then stop by our post on how to make the most of a spare 60 minutes.