The clocks go forward on the 25th March this year – and even if this might mean you get one less hour of sleep, it’s worth taking advantage of the extra daylight in the evenings. So here are 5 things you can do with an extra hour!
Do some exercise
Maybe you’ve been going for runs every day since January, or swimming several times a week for as long as you can remember. If so, I salute you – but for the rest of us, longer days mean more motivation to actually get up off the sofa and move our bodies a bit. Instead of it being pitch black when you get back from school, it’s light out! It’s a little bit easier to pull on those trainers and head to the gym/football pitch/pool.
Learn a new language
So maybe you’re more into exercising your mind than your body – and that’s fine too. If you ever had a Nintendo DS, you might have played the Brain Training game. Think of language-learning as the more grown-up version! It might take more than an hour to get a hang of the basics, but you’ve always got to start somewhere. There are a few fun, interactive websites like Duolingo or Memrise where you can take your pick of languages.
Cook something
Whether it’s baking sweet treats or stirring up a stew that tickles your fancy, it’s never too early to start learning to cook. These days, there’s barely any need to own a cookery book with any recipe you could ever want available online. I promise, even if you’re caught up with exam revision, kneading bread dough can be surprisingly therapeutic – and you can always get back to your notes while waiting for it to rise.
Earn some money
Why not take up an extra shift if you have a part-time job, or spend some time scheming about how to pad out your savings? Babysitting, flyering, or even tutoring – they’re all great ways to earn a little bit of extra cash. Especially the latter 😉
Plan a trip away
If all else fails, and you’re still feeling down in the dumps about the drizzly end-of-winter weather, why not put that spare money to use and spend your evenings planning a trip away? Budgets may vary, and maybe you won’t be able to stretch your pocket money to an all-inclusive resort getaway in the Maldives, but a bus ride to your nearest theme park or even beach might be just the ticket for blowing away those blues.
Written by Sophia M.