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The Golden Hour

The Golden Hour

 
 

How Daylight Savings can help you finally build your practice habit

There is a special day that comes once a year.
A day when you get a gift.
 
 

(Two gifts, in fact, if you read all the way to the end…)

 

It’s not Christmas.

It’s not your birthday.

It’s Daylight Savings day.

 

And Your Gift is the Golden Hour

When we set the clocks back for the autumn Daylight Savings time change, we gain an extra hour: the Golden Hour.

Most people use the Golden Hour to sleep in.

This year, let’s use it to build a practice habit.
 

Why Use That Time for Practice?

The morning is the most reliable time to practice.

Later in the day, you’re more likely to feel worn out or stressed.

You’re also more likely to get interrupted, or let your to-do list hijack your day.

So the morning is a great time to build your practice habit.
(Even for non-morning people like me!)

But waking up earlier to make time for practice is hard.
 

Except on “fall back” day.

On the day of the fall time change, society shifts its schedule an hour later – but your body doesn’t.

So far as your body is concerned, everybody else is sleeping in.
 

But what if we didn’t adjust to the new time?

What if you you woke up an hour earlier (in clock time) instead?

To your body, it would feel like nothing had changed: you’re waking up at the same “time” you always have.

But you magically get an extra hour in the morning for practice. And you don’t have to drag yourself out of bed to do it!

But this golden opportunity only comes once a year.

 

So How Do You Take Advantage of the Golden Hour?

 

The key is to pretend the time change doesn’t exist.

(When it comes to waking and sleeping, that is.)
 

1) Check the date of the time change in your area.
That’s Sunday November 6th here in the US and Canada, and Sunday October 30th in most of Europe.
For more specifics, check out:
https://www.timeanddate.com/time/dst/2016.html
 

2) Change your wake-up time when you adjust your clocks
The night before the transition, set your alarm’s wake-up time one hour earlier.
If you usually wake up at 7:30, set your alarm for 6:30.
 

3) Shift your bedtime routine earlier too
The night after the time change, start your bedtime routine an hour earlier.
If you usually start winding down at 11pm, start at 10pm instead.
 

4) Stick with this “new” schedule from now on.
Because we’re so used to organizing our lives by the clock, it’s going to be tempting to adjust to the new time.

But just remember: you’re not waking up earlier. Everyone else is waking up later.
 

Sounds easy, right?

 

But There Are a Few Gotchas:

 

Getting to bed “earlier” is critical.

Remember: we’re shifting to an earlier schedule, not creating an extra hour out of thin air.

You still need the same amount of sleep that you had before the time change.

So if you don’t shift your bed time, your body will resist the “earlier” wake-up time.
 

You don’t have to practice for the whole hour

If you don’t practice often, or if you have a smaller practice goal, you don’t have to practice for the full hour.

Spend the rest of the Golden Hour on another activity, or even just relaxing with your coffee.

(In fact, just making your mornings more pleasant can be a good motivation to keep getting up early.)
 

You MUST start on the actual day of the time change

It’s important to start your new practice habit on the day of the time change.
Even if you wouldn’t usually practice on a Sunday.

Otherwise, you risk adjusting to the new time.

So be sure to show up for at least a quick token practice.
 

But Won’t I Lose the Golden Hour in the Spring?

Yep. During the spring time change, we lose an hour.

So when “spring forward” day gets closer, I’ll share some tips on how to adapt.

(Spoiler: gradually wake up earlier over the course of a few weeks.
That’s what we do in my online course, How to Build a Sustainable Practice Habit.
That’s also a good option if Daylight Savings Time isn’t observed in your area.)
 

Summary

The fall daylight savings time change is a golden opportunity to create a morning practice.

Start waking up one hour earlier on the day of the time change. You’ll gain an extra hour in the morning, but it feels the same to your body.

To maintain that schedule, you need to go to bed an hour earlier, so your body doesn’t adjust to the new schedule.
 

Next Steps

Add a reminder your calendar to set your alarm clock an hour earlier on daylight savings day.

That’s Sunday November 6th here in the US and Canada, and October 30th in most of Europe.

For the specific date in your country, check out:
https://www.timeanddate.com/time/dst/2016.html

And if you’re itching to get started, try waking up just 5 minutes earlier. Showing up for a token practice is a great way to start building the habit.

(It’s like sneaking a peek at your holiday presents in advance.)
 

Want Some Help?

Taking advantage of the Golden Hour is easy. The hard part is sticking to your new schedule for the long-term.

To help you stay on track, I’m offering two weeks of free daily support and encouragement.

For two weeks after your time change, I’ll send you a daily email with reminders and quick tips to help you stay on track.

I’ll also make sure you get my videos, articles, and other geek-tacular resources.
(Your information will never be shared, except as required by law, you can remove yourself at any time.)

This is NOT limited to dancers.

No matter what you want to practice (dance, music, art, writing, yoga… even keeping up with your laundry!), I’m happy to help you create your habit and make it stick.
 

How to sign up

Registration is now closed. But if you’d like to build a morning practice, you can join the waiting list for How to Build a Sustainable Practice Habit, which will be starting in January.

 

Your Turn

Are you going to try this technique on Daylight Savings day?

What are you looking forward to practicing?

Do you have any other tips for making time to practice?

Share your thoughts in the comments.

 
 

p.s. Would you like more help building your practice? Check out my online course, How to Build a Sustainable Practice Habit. The next offering starts January 2017, so join the waiting list now to make sure you don’t miss it.)
 
 

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