Daylight saving time, which ended on Nov. 2 this year, was perfect timing for “Halloweekend.” That extra hour can seem chaotic and hard to handle for some, with our phones changing, our microwave clocks suddenly gaslighting us and the sun setting at 5 p.m. But when properly taken advantage of, that extra hour can actually be quite helpful. It’s like a small, government-mandated time gift: an extra hour of existence that we didn’t have to earn.

After compiling a list of everything you could have done with the extra hour, you might find yourself regretting any inaction you had with this precious, once-a-year opportunity. Whether used wisely or wasted spectacularly, let’s review some of the most productive ways people can spend their 60 bonus minutes of life. 

1. Extra Hour of Sleep

The most obvious and, let’s be honest, most necessary use of this extra hour is spending it on sleep. As we enter the fourth month of school, sleep deprivation is ever present. Waking up Sunday morning and realizing I had actually gotten two hours instead of one was nothing short of euphoric. Some might have used this hour to start their morning early, but I used it to aggressively ignore my alarms.

2. The Early Dinner Phenomenon

For those of us perpetually starving at 4:30 p.m., this was our day. The time change blessed early eaters everywhere. Suddenly it became socially acceptable to eat dinner as soon as your stomach let out its first growl. I personally found myself enjoying a 5 p.m. feast: a bowl of buttered noodles. The best part was getting to judge everyone else for “eating so late” at 8.

3. Safe Feet

As someone who loves to start my mornings productively before school, a beach walk is always my favorite. However, due to the lack of sunlight, I come home to sore feet from the sheer amount of shells I step on. As opposed to my typical silhouette on the dark beach, mindlessly and sightlessly stepping on shells, this morning I could actually see my surroundings. Who knew the world could have color before 7 a.m.?

4. Escaping the Parking-Lot Terrors 

As students, we’ve all been in the very back of the car line, late to our after school activities, or just waiting impatiently to finally leave school. You basically need to sprint from your class to the lot, or else you’ll get stuck in the honking and awful student drivers. The 60 minutes that we got helped us all out by providing extra time, in one way or another. 

5. An Extra Hour of “Halloweekend”

Now, let’s talk about what this holiday really did for us. The extra hour descending on “Halloweekend” was impeccable timing. The time on my phone showed 1:59 a.m. just for it to reset back to 1:00, and a tear nearly fell from my eye. A blessing for parties or a curse for angry neighbors, it meant one more hour of loud music in costumes. Forget pumpkin spice, the end of daylight saving time is autumn’s true gift. 

Next time your phone magically changes overnight, properly appreciate it. Because in a world where time is money, the government just handed us a free 60 minutes. That’s the closest thing to a stimulus package we’re getting anytime soon.