What's Missing in the Time Change Debate

It's not just about Standard Time versus Daylight Saving Time

This month’s posts will focus on that most precious yet elusive resource, time.

It happens twice every year. People around the world change their clocks back or forward an hour (with some notable exceptions, like Arizona, India, and Saskatchewan). People around the world complain about changing their clocks. Officials warn that sleepy drivers will cause traffic accidents. Everyone gets confused by it. Everyone hates it. Everyone hates it so much that in the U.S., there’s even bipartisan support (stop the presses!) for ending the practice altogether.

The confusion provides ample fodder for funny videos like this one:

And everyone has a preference for either Standard Time or Daylight Saving Time. I’m firmly in the latter camp; I’m not an early riser, and I much prefer having more light in the evening. So I’m happy that the proposal to end the crazy switching in the U.S. would leave us permanently on Daylight Saving Time. That doesn’t mean I don’t feel sympathy for lovers of Standard Time. I get that staying on Daylight Saving Time would be hard for people who have to get up early. I’d even be grumbling along with them in the morning — everyone would be affected by the dark morning hours.

Therein lies the real problem.

No matter what we do about the clocks, those of us who don’t live near the equator simply have fewer hours of daylight in the winter. The natural thing to do with that is to slow down. Rest. Regroup and recharge for the coming spring. Hibernate.

Do we do any of those things? No, we do not.

In fact, we do the opposite. Most workplaces speed up right around this time of year. Schools get into full swing. The holidays come, and we’re expected to attend an endless barrage of social gatherings (at least, we were pre-covid). We’re basically doing the opposite of what our bodies and minds really want to do.

The first winter of the pandemic, we had a little reprieve. 

Rafael and I were already working from home, and our work didn’t slow down. I felt fortunate to have work I could keep doing — and also envious of friends who suddenly seemed to have so much extra time. Where did all that time come from?

But I did deeply appreciate something about that winter. We actually got to stay in and hibernate a bit. For once, we felt we had license to spend time doing nothing, guilt-free. We had entire weekends with no plans! I sometimes even let myself watch Netflix in the afternoon! Unheard of! In the throes of the pandemic, we had adopted two kittens, and they snuggled a lot more at that time of year. On the whole, it was a very cozy winter.

As a very social introvert but still an introvert, I luxuriated in the excuse to stay home so much. But I missed my social and professional connections. It’s not that I never want to go out — I just don’t want to be going out all the time in the dead of winter. Even in a mild California winter, that feels wrong. 

There’s been a lot of talk of what we might change post-covid. Is there a way we can reshape our society to allow for more rest in the winter? I’m not holding my breath. But in the spirit of imagining possibilities, let’s think about what such a society would look like.

It would value humans above economics. We’ve already seen a (small) trend toward measuring Gross National Happiness versus Gross National Product. While happiness is hard to quantify, and Bhutan, the country that popularized this notion, isn’t listed among the happiest countries, the idea is still valid. Countries that focus on the well-being of their citizens, like Denmark, tend to have happier citizens. That doesn’t mean economic growth is neglected (though I always wonder where that ends, since growth can’t continue indefinitely), and it doesn’t mean people don’t work hard. But people in many parts of the world don’t overwork as much as Americans, and that’s something to emulate.

It would understand the importance of rest. What’s up with Americans and rest? I’ve mentioned before that Americans don’t get enough sleep — and sleep deprivation is only part of the picture. Americans who travel abroad often dismay the locals by how much they try to fit into their days while on vacation. It would be great for us to practice slowing down. It might feel strange at first, but the rewards are well worth it. Slowing down doesn’t mean not doing anything. When I’ve had time off work for a couple weeks or a couple months, I’ve been surprised at how busy I remained. But it wasn’t a chaotic, all-consuming busyness. I had still slowed down compared to the days when I was working, and there was more space in my days.

It would give us space for being, in addition to doing. Americans always need to be doing something. Unlike in some cultures, where it would be considered the height of rudeness, one of the first things we ask when we meet someone is, “What do you do?” We tend to feel defined by our work. And most of us don’t know how to sit still and just be. Of course, doing is crucial; this is not meant to suggest we should spend all our time doing nothing. But taking the space to be, without doing, is also necessary to our well-being.

In practical terms, to follow the natural rhythms of life we would need to allow for fewer work hours in the winter. We would need to slow down school schedules. We would need to let ourselves be a little less productive.

Is any of this likely to happen? Maybe not. But nothing is possible without imagining the future we want, and we definitely need a major change to our system.

In the meantime, as individuals we can try slowing down in the winter as much as our lives allow for.

And we’ll see if Congress passes the Sunshine Protection Act. The idea of changing the time — such an audaciously human thing to do — has a long and storied history. Is it set to end? Will next spring be the last time we have to spring forward? I hope so. 

For now, don’t forget to set your clocks back this weekend! And enjoy that extra hour — which you’ll lose in the spring.

---

What do you think about the time change? Do you think our society will ever find a way to slow down? Let me know in the comments!