How to get 26 hours in a day....

On my Tray of Bliss today is my to-do list.

It's as long as my arm.

I seriously need 26 hours in a day...not now, but every day. I know I'm not alone..."I'm so busy" and "I don't have time" are a common catchcry amongst my friends.

I've developed a new strategy to help me squeeze 26 hours out of my 24 hour day. It's really quite revolutionary....are you ready....here it is...

GO TO BED ONE HOUR EARLIER!

Now, I realise that at this point, some will think I've lost the plot. Going to bed an hour earlier, loses you an hour, right?

Not so.

If I stay up late, watching the 'Nasty Box', as we call the TV, I crawl into bed at around 10:30, don't fall asleep till 11:30, and drag myself out of bed at 7:00am if I'm lucky. I approach the day in a distinctly lacklustre fashion, and don't get nearly enough done for my liking.

However, if I avoid watching TV (at my age, I've seen it all before anyway and can almost always predict what happens next..), wind down with a good book, and wander off to bed by about 9:30, I'm asleep by 9:35, I wake at 5:00, bright eyed and bushy-tailed, and I've effectively gained 2 hours in my day.

Now, I'm not saying this would work for everyone, but if you're struggling with just not having the time to do the things you'd like, at least try this. Pick up the remote control, and turn the TV OFF. Yes, I know, the first few times will be hard, and you'll have an overwhelming compulsion to immediately turn the thing back on. You'll be looking for something to fill the void.

But it takes about 30 days to form a new habit. So persist for one month, and see how you feel, and how much more you can achieve.

Dig out the board games, plant a veggie patch, write your own novel, start making gifts for NEXT Christmas, re-visit a favourite book, go for a walk. talk to your partner and kids, play word games or Chinese Whispers. Write down 10 things you love about each other. It's soppy, I know, but can also be hilarious if you let it be.

Go, do it now...the kids are probably planted in front of the darn thing as you read this. But first, make a list of what you can all do WITHOUT the TV on...as the Boy Scouts say..."Be Prepared".

Good luck...you too, will be a different person with 26 hours in your day.

Keep me posted on how it goes!

Oh, and as a bonus, the world looks so much prettier, more peaceful and inviting when you're up early. This photo is of London, taken from the Dockside precinct, in the early hours of an October morning. You'd never guess the chaos further up the river...lol!

What's on your Tray of Bliss today?