Everyone wishes there were more time during the day to work (or play). So here's a way to actually make that happen:
Set your clock twenty minutes ahead of the actual time—eg. 4:40 a.m. becomes 5:00 a.m. (Yes, this is called setting the time ahead, but there's more to it.) This technique works best in the early morning when it is still dark out. Make sure to remove all other timepieces from the bedroom showing accurate time (tape over the clock portion of your cable box, or any other digital appliance). Set your alarm, preferably to radio or CD mode, for fifteen minutes before you want to arise—let's say 4:45 (that's my optimum wake-up time), which on the reset clock is 5:05. Don't turn off the alarm, but rather listen to the music, restful, knowing you have 15 minutes more before actually getting out of bed. If your significant other complains, simply turn the sound down—but don't fall back to sleep.
At the appropriate moment leap out of bed and do your toilette but make certain you do not look at any accurate timepieces. After you've finished dressing, leave for your office. If you leave at 6:20 a.m. manufactured time and your office is 20 minutes away like mine is, you'll be there by 6:20 real time. When you sit down to work, you'll have beat the clock, adding time to your workday, and you won't even know it.
This system works even better for me since I found a Timex clock/radio/CD player that adds, on average, a minute or two every week. Most people would call this a critical design flaw, but for me, the malfunction is a huge advantage...over time.
Steve Heller is the co-chair of the MFA Designer as Author program at the School of Visual Arts and writes the Visuals column for the New York Times book Review.
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