The biannual ritual where we all collectively pretend that moving a number on a clock actually changes the nature of time itself.
On the second Sunday in March, clocks across most of the United States spring forward one hour, robbing you of sixty precious minutes of sleep and plunging your entire household into a week-long fog of confusion.
The official change happens at 2 a.m. local time, which is a fancy way of saying "while you're asleep and can't do anything about it." Your phone will update automatically, your microwave will not, and you'll spend the next six months squinting at the stove wondering if it's actually 7 p.m. or 8 p.m.
Congratulations, you've time-traveled, and the destination is mild exhaustion.
For those who somehow blocked out this recurring nightmare, Daylight Saving Time is the practice of pushing clocks forward in spring to supposedly make better use of natural sunlight.
It ends in November when we fall back, gaining an hour that we immediately squander on doomscrolling.
Only two states, Hawaii and Arizona, have opted out entirely, presumably because they looked at the rest of us and said, "No thanks, we're good." The whole thing was popularized during World War I as an energy-saving measure, which is hilarious because study after study has shown the energy savings are basically negligible.
We're basically disrupting the sleep schedules of 300 million people because of a century-old wartime habit that outlived its usefulness.
It's like keeping a landline because your great-grandfather had one.
And before you ask, no, we are not "gaining" anything.
The sun does not care what your clock says.
Your circadian rhythm does not care either, and it will file a formal complaint around Tuesday when you're yawning through a 9 a.m. meeting.
Scientists have linked the spring transition to increased heart attacks, workplace injuries, and traffic accidents.
So the next time someone tells you it's just an hour, feel free to remind them that an hour is exactly enough time to ruin your entire week.
The Senate actually passed a bill in 2022 to make Daylight Saving Time permanent, and then the House did what the House does best, which is absolutely nothing.
So for now, we soldier on, adjusting our clocks twice a year like chumps while lawmakers debate whether it's worth the political capital.
Your best move this weekend is to set your clocks forward before bed, go to sleep an hour earlier if you're feeling ambitious, and stock up on coffee like a prepper.
The housing market there is brutal, but at least your microwave will always agree with your phone. **Our take:** Daylight Saving Time is a solution in search of a problem that has been solved by electricity, alarm clocks, and literally all of modern civilization.
Final Thoughts
Let's pick a time and stick with it, preferably the one that doesn't involve losing an hour of sleep for no reason.