As the clocks spring forward this Sunday 30th March nearly a quarter of us will be  dedicating this extra hour of evening daylight to re-discover hobbies[1] rather than using this time to sleep, socialise or spend extra time in the office, according to a survey by Yahoo! (www.yahoo.co.uk).

Originally in the early 1900’s the extra hour of daylight was apparently designed to make better use of daylight hours[2], but modern society could use the time to re-discover forgotten childhood passions, such as football and outdoor activities and new found interests such as photography and wine tasting.

A huge 95% of the British public agree that we would feel less stressed, more energised and healthier on the whole if we explored new activities and nearly a third of us believe that re-discovering a hobby will help us achieve this.

Celebrity Life Coach Gladeana McMahon comments[4]: ‘The principles of positive psychology show that happier people are healthier people. Rediscovering a passion outside of our everyday lives could act as a very tangible stress buster and an extra hour of daylight in the evening gives us a perfect opportunity to do so. Walking out the office when it’s light is a boost in itself, using this positive energy to motivate ourselves into pursuing wider activities outside of work can certainly benefit our health both mentally and physically.’

Passions and hobbies vary across a wide range of interests, from sport to painting to cooking. In sport a third of us would rather concentrate on being better at running, while nearly a quarter of us would rather be better at doing something more creative such as photography, art or painting[3]. In particular over 55’s would like to use their time more creatively with nearly a quarter wanting to dedicate more time to the arts, humanities and photography and a third of 35-55 year olds are keen to take up more sports[1].

How we chose to use our spare time appears to differ quite significantly from one profession to the next. While 50% of teachers are most likely to want to be a better gardener, a quarter of lawyers would like to be better at being more creative and 50% of the medical profession would like to have better culinary skills,[3].

Football comes surprisingly low on the list with only 13% of those surveyed claiming they would like to be better at playing a game of footie. Tennis is the top sports category with over a third of us wanting to hit the courts and play a better game.

Yahoo! has teamed up with a number of experts and hobbyists, including life coach Gladeana McMahon[4] and ex Man United footballer David May[5] as part of a campaign to help people rediscover their passions and interest via a series of five step plans.  Whether it’s sport, photography or food and drink, Yahoo! is an indispensable starting point to help rediscover and research forgotten hobbies. Get started and inspired by visiting www.yahoo.co.uk/passions.

What will you be doing with your extra hour of daylight this summer? 

[2] 5 thoughts you might not know about the clocks going forward, courtesy of Yahoo! Answers www.yahoo.co.uk/answers

1) A useful phrase to remember whether the clocks go forward or back is ‘spring forward and fall back’ 
2) When the clocks go forward on March 30th this period is known as British Summer Time (BST). The rest of the year we are on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
3) During the Second World War they tried double summer time
4) When the clocks go forward people are least likely to change the clock in their car and kitchen
5) Some areas of the world such as Hawaii and Queensland don't have daylight saving time