Each Spring, we're handed the gift: an extra hour of light at the end of the day. And then we promptly find ourselves wasting it, sitting in rush hour traffic without singing, forgetting to watch the sun rise or set, even falling back into doomscrolling the light, and the night, away. We get it. But the team at Smith & Berg knows that extra daylight can be the best natural reset of the year. The days are longer, the energy shifts, there's light surrounding us — here's how we use it.
Finally Start That Passion Project
You know the one: the sketchbook you bought last spring and never opened, the sourdough starter you keep meaning to try, learning to knit those beautiful balls of yarn sitting in the corner, the herb garden that only exists in a saved Pinterest board. It's time to pick one and get it going — outside, if you can. There's something about painting, potting, or just reading with intention in the natural light that makes the habit stick. The light finally stays around long enough for you to enjoy it.
Host a Sunset Dinner
Invite a small group of friends over for a BYO outdoor dinner timed around sunset. Everyone brings one thing — charcuterie (leave it to Lady & Larder), a bottle of wine, whatever. With the clocks pushed forward, sunset is suddenly happening closer to 7pm instead of 5-something, which means you’re eating outside in real daylight for the first time since fall.
People linger longer, conversation goes somewhere unhurried, and nobody's rushing inside. If you'd rather leave the hosting to someone else, Si! Mon in Venice has one of our favorite patios on the Westside. And if you’re really seeking that golden hour glow, head up to the rooftop at Kassi for Greek eats and sunset views.
Pick Up a Sport You Can Actually Do Outside
Not a gym membership. Something you can do while the sun is still up. Pickleball remains a solid entry point — the learning curve is short and it's social in a way most sports aren't. The Santa Monica Pickleball Center has outdoor courts and group clinics, and Pickle Pop on the Third Street Promenade does open play if the gloom rolls in. If you want something free and low-key, Kenneth Hahn in Culver City has a disc golf course with views of Hollywood, Downtown, and the coast all at once. The goal isn't to become an athlete — it's to have something to look forward to that gets you outside.
Redesign One Part of Your Outdoor Space
Use the extra daylight to look at your outdoor space with fresh eyes. You don't need a major renovation — sometimes the most satisfying change is the smallest one: a chair moved just right to catch the evening sun, fresh string lights in the corner to instantly 'decorate' for your next dinner al fresco, finally clearing out the porch that became a graveyard for all the stuff you don't need. Give yourself a reason to actually sit outside instead of simply watching it from within.
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Build a New Evening Ritual
How you end the day is now more in focus, with sunlight still streaming in. A 20-minute walk after dinner, on the same route every night, becomes grounding in a way that's hard to explain until you make it a nightly habit. Or just simply sit outside, with your beverage of choice, leave the phone elsewhere, and do nothing for 15 minutes except breathe. The ritual you choose doesn't need to be precious. It just needs to be yours.
