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Did any of you find that your clock alarm went off an hour later than expected this weekend?

Since our clocks and computers and several other appliances were preprogrammed to reset themselves for daylight-saving time, everything got a little confusing around our house this past Sunday morning.

That's because the 2005 Energy Conservation Act pushed back the time change by a week in an effort to squeeze in a little more daylight, and a little bit of energy savings.

This weekend should be a lot less complicated. The situation, however, inspired several conversations about the importance of schedules and how we react to different aspects of time.

For example, when I moved back to New Mexico a few years ago, I was reminded by my friends that I had returned to "ma¤ana land," and that I should expect any services to be slower or even non-existent.

I even found a bumper sticker that proclaimed "carpe ma¤ana" and to live for tomorrow rather than today. I haven't found our local service quality that much different than anywhere else, but I think "expecting poor service" as a cultural norm can become a self-fullfilling prophecy.

I think we should drop the phrase from the way we introduce ourselves to others. How about instead something like "hecho hoy," which is loosely translated as "do it today," or "escoja ahora" since I'd rather "choose now" than later.

I'm reminded of a speech I heard several years ago by management guru Tom Peters, who emphasized the importance of being the "first to market." He took that phrase to heart and committed himself to getting out of bed every morning at 4:30 am. After a short walk/run, he would return home to read the Wall Street Journal, which he paid extra to have delivered each morning several hours earlier than his neighbors.

I was so impressed with his "early bird gets the worm" speech that I returned from the convention committed to transforming myself from a night owl to a morning lark.

I analyzed my daily routine and developed a rigorous schedule that would require my getting up every morning at 5:15 a.m. to start my day.

By starting early, that extra time would cascade down throughout my day so that I should arrive early at every meeting and even have time to prepare my notes in advance.

Unfortunately, the morning I started my new regimen a minor earthquake hit within a few seconds of the moment my alarm went off. The quake was strong enough to disorient me as I fell out of bed and the room seemingly spun around me.

I took the experience as a bad omen and decided to drop my "morning person" personal transformation plan at that very moment. I've since found it's better to get up early or late based on the demands of my schedule planned for each day. In some ways, it's my version of "just in time" living.

A few years ago, I attended a workshop examining our "habits." It was run by Mark Weinstein, a nationally recognized personal success coach and trainer.

I was surprised that the attendees were split in their opinions about the merits of arriving to a meeting early vs. late.

Weinstein asked us to identify ourselves as being either habitually early or late. We then compared notes.

As expected, the "early birds" described the "late comers" as any number of bad things, "lazy, disorganized, disrespectful of others, etc."

The surprise was that the "late comers" gave the "early birds" a similar negative evaluation since they described them as "inefficient" and "disorganized" since by arriving early they were not maximizing the use of their time.

What? Arriving early is inefficient? Weinstein's workshop helped open our minds to different people's viewpoints and be more tolerant of them. For more information, visit peaklifehabits.com.

If I live to 75 years old, which is the average life span for someone my age, I have only about 1,200 weeks remaining on planet Earth. And even if I live as long as the oldest person who has ever lived on Earth, I have only a precious 3,643 weeks remaining. By the way, that longevity record goes to Jeanne Calment, a French citizen who is documented to have lived 122 years, from 1875 to 1997.

Whether arriving early or late or following daylight-saving time, it's really all borrowed time. So it's important that we each make each week, each day or each hour count.

I think I will set my alarm a half-hour earlier tomorrow to stretch my time just a little bit more.

Sacco is the vice president of marketing at Kirtland Federal Credit Union and an adjunct professor at UNM Anderson Schools of Management and Webster University.