Losing Daylight: 3 Small Fixes for Darker Fall Mornings

Somewhere between Labor Day and the first pumpkin display, the light changes. You leave the house in the dark, the after-dinner walk turns into a night walk, and the routine that worked fine in July suddenly needs a flashlight. Fall officially arrives next week, and daylight keeps shrinking well into November.

Nothing about your day has to change — but three small, easy-to-overlook things make dark mornings and early sunsets a lot less annoying. Here's what's worth sorting out now, before you're fumbling in the dark in mid-October.

1. Getting ready before the sun does

Overhead bathroom light is unforgiving at the best of times, and at 6 a.m. in October there's no window light to soften it. A small lighted mirror fixes the problem without rewiring anything.

The Led Lighted Folding Small Mirror is double-sided with 1x and 2x magnification, and it offers three light colors — warm, natural and cool — so you can match the light to wherever you're actually headed. Tap the sensor to switch the light on or off, press and hold for three seconds to adjust brightness, and it lights up on its own when you open it. It charges with the included USB-C cable, runs about three hours at the highest brightness, and folds down small enough to live in a bag or a desk drawer.

2. The evening walk is now a night walk

Dog walks, taking the bins out, finding the right key at the front door — a phone flashlight works until you need both hands. Hand Gloves With LED Flashlight put the light where your hands already are, with an on/off button right on the surface of the glove.

They're made of a soft, breathable fabric with an adjustable wrist strap, so they fit a range of hand sizes, and they're light enough to stuff in a jacket pocket. Beyond evening walks, they're handy for hiking, camping, cycling, night fishing and any job in a badly lit corner — the fuse box, under the sink, the back of the garage.

3. Cold ears are the first thing you'll notice

Fall mornings usually aren't cold enough for a full hat, but they're absolutely cold enough for your ears to complain about it. That's the gap an ear warmer fills.

The Ear Warmer Headband is fleece on the inside with a 94% polyester and 6% spandex blend, so it stretches to a snug fit over the ears and stays put. It's low-profile enough for running or cycling, and it won't flatten your hair the way a beanie does. It comes in black, blue and pink.

A five-minute fall reset

While you're thinking about it, a few quick things that pay off all season:

• Charge anything with a battery on Sunday night — mirrors, headlamps, bike lights — so it's ready on Monday.
• Move the hats-and-gloves bin from the back of the closet to somewhere near the door.
• Keep one light source in every bag you actually carry, not just the one by the door.
• Test the porch and garage bulbs now rather than the first night you need them.
• Lay out tomorrow's layers the night before — early mornings run colder than the day's forecast high suggests.

Shorter days are much easier when a handful of small things are already sorted. Browse the rest of the VIGOR everyday essentials collection to get the season squared away.