text: The number of days in February rises to 29 this year. So what will you be doing with the extra 24 hours?
  Getty/Irina Krolevetc
  2020 seems to be the year that has it all: a name that alludes to optics, the Olympics - it even has an extra day. Why? Because this year is a leap year, meaning February welcomes a 29th day.
  The 'leap' occurs because each year Earth's orbit takes 365.24 days to complete. Therefore, if we didn't welcome a leap year every four years to account for the extra time, our seasons would fall out of sync with the solar seasons, meaning that, eventually, over time (in 750 years according to the Independent), we would see winter arriving in June.
  The most well-known custom associated to a leap year is women proposing the men. However, did you know that there is a newspaper in France that is only published on leap day – it's called La Bougie de Sapeur (The Soldier's Candle)
  Living in a world that seems to be running at lightspeed, you could look at the 'extra' day positively, providing you with a 24-hour period that you would not be able to indulge in any other year.
  Over the last month, I have spoken to a number of practice owners as we begin to prepare OT's Exceeding Patients' Expectations April edition. A reoccurring theme during these conversations is the difficult, yet importance, of carving time out in your day to work on 'the bigger picture.' Team leadership, practice marketing, the patient journey and beyond are all things that many practice owners find themselves balancing alongside time in the testing room.
  Optometrist and owner of Jones and Co Opticians, Conor Heaney, told me that this is something he has been working hard on over the years after realising when he first ventured into practice ownership that there was more that he didn't know than he did about running a business.
  "I went to university for three years to learn how to be an optometrist, and I later had to educate myself about how to run a business – from customer service and leading a team to creating a culture and marketing – and this takes time."
  Mr Heaney encourages all practice owners to create time in their working day and weeks to focus on business improvements.
  So what will do you be doing with your extra day this Saturday?
  Perhaps business owners and teams who had planned to visit Mido next month to refresh their frame offering, with the show now postponed, could spend some time watching OT's video interviews with eyewear companies at 100% Optical to find out more about their new releases.