Add an hour to the time when converting from CST to EST. For example, if it's 3 p.m. Central time, it is 4 p.m. Eastern time.
Subtract an hour if you're coming from the East Coast and trying to determine the time in CST zones. If it's 5 p.m. in New York, it's 4 p.m. in Chicago.
Adjust the time on your watch by one hour when traveling from a state in the Central time zone to the Eastern time zone, and vice versa. If you have a travel alarm clock, don't forget to adjust the time as well. Most cell phones will automatically update the time when you're in a different time zone; if yours doesn't change, update the time on your phone manually.
