Friday, March 12, 2010

DON’T FORGET TO PUSH TIME AHEAD ON SATURDAY



Daylight Savings Time kicks in Saturday night (actually, early Sunday morning), so I thought I’d share my seven things to do this weekend to prepare for Spring (which officially begins next Saturday).

One. Before you “lose” an hour to this annual ritual, assess and evaluate your progress on those New Year’s Resolutions you made, or their lack thereof, and adjust accordingly. Personally, I find Spring Resolutions are a lot easier to hold onto. The days are getting warmer, brighter and “longer” and it seems a lot more conducive to pursuing new activities now, than it does in the middle of colder, grayer and “shorter” days.

Two. Walk around the outside of your home. Make a list of all the things that need attention. New paint? Clean gutters? Landscaping? Dirty windows (just add this one to your list. Trust me, they’re very probably dirty)? Foundation cracks? Whatever it is, it’s a little easier to notice before everything greens up and “hides” the things that need your attention.

Three. Walk around the inside of your home. Look at things with an eye toward cleaning, uncluttering and renewing. Especially check inside those “closed” spaces – closets, under the sinks, attic, pantry. Those spaces tend to collect things as time goes on, things that may no longer be needed, useful or worth the space they are taking. Look at your interior living space as you would if you were moving in for the first time. Do you really want that slow-cooker that you haven’t used in years taking up precious cupboard or counter space? Get rid of it. Tired of that avocado color in the kitchen? Re-paint it. Those three pair of parachute pants still hanging in the back of your closet? They’re not likely to come back in style, so, get rid of them.

Four. Walk around your car. Make a list of those things you’ve been wondering about over the winter. New wipers. That rattle underneath the car. That “weird” smell you get when you brake hard. Oil Change. VACUUM THE INTERIOR. That hazy film that has covered the interior windows. Yeah, those kinds of things.

Five. Walk around your neighborhood. After you get home, realize how good walking can be for your health, and possibly getting to know your neighbors better. Be seen, be friendly, be healthy. Walking is good for you. Start a Spring routine and follow it through the rest of the year as well.

Six. Do a tool inventory and check. From your toolbox to your toolshed, figure out what you have, what condition they’re in, what you need to do to get them in good shape, and what new tools you need. Lawnmower need a tune-up? That rusty, old saw need replacing? Don’t have a sparkplug socket to take care of that engine? Have 23 screwdrivers but no hammer because it broke last time you used it? Now’s the time to take stock.

Seven. Check and change your batteries. Wall clocks. Electronics. Flashlights. Alarm clocks. Phones. Smoke alarms. So many things have batteries that may need replacing. By checking them now, before you really need them, you can save yourself some aggravation later. Don’t have a battery-life indicator? Check some out on Amazon.com. And consider re-chargeable batteries. If you go through batteries like my family of five, they more than pay for themselves in short order.

Oh yeah, and don’t forget to push your clocks ahead an hour Saturday night, just before you go to sleep.

No comments:

Post a Comment