Remember to move your clocks forward an hour tonight before bed (Saturday, March 7) or tomorrow morning when you wake up (Sunday, March 8).
Does it seem like Daylight Saving Time's spring changes are coming earlier and earlier? Well, the schedule was changed in 2007. Read more about it here.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Daylight Saving To-Do List
Daylight saving time is a great chance to do all of those semi-annual tasks that we’d other wise forget to do. Here are some ideas for your daylight saving to do list:
1. Right after you change your clocks forward on March 8, change your smoke detector batteries. Fire companies have been promoting this routine for years. It only costs a few dollars for a new battery, and it could save your life.
2. Replace air filters in your heating/air conditioning system. This should be done at least every six months, or more often if you have pets or run your system a lot.
3. Flip your mattress. Flipping your mattress twice a year saves your mattress and your back. (Flipping may not be necessary for memory-foam or pillow-top mattresses.)
4. Replace your car’s windshield wipers. It’s best to replace your windshield wipers ever six months, or more often if you have a long commute or park outdoors. Measure your wipers, buy replacements for about $5 to $15 each, and install them yourself. Or ask your mechanic to do it, possibly in combination with an oil change or inspection.
5. Replace your car’s air filter. Either ask your mechanic to do it, or do it yourself. Air filters cost about $10 to $50, and your auto parts store will have guides on which filter your car uses. Although it can be a little dirty, it doesn’t take a whole lot of know-how to change the filter. Just make sure you let your car’s engine cool down before opening up the hood.
6. Add your own items to this list. For example, my vacuum cleaner needs a filter replaced every six months. There is no way I would remember to do that without my daylight saving list!
After the first time you implement your daylight saving to-do list, you will know the last time you did everything. You’ll not only save daylight, but you’ll save your sanity.
1. Right after you change your clocks forward on March 8, change your smoke detector batteries. Fire companies have been promoting this routine for years. It only costs a few dollars for a new battery, and it could save your life.
2. Replace air filters in your heating/air conditioning system. This should be done at least every six months, or more often if you have pets or run your system a lot.
3. Flip your mattress. Flipping your mattress twice a year saves your mattress and your back. (Flipping may not be necessary for memory-foam or pillow-top mattresses.)
4. Replace your car’s windshield wipers. It’s best to replace your windshield wipers ever six months, or more often if you have a long commute or park outdoors. Measure your wipers, buy replacements for about $5 to $15 each, and install them yourself. Or ask your mechanic to do it, possibly in combination with an oil change or inspection.
5. Replace your car’s air filter. Either ask your mechanic to do it, or do it yourself. Air filters cost about $10 to $50, and your auto parts store will have guides on which filter your car uses. Although it can be a little dirty, it doesn’t take a whole lot of know-how to change the filter. Just make sure you let your car’s engine cool down before opening up the hood.
6. Add your own items to this list. For example, my vacuum cleaner needs a filter replaced every six months. There is no way I would remember to do that without my daylight saving list!
After the first time you implement your daylight saving to-do list, you will know the last time you did everything. You’ll not only save daylight, but you’ll save your sanity.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Middletown Library Event
Sara Long will be speaking at the Middletown Free Library in Lima, PA, on Thursday, March 26, at 10 am. The program is free, but please call the library at 610-566-7828 to reserve a seat. The topic will be how to reduce and organize your paperwork and files. Click here for more information.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Reminder: Ikea Event Tomorrow!
This is just a reminder that NAPO-GPC* is having our big GO Event tomorrow, Saturday, February 7 at Ikea in Conshohocken, PA. As well as shredding outside, there will be a lot of events inside. Sign up for giveaways, or stop by the different Ikea departments to hear Professional Organizers speak. Visit www.napo-gpc.org for more details. It should be a great time!
*NAPO-GPC stands for the National Association of Professional Organizers Greater Philadelphia Chapter. (Now you know why I abbreviated it!)
*NAPO-GPC stands for the National Association of Professional Organizers Greater Philadelphia Chapter. (Now you know why I abbreviated it!)
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Laundry Time
Are you overwhelmed by piles of dirty laundry? Does it seem like there is never time to do it all? Do you only do laundry when the piles are overflowing or you need a piece of clothing fast? If you’re ready to break this cycle, here are some tips to find the right laundry system for you.
The first step is finding a laundry system that works for you. Here are some scheduling ideas:
• Laundry Category Days - Assign days for several types of laundry. For example, Monday is darks, Wednesday is colors, Friday is whites, etc. Possibly include a Woolite or Dryel day, if you have a lot of delicates and hand washables. If you share a washer/dryer with other tenants or roommates, choose “off-days” to avoid weekends.
• Laundry Day - Do all of your laundry in one day. Again, avoid weekends if you share a washer/dryer. If you have a large family and one of you is a stay-at-home parent, I recommend choosing a weekday when some or all children are at school. Notify your family that there is one laundry day, and ask them to bring their dirty clothes to the laundry room the night before. This will take will power on two fronts: sticking with that day no matter how much you don’t want to do laundry, and being strict with your family about helping you out. Be ready for the “emergency” I-need-this-shirt-for-practice-tomorrow laundry loads, though.
• Everyday Laundry - Do a load every day at a certain time, like the morning, right when you come home from work, or after dinner. This may seem like torture, but it really keeps you caught up on laundry. Even if you have to miss a day because you have to stay late at work, you get sick, or your child gets sick, the piles still won’t get out of control. Plus, the worst thing that happens is that you go to do laundry one day, and there isn’t any to do. When was the last time that happened?!
Here are some other tips:
• Have a weekly dry cleaning schedule. For example, drop off the dry cleaning on Tuesday mornings, and pick them up on Thursdays after work.
• Don’t have too many bottles or boxes of detergent around. Read the bottle to see how many loads it will do, and calculate how long this will last with your laundry schedule. It’s often easier to buy one bottle each month than to find room to store five bottles.
• Try to get your family more involved in laundry, especially the kids. Tweens can do those “emergency” loads of their uniforms needed for the next day, and you can remind teens that they’ll soon need to do their own laundry when they’re in college or sharing an apartment with roommates. And these roommates won’t be as forgiving about their piles of smelly clothes as their parents are!
The first step is finding a laundry system that works for you. Here are some scheduling ideas:
• Laundry Category Days - Assign days for several types of laundry. For example, Monday is darks, Wednesday is colors, Friday is whites, etc. Possibly include a Woolite or Dryel day, if you have a lot of delicates and hand washables. If you share a washer/dryer with other tenants or roommates, choose “off-days” to avoid weekends.
• Laundry Day - Do all of your laundry in one day. Again, avoid weekends if you share a washer/dryer. If you have a large family and one of you is a stay-at-home parent, I recommend choosing a weekday when some or all children are at school. Notify your family that there is one laundry day, and ask them to bring their dirty clothes to the laundry room the night before. This will take will power on two fronts: sticking with that day no matter how much you don’t want to do laundry, and being strict with your family about helping you out. Be ready for the “emergency” I-need-this-shirt-for-practice-tomorrow laundry loads, though.
• Everyday Laundry - Do a load every day at a certain time, like the morning, right when you come home from work, or after dinner. This may seem like torture, but it really keeps you caught up on laundry. Even if you have to miss a day because you have to stay late at work, you get sick, or your child gets sick, the piles still won’t get out of control. Plus, the worst thing that happens is that you go to do laundry one day, and there isn’t any to do. When was the last time that happened?!
Here are some other tips:
• Have a weekly dry cleaning schedule. For example, drop off the dry cleaning on Tuesday mornings, and pick them up on Thursdays after work.
• Don’t have too many bottles or boxes of detergent around. Read the bottle to see how many loads it will do, and calculate how long this will last with your laundry schedule. It’s often easier to buy one bottle each month than to find room to store five bottles.
• Try to get your family more involved in laundry, especially the kids. Tweens can do those “emergency” loads of their uniforms needed for the next day, and you can remind teens that they’ll soon need to do their own laundry when they’re in college or sharing an apartment with roommates. And these roommates won’t be as forgiving about their piles of smelly clothes as their parents are!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
