Use “Spring Forward” as a springboard to other tasks that need to be done

Daylight Savings Time begins this weekend and it’s time to “spring forward”. Before you go to bed on Saturday night, be sure to set your clocks ahead one hour!

While changing the clocks is a pretty easy thing to remember, this is also a great time to think about some other routine tasks that can or should be done twice a year. And as luck would have it, for those of you local, in the Pacific Northwest, the forecast calls for partly sunny skies on Saturday – perfect for any outdoor tasks that need to be done!

Besides “spring cleaning” and changing the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, what other semi-annual maintenance tasks should you tackle?

Here are a few ideas for semi-annual tasks:

• Clean out and organize your file cabinets – if you didn’t clean out your files at the beginning of the year, now is a great time to do it, especially with tax time right around the corner! Want an easy reference guide for what records you should be keeping and how long to keep them? Just ask us for our Records Retention Guidelines sheet. We’ll send it to you and make sure you get our monthly e-newsletter as well, full of great strategies to help you be more organized and productive.
• Organize your ride – Purge your car’s trunk, glove compartment and console. Need to remove snow tires? Is it time for an oil change? Check the condition of your tires and windshield wiper blades; replacing them when needed.
• Check items in your refrigerator, freezer and pantry for expiration dates – toss anything that resembles a science experiment or that is otherwise beyond its shelf life.
• Sort your closet, donate anything you no longer love and store last season’s clothes.
• Clean the filter on your furnace and air return ducts. Alternately, schedule a service to do so.
• Schedule annual maintenance on your heating (and/or air conditioning) system.
• Uncover your outside faucets after the last frost of winter and schedule an appointment to have your sprinkler system tuned up and ready for spring and summer.
• Schedule a gutter and window cleaning. Repair and install window screens.
• Check your medicine cabinet for expired products and dispose of them responsibly.
• Flip and rotate your mattress.
• Check the expiration dates of items in your emergency supply kit and replace any items past their prime.
• Reset clocks and timer settings on automatic lights.
• And of course, reset all clocks… and don’t forget the clock in your car!

Happy Spring Forward!