Take Organizing One Day at a Time – Starting Today

You may not be anticipating National Get Organized Day with the enthusiasm you might for a national #holiday such as Memorial Day or Thanksgiving, says Infotek Consulting, but getting #organized can actually you feel less stressed, more productive and happier overall. Start by #decluttering and #organizing a single drawer, shelf or closet today as the start of a new, #clutter-free you. #Set aside the #junk you don’t need for a #donation to ClothingDonations.org, then schedule a time to move on to another space. “Take it day by day, one room (or office drawer) at a time, and watch as you become more stress-free, productive and happier.” #NationalGetOrganizedDay

Celebrate National Get Organized Day

April 26 is a special holiday for The Organizing Blog — National Get Organized Day. The annual observance invites people nationwide to take stock of their #stuff, #declutter, and otherwise #organize and #streamline their lives. #Organization can take many forms, Days of the Year points out; you may choose to organize a physical space such as a #closet, filing cabinet or kitchen drawer, or you can organize a virtual space such as your e-mail inbox or digital pictures. You can also celebrate by creating daily habits that improve your organization over time: Create a to-do list, weekly meal plan or a “drop zone” where you put new stuff entering the house to make life less chaotic. #NationalGetOrganizedDay

Organize Your Wardrobe for a Perfect Summer

With the days getting warmer, it’s time to get your perfect summer wardrobe in order. Even if you have already #sorted and #stored your cold-weather clothing, says Lifetime Organizing, you’ll want to create a “capsule” wardrobe that suits you and your lifestyle. Look at the events and activities you have coming up, and sort out the garments that will work for them. Then, reorganize your closet to put those items front-and-center, limiting yourself to a specific number of mix-and-match essentials. Store the fall and winter clothing, and #donate any garments that no longer fit into the rotation to ClothingDonations.org. #PerfectSummer

Daylight Time Is Spring Cleaning Time

Daylight savings time — still observed in most states nationwide — begins again at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 5. The practice is rapidly declining in popularity, but most readers will temporarily lose an hour to the switch nonetheless.

The transition is increasingly associated with sleep deprivation and upticks in other dangers such car accidents, heart attacks and strokes. Daylight time apparently produces a mini-jet lag that can have subtle but marked consequence on the body and mind.

To reduce daylight time’s initial health impacts, Northwestern Medicine suggests adjusting one’s circadian rhythms by getting more natural morning light, exercising and going to bed an hour early in the week leading up to the change.

Even if you approach DST with little or no personal preparation, there are things you can do around the house to take advantage of the seasonal shift, Apartment Therapy says, and prepare for the longer nights of spring and summer.

First, of course, you’ll want to reset every clock. Then, take care of some of the seasonal chores that make your home safe and comfortable: Change the smoke detector batteries, reverse the ceiling fans to counterclockwise, and rotate or flip your mattresses and couch cushions.

This is also a great time to #sort and #declutter winter clothing. Chances are that those heavy coats and woolen sweaters are already falling into disuse, so make sure all of them are cleaned and stored, eliminating and #donating any that just didn’t make it into the rotation to ClothingDonations.org.

Outdoors, you’ll have an extra hour of light in the evening to #clean the gutters, #organize the garage, powerwash the deck or prepare your garden for #spring planting. Just be careful going up that ladder as your body slowly adjusts to the new time.

The mental health benefits of making your home #clean, #organized and #clutter-free are well-documented — and they may even outweigh the negative effects of losing an hour of sleep and adjusting to the change in light.

Until a proposal to make daylight time permanent becomes law, we’re stuck with it. So make the most of it by using it as a reminder to do the seasonal tasks you’ve been meaning to do. Time’s a-wastin’!

Breaking Through the Clutter

Breaking through the #clutter is the name of the game for a multimillion-dollar Super Bowl ad. And this year, a surprising number of big-name advertisers engaged big-name stars to shill for their products, with appearances from the likes of Serena Williams, Adam Driver, Sly Stallone, Dave Grohl and Ozzy Osbourne. You don’t have to be a star to eliminate clutter, however; just bag up the lightly used clothing, sporting goods and other consumer products you no longer want or need and contact ClothingDonations.org for a free #donation #pickup. We don’t have a big budget, but we’re the MVPs of helping getting #organized and helping #veterans. #SuperBowlAds