At 2am on Sunday morning, the clocks go back one hour and British Summer Time officially comes to an end. Have you remembered?

As well as that precious extra hour in bed, changing the clocks can help you to get more organised in other ways too.  Here are some ideas to make the most of the clock change.

First things first – start with the clocks!

Not only do you have to remember to change the time on the clocks throughout your house, but you also need to remember how to actually do it! Devices such as smartphones should update themselves, but you’ll need to manually change analogue clocks, some appliance clocks and possibly the clock in your car.

Confession time: when the clocks went back last October, I had no idea how to change the clock on our car, so the whole family had to mentally take an hour off the display until at least the New Year. Now I need to remember how to do it all over again!

Instruction manuals

As you frantically gather together all the instruction manuals for the appliances in your home, now would be a good time to get them organised. Recycle instructions and shred warranties for appliances that you no longer own, as well as all the pages that are written in different languages. You might consider scanning what is left and saving them in a folder on your computer.  You could even find the instructions online, and then bookmark the pages in  your browser. If you prefer to keep the original documents, a ring-binder or folder in your filing cabinet is ideal.

However you decide to to it, you’ll thank me in March when you need to work out how to change the clocks forward again!

Smoke detectors

We should test all our home safety devices – smoke detectors and carbon monoxide monitors – at least every month, and it’s recommended that we replace the batteries every year. To be on the safe side, I prefer to change the batteries every six months. I find the changing of the clocks each March and October a useful reminder to do this.

Photos

When was the last time you took your photos off your phone? If your phone is getting a little full, and you haven’t backed up in a while, do it this weekend. And then work out a regular commitment to backing up your photos… and actually schedule it into your diary. Once it becomes habit, it will be much easier to keep your precious memories safe and organised.

If you need any help getting your photos organised, or setting up a system so that you can easily do it it yourself, remember that More Organised LOVES photo organising and is a member of the The Photo Managers – the international professional organisation for photo organisers. Get in touch for your free of charge consultation if you need a little help to get your photos under control.

Sleep

There’s a lot of talk about “an extra hour in bed” this weekend as we put the clocks back an hour. Of course, if you go to bed and get up at the same time, then this is true. But could I suggest that we stop counting the hours (it is the weekend, after all!) and wake up naturally… you could find that you gain your extra hour awake. What are you going to do with that time?

But whatever time you wake up on Sunday morning, use this weekend’s focus on sleep to review your sleeping patterns. Are you getting enough good quality sleep? What could you do to increase the amount of sleep you are getting? Did you know that an organised, tranquil bedroom can help you to get to sleep better… perhaps now would be a good time to have a declutter?

Turn the mattress

Still on the subject of sleep, I like to use the change of clocks as my six month reminder to turn the mattress on all the beds. Most manufacturers suggest that mattresses are turned over and rotated end-to-end every few months, to help the upholstery filling spread more evenly.

Seasonal decluttering

Now is the perfect time to have a good review of your “stuff”. Make it a seasonal, six-monthly habit along with the changing of the clocks.  Take a look round and decide to declutter areas of your home and life that are not serving you well. Cosy down for the winter with a refreshed living space, clear mind and increased energy to meet your goals for the remainder of the year.

And if you need some support and a chat, come and join my Facebook group, The More Organised Society. We’d love to see you!

Do you have any other advice or traditions about changing the clocks? I’d love to see them, so pop them in the comments!