Four Important Things to Do This Weekend Besides Change The Clocks

Daylight Saving Time To Do List

Are you ready to spring forward this weekend? Yep, Daylight Saving Time is rolling in, meaning we lose an hour of precious sleep. But hey, there's more to this weekend than just adjusting your clocks, according to Good Housekeeping.

First things first, swap out those batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. It's a small task that can make a big difference in keeping your home safe. Plus, it's an easy way to mark off that yearly to-do list.

Next up, let's talk emergency preparedness. Dust off that emergency kit you've got stashed away. Check for expired items and make sure everything's up to date. And if you don't have one yet, there's no time like the present to put together your own survival stash.

Now, let's tackle the kitchen and medicine cabinet. Take a good look inside your fridge, pantry, and medicine cabinet. Anything expired or past its prime? Chuck it. Got stuff nearing its expiration date? Use it up. It's a win-win for your stomach and your health.

Last but not least, it's mattress-flipping time. Yep, your mattress needs some love too. Flipping it once or twice a year helps it wear evenly, meaning a comfier sleep for you. And hey, why not make it a tradition to flip your mattress when you spring forward? It's like a little reminder built right into the time change.

Daylight Saving Time itself. Why do we even bother with this clock-changing madness? Well, the idea is to make better use of daylight during the longer days of spring and summer. By moving the clocks forward an hour, we theoretically get more daylight in the evening, which can save energy and give us more time for outdoor activities.

But not everyone's a fan. Critics argue that the energy savings are minimal, if they exist at all, and that messing with our sleep schedules twice a year can have negative health effects. Plus, there's always that one clock you forget to change, throwing off your whole day.

Love it or hate it, Daylight Saving Time is here to stay (for now, at least). So, while you're busy changing your clocks this weekend, why not take care of these other tasks too? It's a small price to pay for a safer, more organized life.

The United States Senate, in a unanimous voice vote today (March 15), passed a bill that would make Daylight Saving Time permanent.

Per multiple outlets, including Reuters and NBC News, the Sunshine Protection Act stated the change wouldn't begin until 2023 if it's passed by the House of Representatives and signed into law by President Joe Biden. The bill will head to the House, but it's not yet known when a vote on the bill will take place. Reuters, however, did note, "The House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on the issue this month."

NBC News also noted, "Daylight Saving Time started in the U.S. in 1918 as a way to create more daylight hours during warmer months. It was extended by four weeks starting in 2007. States are not required to follow daylight saving time — Hawaii and most of Arizona do not observe it."

Making Daylight Saving Time permanent has been a long-debated topic with those in favor citing a number of impacts from how it affects sleeping patterns of children and pets to the slight increase of heart attacks and strokes following the time change.

Once news of the vote began to circulate, "Sunshine Protection Act" became the number one trending topic on Twitter. Here are some notable reactions to the news.