Like last year, daylight-saving time begins three weeks earlier this year than it used to. To be exact, it begins this Sunday, March 9, at 2 a.m.

The switch to an earlier date initially occurred in 2007, as a result of the 2005 Energy Policy Act, so your Windows computer is probably ready to handle it. To double check, go to Microsoft’s support page for daylight-saving time and follow the steps outlined there to make sure your computer is updated.

Mac users can pick up the latest daylight-saving time updates for OS X here. On the "Apple Downloads" page, search for "daylight saving."

—Donna Tapellini