Another winter storm, another snow day. Home. Again. Most of us are thrilled to have a day off and more importantly, most of us need one. But after continual blizzards and hazardous road conditions, many of us find ourselves stuck in our homes.
Some are lucky to be able to work from home, but too many are victims of mass transit nightmares and are unable to get to where they need to go. In either case, both work days and office hours are shifting and cancelled appointments require re-scheduling. Parents of school-aged children are dealing with delayed school openings and early dismissals. Everything is out of whack. Winter weather advisories are our new normal. Our new “busy” is about managing and adjusting our daily routines to fit.
Snowstorms interrupt our routines and can often impact our productivity both IN and OUT of the house.
At first, the reaction is utter glee, right? Hunker down with abundant food, snacks, and DVDs and cuddle on the couch with no concrete agenda other than taking a nap. But after a while, cabin fever can get old. We can get increasingly bored, lazy, or even depressed. Winter doldrums can be paralyzing and likely to promote some bone cracking procrastination.
In theory, we could think about this “stuckness” as an opportunity to be more productive around the house, but how many of us actually do? How about cleaning out that spare bedroom or re-organize the messy coat closet? Maybe tomorrow. The truth is that a call to action is so very difficult when procrastination is flirting. Lazy tends to beget lazy, especially this time of year.
Stop. Flip the thought. Consider framing this confinement in a more positive light. If you are indeed captive in your home, why not focus on the inside? Watching TV and reading are great but designating a time to work on a neglected “inside” job can be equally rewarding too. Look around and find one project that you can work on. The hardest part is the actual doing, so start small.
One simple call to action will surprise you and it just might ignite your productivity. Imagine the satisfaction of accomplishing one small task you’ve been avoiding. We never seem to have enough time, right? So if you’re stuck in, you’ve got lots of extra time. Here’s some inspiration to;
- Catch up on the laundry.
- Organize the scattered shoes and dirty snow boots. Create a zone for them.
- Clear countertops.
- Sort mail. Separate bills to be paid. Organize your coupons.
- Empty or load the dishwasher.
- Return phone calls you never have time for.
- Empty a messy drawer or closet. Toss the clutter and create an exit strategy for the donatables.
One thing for sure, when Spring rolls around, we will undoubtedly want to embrace the outdoors more than we will want to organize a drawer. So jump in and simply do. If you schedule it to happen, it will likely get done.
For me, icy roads and cancelled appointments are keeping me in today. I’m inspired to write, and pushing myself to organize my office and files (and yes, my desk needs organizing too). 🙂
Hoping to inspire you today to get motivated and get ready. There’s another winter snowstorm coming this week. Winter is far from over. Let’s fight the winter blues together and get busy doing.
Don’t let Winter plow away your productivity. Call to action. You IN or OUT?
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