Life
When the weather outside is frightful, the vibe is...mindful? Studies show that people are generally way more productive spending their day inside when the weather is crappy outside than they are when the weather is nice outside. So to help guide you in the right direction on this frigid day, I've put together a list of productive things to do inside when it's extremely cold outside. Just because the outside world might be cancelled, doesn't mean the inside world is, too.
Research reveals that people are much better at getting work done when they're not tempted by the outside world, as reported by Forbes in 2013. And as someone who just cleaned her entire house, organized all of her bags and drawers and make a giant pile of things to get rid of, I concur. Just because you can't be outside, in the world, doing things, doesn't mean that you can't be inside doing things instead.
When you don't have anywhere to be, it's easy to slip into couch mode. And while a little rest and relaxation is totally necessary and important, you can still get things done on a snow day. And in my personal experience, getting things done before you sink into the couch in a streaming hole, makes relaxing a lot more enjoyable. So get some things done around the house to make your life easier and healthier, and then light up the screen. Here are a few ways that you can be seriously productive without ever leaving the house.
Gather Donation Items
If you don't have any pressing house chores, take some time to go through your belongings and put together bags to bring to the local donation center. Canned goods, gently used bedding, warm clothing, clean shoes, books and home furnishings are all valuable donations that you can offer. Spending the day looking for donation items is a great excuse to give back and clean up at the same time.
Do A Deep Clean
When the weather is really miserable and you know you're going to be inside for a long time, consider doing a proper deep clean. I don't mean fold your laundry, I mean, take everything out of every drawer, every shelf and every closet, and organize it, clean it, and put it back. This might sound exhausting, but you will feel so much peace once you do. Plus, it will literally make your life easier.
Read Or Listen To A Book
Instead of sitting on the couch and scrolling through your phone for hours, read a book, or at least listen to an audio book while you scroll through your phone! If you focus, you can tear through a book in a day or two, which is a much better use of your time than mindlessly scrolling through content that you're only half engaged with.
Take An Online Class
If you have a half an hour to kill, you can learn a trade online. Whether you follow a YouTube make up tutorial, brush up on a second language, or learn some knife skills for the kitchen, you can make your free time way more educational and useful.
Redecorate A Room
If there's a room in your home that you don't love, turn it upside-down. Take the bad weather as an excuse to stay inside and figure out a way to rework the room. Try reorganizing your furniture, paint a wall, get rid of a rug, move things around until you're happier with the room.
Do An Art Project
Is there something that you were going to spend money on, that you can make yourself? Be it nail art, a painting for the living room wall, or a decoration piece for the kitchen table, you might be able to make it yourself at home with materials you have lying around the house.
Learn To Cook Something New
Pick a recipe online and play chef for the day. Teach yourself how to make something that look complicated but delicious. When you have a full day to mess around with recipes, you have room for trial and error.
Organize Your Professional Life
Even if you don't have any work to do, you can always do preparation work that will make your professional life more organized. Whether you spend the day updating your agenda, cleaning out your work bag, researching topics that might apply to your job in the upcoming weeks, or catch up on old emails, there's plenty you can do out of the office that will help things run smoothly in the office.
Hang Out In The Bathroom
Yes, seriously, when it's cold outside, you should hang out in the bathroom. One of my favorite things to do on a snow day is take a long, hot bath, and then hang out in the bathroom while it's still steamy doing beauty treatments, meditating and absorbing the warmth.
Organize Your Kitchen
Having neat and organized drawers and cabinets in the kitchen leads to easier meal prep and way less stress. Trying to cook in a kitchen when you have to constantly scrounge for ingredients, or trying to make a meal when you can only see ten percent of what's in your fridge is impossible. Organize your spices, your refrigerated items and your pantry items so that you can see everything. Throw away what's no longer good, and bring forward what you haven't eaten yet. Set yourself up for some easy meal prep in the days to come.
Catch Up With Friends
When you have the time, give your friends a call. Even if you text with them or send them memes on Instagram every day, they'll be glad to hear from you and it's good to have an old fashioned conversation on the phone every now and then. So if you have the time and privacy to make a long call to someone who you haven't heard from in a while, reach out.
