10 Fun & Fantastic Things To Do In a Blizzard

A blizzard is upon us a time where everyone in our immediate area has to take a mandatory chill-pill. There are some of us who are excited about all the work we can catch up on and some of us are looking to binge on Netflix all weekend. Then there are still some of us that are mixed in the middle.  We are haunted by the guilt to be productive but overwhelmed with not knowing exactly where to start and unmotivated because we also want to get in some Amazon Prime.

I think this list is built for the couch potato and the workaholic alike. Getting things done - some on the fun side - making this blizzard business both memorable and mildly productive.

“The most wasted of days is one without laughter.” - e.e. cummings

I hope you get to incorporate one or two of these in your snow day(s) and feel free to share any other pictures and ideas with me on Twitter or Instagram! @b_dexterous #DexterousSnowDay I'll be sharing mine.

1. Go through print pictures. Getting rid of duplicates, pictures of random things like trees that aren't photogenic or of people you don't know or no longer like.  Pictures should either document or make us feel good about the past if your pictures do neither or make you feel horrible get rid of them.
2. Go through all the pens in drawers on desks everywhere and get rid of the ones that don't work; scribble or doodle while you watch Netflix or catch up on Hulu or DVR to find the ones that do work.
3. Go through last year's receipts and get rid of ones that are expired and sort through the ones that have purpose into retrievable systems. Envelopes and handwritten labels work fine.
4. Complete a fun tutorial on YouTube. Since your tablet or laptop can fit in the kitchen you can cook with Buzzfeed. I know you have food because you left hardly any at the stores...

   

   Taken at a local grocery store near me two days before the blizzard was due to arrive.
   

5. Go on Pinterest and start on a crafting pin you saved.
6. Put your digital photos in a cloud storage (or two). Dropbox or Flickr are suggestions.
7. Get your tax packet ready for your accountant or tax preparer.
8. Get rid of expired food and medicine and personal care products while you jam to Taylor Swift, Beyonce or your favorite Amazon playlist.
9. Revisit an old hobby. Play video games that were boxed away, board games that never get played, open the jigsaw puzzle you saved for a rainy, snowy  day.
10. Schedule or fantasy-plan your next vacation. If the snow is not your thing get out of the brain freeze and start planning your vacation this summer. You might find some great deals. If your schedule or bank account only make a stay-cation possible, research the summer fun things in your city or do a fantasy vacation which studies have shown bring happiness too.

Bonus: Reconnect with old friends and family you haven't talked to in a while. Instead of a text, call or send a heartfelt note via snail mail...when the post office opens again of course.

May all of you remain safe, sound, and warm during inclement weather and I hope you get a few things accomplished while you're stuck inside.

Andrea Hancock is a professional organizer & productivity consultant, blogger, speaker, and educator that assists and empowers busy professionals, business owners and those experiencing major life transitions to create and maintain organizational systems that work for them personally.  Andrea is also founder of Dexterous Organizing, a results-oriented professional organizing company.  Book a free 15-minute Discovery Call to begin your journey to better productivity and more organizational prowess. Also visit our website at www.DexterousOrganizing.com or give us a call at (703) 606-8968

Quote of the Month: "Action Expresses Priorities"

2016 is here! Let’s Kiss Burnout Goodbye this Year.

Looking Back and Moving Forward: The Best Tips, Tricks, and Highlights of 2015

You’re probably going to hear this question a lot but at the risk of redundancy, where in the heck did 2015 go?! I mean, really. Looking back on this past year that flew by, I’ve started to wonder--what great new things did you start in 2015 that you hope continues in 2016? What new endeavors do you plan on focusing on this year?  

For me, 2015 was the year to go as paperless as possible and create better workflows in my business. I’m happy with the progress so far--and, hopefully, I’ll be able to figure out the best platform to offer teachings to help clients do the same. Yet, this was only the tip of the iceberg of all the great things that happened in 2015.

New scheduling and productivity tool

Some of you may have noticed a few changes in our operations. One particular change is we’ve empowered our clients to book their own appointments using a new scheduling program. You’ll also notice there are particular phases of the organizational process of working with Dexterous Organizing that we implemented and hope to improve upon. Take a look and check it out.

The best of 2015’s organizing tips, tricks, and hacks

On the brink of burnout? Looking for some time-saving hacks? Need expert tips on the best ways to organize your desk? You can find all this and more in these Dexterous Organizing 2015 highlights:

• We helped journalist Brigid Schulte organize her desk, and all the tips and tricks we shared with her were featured in this article in The Washington Post in January online and in print.
• I had the privilege of helping a busy career woman who was suffering from burnout. This superwoman’s comeback was documented in another article featured in The Washington Post. Check the article out here.
• After suffering from my own personal bout with burnout, I made some priority changes in my own life and business, and I’m happy to say my business took a huge upswing this spring and summer as a result!
• We welcomed a few new organizers who joined Dexterous Organizing to help our clients. I’m currently working with the two new organizers-in-training and hope you’ll soon help me welcome them onboard the DexOrg team!

While we’re proud of everything that happened in 2015, there’s one thing we’re extremely thankful for. If you read one of my latest blog posts Confessions of an Organizer: I Was Running On Empty, then you know I wouldn’t have been able to pull through some of the tough times without some of the best clients EVER!

Over the past year, I’ve been lucky enough to work with some super busy people that do amazing things in and outside their homes everyday. I’ve had the pleasure of working with a couple doctors (MD & PhD), realtors, several IT professionals, many sales executives, a handful of single moms, full-time moms, and moms and dads struggling between business/work and the kids, small business owners, two massage therapists, a host of world travelers, nurses, and several educators. You guys make the world go ‘round and it brings me joy that you entrust Dexterous Organizing to help your world go ‘round a little more smoothly.

I don’t know where the heck the last 12 months went, but I’m hoping we get to share a heck of a lot of positive and productive things in next 12!

Andrea Hancock is a professional organizer & productivity consultant, blogger, speaker, and educator that assists and empowers busy professionals, business owners and those experiencing major life transitions to create and maintain organizational systems that work for them personally.  Andrea is also founder of Dexterous Organizing, a results-oriented professional organizing company.  Book a free 15-minute Discovery Call to begin your journey to better productivity and more organizational prowess. Also visit our website at www.DexterousOrganizing.com or give us a call at (703) 606-8968.