SEVEN PRODUCTIVE WAYS TO SPEND A RAINY DAY

I can’t believe it’s May already.

Have you ever heard the saying “April showers bring May flowers”? It’s a good reminder that in order to get the results we want in the future, we must do the work that needs to be done now.

April was a rainy month on the West Coast – quite a few weekend plans (and hair styles) got ruined by the soggy weather.  While it was tempting to spend the rainy days binge-watching television, napping or lurking online; I chose to be productive and (literally) weather the storm by investing my time in doing things that will yield a “sunnier” future.

Here are seven things that I’m glad I did on rainy afternoons.

1. CLOSET CLEAN-OUT

It makes a huge difference when you can start your day selecting an outfit from a well-organized closet full of options. It was time to stop procrastinating by packing and stacking things in clear bins and get serious about organizing my closet. Alisha keeps is real about what needs to get done when it comes to closet organization. Not only did I find a ton of “buried treasures” while I was cleaning, I also save a ton of time figuring out what to wear in the morning.

2. MEAL MAKEOVER

I know the benefits of cooking at home outweigh the convenience of stopping at the drive through on the way home. Since summer is fast approaching I am even more motivated to get healthy and slim down, but cooking on weeknights rarely happens for me without a game plan. Meal planning and prepping was a breeze thanks to these 20 Simple Weeknight Dinner Recipes.

3. PART WITH THE POST-IT NOTES

Y’all I LOVE Post-it notes to a fault. They are great for quick sketches, jotting down to-do lists or ideas that I wan to flesh out later. The problem is my desk (and other surfaces) quickly get covered in a sea of Post-Its that I get lazy about removing once I finish tasks. I parted the metaphorical sea by transferring a bunch of stuff to Evernote and to my Pinterest boards. One thing I love about Pinterest is that I can keep certain boards private and use them to park stuff that I don’t want the whole world to see (heh, heh, heh).

4. DESK DETOX

With the Post-It notes gone I was motivated to keep plugging away at cleaning off my desk top. As a creative I have tons of tools, paper samples and other odds and ends all over the place. Shauna, a fellow designer, has great tips on keeping creative work spaces neat and tidy. I took her advice and got it together.

5. ELIMINATE EMAIL

My inbox was not cute. Months of swiping email notifications to the side left me with a pile of unread (and mostly unwanted) emails – my tally was comfortably in the five figures. I used Mattie’s tips for email organization to get my Inbox in order and keep it that way. I currently have two unread emails and that feels good!

6. FINE TUNE FINANCES

I work hard for my money, and I think I do a pretty good job of managing it well – but, there is always room for improvement. Instead of aimlessly clicking through memes and watching cat videos, I leveled up my finance game by checking out sites with actionable content that I could implement immediately. The Finance Bar always has quick reads and great tips about increasing income and building wealth.

7. ONLINE OASIS

Among all the over stimulation online, it’s nice to have a quiet corner where you can gather your thoughts and regroup. I love this meditation exercise that Lalah Delia has on her website.

So while the April showers may not have been what I wanted, they definitely provided an opportunity to tackle some long-over due things that I needed to get done. It feels good to start the month of May organized, focused & on track to reach my goals.

What’s “blooming” for you this month?