Creativity Tips: 18 Ideas for Your Next Snow Day

In Kansas City last week, we had a few snow days. Snow days! The perfect excuse to stay home and ... do what?

Apparently, answering that question was a problem for some people. They got bored after the first day. To which I say, ridiculous. There are 80 gazillion things to do on a snow day. I'm going to get your creative juices going with the first 18 that come to mind:

1. Build a fort.
   I know. I know. You don't have a kid. Did I say you needed a kid? No, I did not. All you need is a sheet and a couple of chairs. And nothing has changed since you were a kid: The world still looks better while sitting in a fort.


2. Read a book.
   Gasp. Yes. A real book. Step away from the computer, walk to your bookshelf, pull something off and read. It can be done.


3. Crank the radio.
   Turn up the music -- radio, stereo, the annoying little earplug things, whatever. Dance. If you want to be productive, dance while you dust. Remember that being productive is highly over-rated.


4. Try a new recipe.
   You can step back to the computer and visit Angela's wonderful new site, Recipes from My Mom. I guarantee you'll find a recipe to love.


5. Draw a picture.
   Grab your crayons and doodle. If you're really tired of snowy days, draw a picture with sunshine and flowers and trees. (And if you don't have crayons to grab, we need to talk. Seriously. No wonder you're bored on snow days.)


6. Sit and breathe.
   It's a day off. You have time. You can take five minutes. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Your brain and your lungs will thank you.


7. Call an old friend.
   Pick up your smarty-farty phone and call a friend you haven't spoken to in a while. I mean voice-to-voice. Not a text. Not an email. A real call.


8. Listen to Robert Frost.
   I've mentioned this before. I'll mention it again. What a joy to listen to Robert Frost read his poetry. Here's a good site. But there are others. Explore. Take the road less traveled by.


9. Watch TV.
   It's a snow day! You're watching the weather forecasts anyway. Take an extra 30 minutes and find some silly comedy. Watch five minutes of reality TV. Just think of the cocktail party conversation you'll have ready.


10. Plan a cocktail party.
    When was the last time you threw a party? Consider the options. Who would you invite? Would there be a theme? What would you eat? Would there be cocktails? What are all the possible meanings of BYOB?


11. Exercise.
    So. Yeah. I shoveled snow this week. As a matter of fact, I shoveled the driveway and sidewalk three times on Tuesday. And, each time, I came inside and said, "That's no big deal. I don't know why people call that exercise." I could hardly get out of bed Wednesday. Exercise. You need it. I need it. We all need it.


12. Clean out one drawer.
    Come on, you know it's there. One drawer filled with junk. I'm not asking you to clean the entire kitchen or bathroom. Just one drawer. Think of the satisfaction.


13. Make hot chocolate.
    My friend Chris insists that we wouldn't enjoy hot chocolate (or sweaters, or fireplaces, or hot toddies) without cold weather. So make the hot chocolate. Wrap your hands around the mug. Savor the smell with every sip. And remember that Chris is from Canada.


14. Redecorate the living room.
    Move the couch. The chairs. A table. Take that picture that's been hanging in the same dang place for so long you don't even see it anymore and move it. Yes!


15. Wrap yourself in warmth.
    Before you take your shower, throw your towel in the dryer and warm it up. Nothing like wrapping up in a warm towel on a cold day.


16. Wrap yourself in other warmth.
    OK. There is something else like wrapping up in a warm towel. Figure it out.


17. Explore Pinterest.
    Leslie got me started on this fun site, and I haven't had a chance to really explore it yet. I need more snow days! (The pic on this post is from Pinterest.)


18. Write a haiku.
    Hey. It's me. You didn't expect me to make it through a snow day without haiku, did you? 5-7-5. If you need a prompt, use the words I love snow days in it. Somewhere. Not all together. Unless you want. It's your haiku.
    
    Wow. This may be my longest post ever. See what happens when you tell the Chief Creative Instigator you're bored? And I didn't even mention TED. You could spend an entire week with TED. Consider that the extra idea. You know, like the extra candle on your birthday cake. The one to grow on ...