In this day and age it is all too common to find ourselves with less and less time to spend doing the jobs around the house, and when we finally do have the time, we are simply to worn out from the labours of the week to want to do anything but turn off and relax.
Call me the bringer of good news; winter is coming. Good news, I hear you ask, what’s so good about less sunlight, colder temperatures and a lot more rain? Well, it basically drives the majority of people to stay indoors. And while this may not be your preferred choice, it gives you the extra time to spend on those abhorrent little jobs you never got around to in the summer because you were too busy at a friend’s BBQ or away on vacation or whatever excuse you decided to use at the time.
Don’t worry, I did exactly the same, I needed to clear the gutters out but instead I spent most of my free time barbecuing or reading articles at campingfunzone.com about kayaking. But now winter is nearly here and we’re heading indoors, the only other option you have is to rot your brain in front of a television or computer screen. Never fear, for I have 5 simple solutions to help you crank your productivity up to 11.
- Convert a spare room into a home gym. Install a weight room rack and get going. Men in white coats who sit in laboratories all day and found time and time again that exercise is of great benefit to both our health and our moods; though you might not find me being too cheery when I’m halfway through my 5,000 push ups. As long as you have the space you don’t even need to splash the cash, make sure you have a training mat or similar for comfort and then there is a massive variety of training sessions you can do using only your body weight.
- Lights, camera, action! No wait, what was that first one again? Lights, that’s the one. Life would not exist on this planet without the light from our big, bright, beautiful sun. See how important it is? With less sunlight hours per day during the winter, your mood is probably going to be affected. Investing in lighting is a great way to lift you up again, and as we all know, you work a lot better and a much more productive if you’re in a good mood. Be it installing more windows or a skylight, or buying an army of lamps and bulbs, you can sit down and forget that it’s the middle of December and there are 5 metres of snow piling up outside of your front door.
- I set fiiiire to the… sorry I channelled my inner Adele there for a moment. However, it does raise a good point, having a fire place or log burner, or some similar system that burns on a visible flame is going to cheer you up to no ends, just make sure you do a regular chimney sweep so your smoke doesn’t come back into your home. When someone says winter to me, the first thing I think of (apart from the new Batman pyjama set I need for Christmas) is sitting in front of my fireplace with an open, roaring flame and working on my laptop. Yes it is staring at a screen, but I’m working rather than playing the latest Facebook game that people insist on sending my invitations for. Stop it. Seriously. An energy-efficient heating and cooling system must also be installed in your home office or workspace.
- This one is going to take some will power on your part (as good as I am and as much as I love you, I can’t do it all for you guys). I can’t write a complete guide to every little chore or job that each person might have around the house, well I could but I’d be here for a very long time and have a very annoyed girlfriend waiting for me at home, so you need to sit down and be honest with yourself. Now we are spending more time inside, prioritise the jobs that you need to do and get them down. Be it clearing the gutters, which I’ve already done so the joke’s on you, painting a bedroom, laying new carpet or retiling the bathroom, just make sure you use your time wisely and get it done. You can even save a bit of money by using recycled materials or using a tool hire company instead of buying all of the equipment.
- My final bit of advice is a bit of a trick answer, as I said we shouldn’t just be sat in front of screens for the next 4 months, however if you are going to ignore the rest of my article (which I worked really hard on, so thanks guys) and watch Seinfeld re-runs until your brain falls out then investing in a high quality sound system can really help bring your home to life. In-wall speakers, surround sound, or even a connected system throughout your house so you can still listen while you run to the fridge for a beer, are all great ways to add some variety and technology to your home to keep you going through the winter and cheer you up.
Gemma is a home improvement godess who loves nothing more than revamping rooms in her home.
