Internet Down! It’s not the end of the world when your Internet connection fails. With Internet business, opportunity to get things done offline is hard to find. So look at downtime as a heaven-sent opportunity to leave virtual reality behind and touch base with your real reality.
Being offline shouldn’t affect you so much you become catatonic. Though it can reach the level of an addiction needing outside intervention and treatment, most people can handle the occasional downtime. In fact, it can become a time to recoup, reconnect and catch-up.
Here is a list of 7 ideas to try next time you can’t get online:
Work
#1. File paper.
Though the paperless office is often mentioned, few home-based business offices look like it. Don’t wait til tax timel File your receipts now. Organize the information that you’ve printed out from online programs so you can find it again.
#2. File email and computer files.
Most people have inboxes that are crammed and download files that are chaotic. Take 10 or 15 minutes to sort through what you don’t need and label what you want to keep. Figure out a way to organize it on your computer.
#3. Pay bills.
Some bills come in the mail. Though bill pay online has become the new standard, consider using envelopes, stamps and a check to pay your bills while you have this free time.
#4. Return phone calls.
This won’t work with Skype, but you can use your cell phone to return those pesky phone calls that you’ve been meaning to make to interested prospects.
Home
#5. Dust, vacuum, sweep.
For freelancers with a work-from-home business, it’s easy to put housekeeping on the back burner. Take a few minutes to straighten the house. Your family will love you and visitors will be fooled into thinking it always looks clean and tidy.
#6. Try out a new recipe.
This is the perfect time to pull out a recipe you’ve been meaning to try. Get the chicken breasts out of the freezer, dig out the vegetables in your refrigerator and make something from scratch.
#7. Do a load of laundry.
Whether you live alone or have family members, laundry is a fact of life. Get a load started or fold the clothes that have been sitting in the dryer.
