If you are a home-based business owner, independent agent or self-employed entrepreneur working from home, every once in a while you have a “rainy day” to fill. This could be a literal rainy day or stormy day when it’s not worth going out to drum up new business, or it could be a day when you are feeling burned out, uninspired, discourage (if you are feeling anxious especially about money, check out our guide to overcoming financial anxiety).
But Rainy days don’t have to be wasted days. In fact, for self employed business owners, independent agents and representatives and other solopreneurs (solo entrepreneurs), rainy days might be just the thing to help you renew and reset so that tomorrow, or next week, or next month can then become a time of increased productivity and energy.
Best of all, some of these “rainy day” office activities can even help you build business in and of themselves.
So, with that, here is our list of the 10 best rainy day activities if your a business owner stuck at home!
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1. Recharge your batteries
Take an hour to fill yourself back up. Read something by a favourite author. Visit a blog that makes you think. Or laugh. Take a walk. Watch one of your favourite tv shows or movies. Find something that you have been meaning to watch, but you just haven’t had the time to see it.
When you are discouraged or stuck in a rut, it’s perfectly healthy to take some time for yourself. Filling yourself back up by learning something new, reading articles on topics you are passionate about or even taking time to do something for your own enjoyment can result in renewed energy when it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get back to work. It can also help stimulate the creative, problem-solving portions of your brain!
2. Feed Your Passions
Choose to fill your day with activities that speak to your personal passions and fuel your inner fires. If it’s gray, dull and rainy out, you need to stoke the fires within and work on projects which are most likely to keep you feeling energized and which you actually enjoy doing.
In fact, working on things that you enjoy doesn’t feel like work; it can turn what would otherwise be a dull, rainy day into a bright, productive one.
3. Hit Your “Reset” Button
Let’s face it, when you are a solopreneur, home based business owner, independent agent or rep (oh yes, and you actually have a personal life, spouse, kids and friends!) your time is your most valuable resource and there is never enough to go around.
When you have the gift of a rainy day, take advantage of the opportunity reset something. You might need to clean off your desk, go through and empty out your email inbox, create your online grocery list, catch up on laundry, go through your kids school work – any number of things that you’ve been putting off for that magical moment when you find yourself with “free time.”
When you take the time to reset one of these things, however inconsequential it might seem, getting these small “to do” items checked off your to do list is going to make you feel GREAT! You’ll feel better about yourself and you’ll be more organized to move forward personally and professionally.
4. Surf Pinterest!
In case you are still wondering what Pinterest is, it’s only a little social media network that came out of nowhere to dominate the social media landscape in early 2012. Second only to Facebook in terms of the average amount of time people are spending per day on any social media platform, if you aren’t on Pinterest yet, it’s time.
You can take a look around to see whether some aspect of your business would be well-represented among the visual Pins that Pinterest users adore and share. You can see how other businesses like yours are using Pinterest to feature even non-visual elements (like blog posts) by incorporating imagery, great quotes and other items of visual interest.
You can surf your favourite brands, get inspired by great quotes and style, see pictures of fantastic places and have your creativity for DIY (do it yourself) crafts, home decorating, parties, cooking stimulated to the Nth degree!
Getting out of your comfort zone and exploring the world of what ‘regular people’ throughout our society are interested in now is important. Besides keeping you in touch with what consumers might be interested in, it can also help you identify important points of commonality that can help you in your marketing and networking.
If you do decide to start using Pinterest as a marketing tool (which is a great idea), you could look at a service such as Tailwind who helps manage your social & email marketing into a single solution, saving you time!
5. Boost Your Local Reach Online
Search your social media platforms for mentions, tweets and other shares and send thank you posts, tweets and updates in return. Encourage people to patronize independent local businesses within their communities and even online.
Write a blog post relative both to your business and it’s contributions to the community, support of local causes or human interest stories. Post rave reviews of other local independent businesses online. Weigh in with relevant, value-add information in the comments sections of blogs that your ideal locally-based customer types read. Cross-post stories of local interest as well as your blog posts to social media.
Share links to help other businesses with which you network in business groups, chamber of commerce, rotary or other civic groups. Share stories online about companies that are doing great work in your community or encourage people to support the causes you believe in.
6. Get Inspired!
Seek out a great quote or put a favourite motivational, inspirational or butt-kick-ational quote on social media and watch the “likes” and “shares” fly!
Quotes that connect with you emotionally for one reason or another speak to the same types of challenges we all face. They speak to our challenges, our victories, our aspirations and goals, our compassion for our fellow man and even to our own hurts.
The point is, they speak. To the heart. And you might make someone’s day by sending a quote out into the digital universe or provide encouragement you didn’t even know they needed. Any day that you can be a day maker, simply by speaking truth and encouragement is a good day!
7. Adjust Your Mindset
A few years ago I watched the then-popular video, “The Secret.” While I did not connect with everything in the video, there was much that I did connect with, such as the law of attraction—which basically states that we tend to get more of whatever we are filling our minds and lives up with.
The other thing I really connected with was the challenge to live in a place of gratitude. When we spend time thinking and worrying about negatives, we are giving them more power than they already have. By living in a spirit of gratitude you put yourself into a happier mindset, thankful for what you do have, rather than upset, angry or bitter about your perceived lack. It also puts you in the right frame of mind for Rainy Day activity number 7.
8. Express Your Gratitude
And I mean write them. No email, no typing. Take out a note card and pen a note of thanks to someone who made a difference in your life last month. To a new client or a long-time customer. To a co-worker, colleague or staff member. To your pastor, priest or rabbi. To the guy or gal who makes your coffee every morning.
It’s a personal touch in an increasingly impersonal world. It’s another chance to breathe unexpected sunshine into someone else’s day. And people don’t buy from businesses, they buy from people. It’s not about products or services, it’s about relationships. In an age when people can’t be bothered to say please and thank you anymore, sending personal notes of gratitude or encouragement will set you apart.
9. Look Back
There are many reasons it’s good to look back. The next time you have a rainy day, take time to reflect on how far you’ve come and how much you’ve learned. Look back through old clippings, old press releases and old photo albums.
Think about the people who have mentored or helped you along the way (they might be the very people to whom you write your 3 thank you notes!) Reflect on some of the best memories that you have of family and friends and think about people that you have had the privilege to help and mentor, yourself.
10. Write Your Own Top 10 List!
Write a Top 10 List of useful tips relative to your industry to post on your blog and share on social media. It will get the creative side of your brain moving and it might just provide great tips for a client or prospect who is having a “rainy day” themselves!
This was just one of many other ideas about starting a side hustle, and or making money online without experience. If you want to discover more opportunities, check out our list of additional ways to earn money.
