{Today you are in for a treat !!!  A Guest Post from Katie Hornor, who’s encouraged and inspired me in this blogging thing. I love what she has to share today, with a challenge to be productive without the internet. In our rural area, it’s been a not-so-uncommon scenario this summer. Without further ado . . .}

As much as we’d like to deny it, we are a society that has become very dependent on the internet. Have you ever had it crash on you? Maybe you were in the middle of your day, lots to do and your internet went down. Perhaps it was a welcomed excuse. You can’t research homeschool topics, plan this week’s menu, or do business without the internet, right? On the other hand, it could also have been a huge inconvenience.

What to Do When Your Internet Goes Down

First, call your service provider and find out, if you can, when to expect service to return. Next, decide how to spend your time until the problem is solved and service is restored.

You could, of course, head to your local coffee shop with your laptop and your task list. The good thing about our internet-dependent society is that you can find Wi-Fi at just about any fast food shop or coffee shop. There are supermarkets, fine dining restaurants, and even shopping malls with free Wi-Fi. If you absolutely need the internet, you can pack up and seek it.

However, relocating isn’t always desirable or possible. Maybe you work from home so that you are able to care for your children and loved ones. If this is you, you’re probably already laughing at the chaotic vision of loading up a group of children and taking them to the coffee shop so mommy or daddy can “work”. Nope. It’s not going to happen.

So, what is one to do? These small productivity tricks can help you be productive without internet.

#1 Brainstorm and Plan

These moments when the internet is down are ideal moments to problem solve and plan for the future. Grab a pen and paper or if you have mind mapping software on your computer, and strive to solve a few of your family, homeschool or business challenges. Here are few things you could brainstorm or plan:

• plan a new product or service launch for the family business
• brainstorm promotions for the upcoming quarter
• fine tune some of your processes and systems
• plan the content for a new book or freebie
• plan your content calendar for the next quarter

#2 Clean and Organize

This is your golden opportunity to do all of those little organizing tasks that you’ve been putting off

• Catch up on your homeschool attendance and activity records
• File that stack of papers on your desk
• Clean up your junk drawer or your computer’s desktop
• Organize your receipts so that when tax time comes around you’re just a touch more prepared than last year
• Total up last months income and expenses so you can see where to put more effort this month

#3 Write

You don’t need the internet to write content or to start on that book you’ve been meaning to write. Use the undistracted quiet time to get ahead on your writing projects. If you come to a point in your writing where you need to do a little research, make a note to yourself to look it up later and keep writing. Here are a few things you can write without being online:

• Write a letter to one (or all) of your children
• Write a couple of posts for next month, or the next holiday, to get ahead
• Write the next couple of emails for your newsletter sequence
• Write the copy for the landing page of your next product
• Write an outline or draft the script for your next video or vlog
• Write a thank you note to someone, a real one with an envelope and stamp, or an email you can send later

#4 Create Images

Grab your camera and start shooting! Those DIY photos you’ve been putting off? The gorgeous flowers blooming out back. Those sticky little faces at the kitchen table. Take some time to look for the beauty around you and take some photos of things you can use later for your blog or business.

If you have a photo editing program on your computer you can work on creating images that you need for upcoming projects and blog posts. Think about

• Pinnable images for posts
• Social Media images for posts or promotions
• Images or banners for your affiliate program
• Product images or ebook covers

#5 Make Phone Calls

There never seems to be a good time to make phone calls, but perhaps this is as good as any. Pull out your list and cross some off. Here are some calls you might want to make:

• Call your husband, just because. Don’t complain about the internet issue, just let him know you love him
• Call your business partner (if not your spouse) and talk through the next pressing project or to-do
• Call someone you’ve been wanting to interview and request a date and time
• Call the marketing department of a brand you want to work with and find out who you need to talk to – then call that person and initiate the sponsorship conversation
• Call someone whom you know needs encouragement

#6 Read

Some may not consider this one productive, but if you are reading praiseworthy material that can develop you as a leader, or develop skills you need for the task God has called you to, then it qualifies as “being productive”. If you need some business title suggestions, click here for the list of books I read last quarter.

Sometimes being without the internet is a good thing. You can relax. You can re-evaluate. But you can also be productive. Identify tasks that you can accomplish without the internet and turn those unexpected surprises into productive moments.

What do you do to stay productive when there is no internet available?

Katie Hornor is a professional blogger, international speaker/mentor and founder of Como Blog, a bilingual education site for bloggers and online business owners, and the new Como Blog Connection, an affordable membership program where you will find resources, connections and coaching to spur you on to reach your business dreams. Get info about The Connection and download the Free ebook 50 Powerful Tips for Successful Business Habits at Como Blog.