Majorly Productive Things To Do Over Winter Break
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Here’s a list of Productive things to do over Winter Break, to kick off your New Year!
I wonder if I’m the only one who looks forward to “all that free time” during the holiday breaks, only to watch them fly by in a flash.
It’s so weird that once you’re in the break, the time just goes so fast!
I’ve found that if I have a little plan, it takes the “I have a million things I want to get to”-pressure off, and helps me feel like I’m not “wasting time.”
**Notice that I didn’t say “schedule” or anything like that…..free time is supposed to be just that, free to do what you want! Doing just one or two of these productive ideas during the time off will get you prepared and psyched for your New Year!
I’m super-excited for you, Let’s get to it!
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What Should I Do Over Winter Break?
Feel free to swipe one or two productive things off of this list, to get your mind set for the upcoming year and all the amazingness it has waiting for you!
Some of these items are for your home, yourself, your money, and your family. Wherever you feel your life could use a little more love and attention, go for it!
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1. Do an Easy-Yet-Satisfying Home Organization Project.
I can’t tell you how many times I walk past my messy junk drawer or pantry, knowing full well it would take me only 30 minutes to an hour to tackle. Take an hour or two one day to tackle one of these easy projects:
5 Super-Easy and Satisfying Weekend Projects to Organize Your Home In No-Time
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2. Plan Out Your Year.
There’s so much buzz about “planning your year” and this year, I finally did it! Here’s the YouTube video I used for inspiration. I think this family is up to 8 kids now, they know how to plan!
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If you’re looking for a more goals-oriented “plan out your year” experience, I can’t recommend the Passion Planner enough. It’s sold on Amazon so if you have Amazon Prime, it’ll be in your hands in one to two days.
Plus, for every planner you purchase, the company donates a planner to someone in need. If you love supporting companies that give back, this is a great company to buy your planner from.
If you’re feeling motivated NOW and can’t wait that long, the Passion planner website has a free download of the very beginning of the planner, which helps you set your goals for the year. It’s very thorough and helpful.
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3. Make a Bucket List for The Family.
While you’re planning, make sure you’re including some major quality family time!
I wrote a post for Mom Life Happy Life for exactly this reason. It’s a monster of a post with a list of 49 super-fun things to do with the whole family, including:
- Kids
- Teens
- Spouse/partner
- Siblings, and
- Parents!
Here’s the pin to click on, or to save for later!
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Grab your calendar & your loved ones, and start a bucket list of your favorite things to try this year! Some of the things to do are perfect for winter break.
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4. Review Your Holiday Spending.
Wow, the money that gets spent in the last two months of the year is pretty incredible.
This year, you’re prepared! The winter break is an excellent time to review your holiday spending and create a budget for the upcoming year. Since you’re starting your savings in January, it will be pretty painless! Head over to How to Budget for the Holidays:
This post has a ton of pointers, plus a printable Holiday Budget and gift tracker.
Once you have all of your totals from the Holiday Budget you spent this year, add them all up and divide that number by 11. Now you can start saving each month, starting basically in January!
For example, if you spent $1,500 this year:
$1,500 ÷ 11 = $136.36 per month
If you want to scale back your spending this year, try to reduce it by 10%-15% to start!
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5. Learn One New Skill.
Is there something you’ve been wanting to learn, or try? Block off a few hours one day to watch some YouTube tutorials and jump in! I learned dollar-folding origami this way, and my kids get an extra-special dollar when the Tooth Fairy visits.
How about a new language? I don’t know anybody who doesn’t want to learn a new language. I tried Duolingo over the summer break and it was so much fun.
It’s got ads, but it’s free and honestly, I was actually learning French. It’s very easy to follow along.
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6. Teach Each Child One New “Life Skill.”
Do you have a bunch of bored kids laying around over the winter break? I bet they would LOVE making their own lunch (under supervision of course).
Learning life skills takes time, practice and patience (on our part). Since we have plenty of time over winter break, let’s hone some of these skills, like how to:
- Cook scrambled eggs,
- Use the toaster,
- Fold the towels,
- Put their used dishes in the dishwasher,
- Fold their shirts,
- Put the bread away properly after we take a slice out of the package (lol), and more!
Check out this post from Of The Hearth, it has an excellent chart that breaks down Life Skills by age.
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7. Carve Out Uninterrupted Work Time.
If you have kids, they reasonably want your attention during their holiday breaks. However, if you’re a working mom, you may need some quiet time during the day.
One way to get a chunk of work time in during the day is to plan an active morning. This works for big kids too! Maybe a trip to the zoo or a museum, or a big playground, where there is a lot of walking/climbing/jumping involved.
When you get home, they would love some “movie and a snack” time to recover, and you can have an hour of time during the day.
Also, if there is any way you can enlist a friend or family member for babysitting one or two days, it would be super fun for the kids, and a BIG chunk of time for you.
Another idea is to swap playdate days with another parent. You take the kids for an outing one day, they take the kids for an outing a second day. The kids are having fun with their friends, and you’re getting guilt-less, productive work time.
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8. Learn A Helpful Recipe.
Winter time, and this whole “New Year” season, always has me looking for productive shortcuts to add to my routine.
By far, the most helpful shortcut for me is Meal Planning. My normal day is so busy that I sometimes don’t even pick my head up until the kids are 5 seconds from getting off the bus. By then, I feel so drained that I start looking for an easy way out of cooking dinner. Not very healthy.
If you have a protein/vegetable/grain combo that your family enjoys, take a few minutes to find a one-pot or one-pan recipe version. Dump & go recipes take far less time, AND you can probably do your chopping & cutting & marinating in the morning, or on the Sunday before.
If you want to try an easy freezer meal, there is an absolute gem…..a diamond….in the internet world called The Family Freezer. Jump on their email list, you will not regret it.
Their website is all about easy freezer meals that you can prep in minutes, freeze in one bag, and have on hand for the crock pot, or even the stove if you aren’t a slow-cooker person. I personally don’t like mushy food, but most of these recipes translate fabulously on a pot on the stove.
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9. Start One Small, Personal Habit.
I have no idea why I have this one for last! It’s probably the most important.
New Year, new you, new goals, new habits….You can’t help but gravitate toward the idea of a “fresh start.” Of having a better or easier anything. That’s kind of what this season is all about, as arbitrary as “January 1” on a calendar is.
Take advantage of the vibrations and the mood!
I challenge you to take 10 or 15 minutes to write down some of the things you wish you did more during your day. Just pick one and do it right now! Is it “eat more vegetables?” Just grab a carrot out of the fridge. Whatever it is, just count to three, stand up and go there. Do the thing.
If you need some ideas, there are about sixty (!) small habits in these two posts:
When you’re read to start your habits, I have this set of new 2021 Habit Tracker printables in my Etsy Shop, there are two dated for 2021, and two undated so you can start whenever you decide to. Here is what they look like:
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Conclusion:
What a list! I hope you take a day or two of your Winter Break to get started on a few of the productive things on this list. I’m fired up for the new year! And I wish you peace, clarity of mind, and health in the next 12 months and beyond.
What Productive things to do over Winter Break am I missing from this list? Let me know in the comments!
XO,
-Mina
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P.S.: Checkout my other Blog Posts & be sure to follow me on Pinterest, I have TONS more great content!!
Here are some more posts that might be helpful:
How to Simplify Life & Actually Stop Wasting Time
Organize your Goals to Win the New Year
Must Read Personal Finance Books If You Want Real Wealth This Year
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