On Sunday, December 21st at 6:03 EST, winter officially arrived. That’s when those of us in the northern hemisphere experienced the shortest day (and subsequently longest night) of the year. But if you’re not a fan of winter and all the snow, sleet, and cold that accompany it, you’ll be happy to know that from now on, you’ll be able enjoying a few more minutes of daylight each day.

So what will you do with all that extra daylight? Well, if you’re hoping to be a little more organized and productive in the coming year, here are 10 productive things you can do in 10 minutes or less.

  1. Make a few important calls. Schedule your child’s annual check-up, service for your car, or call the plumber about that pesky leaky faucet that’s wasting money and umpteen gallons of water each day.leaky faucet
  1. Tackle the clutter in the junk drawer or the bathroom medicine cabinet. If there are meds in the latter you haven’t needed it in the past year, or if they’ve expired, properly dispose of them.
  1. Cancel something you don’t use. Maybe it’s a magazine subscription or those movie channels you never watch.
  1. Take a walk. Not only is it good for you physically, you can use the time to think about the past year and perhaps set some goals for 2015.
  1. Switch over to paperless billing. Less clutter on your counter and less paper in the trash.
  1. Clear your desktop of useless files and folders, or delete useless apps on your smartphone or tablet.
  1. Make a meal plan for the upcoming week, and try to add one new recipe to the mix.
  1. Clear out your closet. Ok, this one might take more than 10 minutes, but you can make a dent in it by donating clothing and accessories you haven’t worn in the past year and probably won’t for years to come.
  1. Empty the junk from your car. Depending how big the car and/or messy the car, you might even be able to run the hand-held vac through it.
  2. Make a gratitude list. Think about all those little things that are so easy to take for granted, and all the people who help, guide, and support you.

As for that pesky leaky faucet we mentioned earlier.  That’s one we can help you with here at Burton.  In fact, we’ve been voted as Omaha’s Best Plumber for the past 10 consecutive years by taking care of plumbing problems small and large to our customers’ complete satisfaction.  Call us, and let us help you make a dent on your own “to do” list.