Losing power: it’s something that I’ve seen people deal with recently and it’s something that I am very familiar with. I’d say that I tend to lose power at least once each summer due to storms (although I haven’t lost power yet this year, knock on wood). And there have been a few times that I’ve been without power for close to a week. It’s always frustrating to be without power, especially for someone who loves to write and read as much as I do. So over the years I’ve picked up a few tips to help make losing power a little less frustrating.
1 // Make sure electronics are fully charged–or close to it–as often as possible.
I’m not very good with this one and it’s always something I think about when a massive storm hits, but make sure that your electronics have as much of a charge as possible. The two big ones for me are my computer and my phone. I write best on a computer, so if the power goes out and my computer needs to be charged soon I’m always frustrated. To avoid this, I always try to make sure my computer is fully charged–or close to it–during the summer months. That way I know that if I lose power I’ll be able to write for hours. The phone is harder to keep charged, but if I’m hanging out at home I try to keep it as charged as possible.
2 // Store a flashlight in an easy-to-find spot.
Yes, I have a flashlight on my phone, but the last thing I want to do once the power goes out is start using up the battery on that when I can easily keep a flashlight on hand for such an occasion. I keep a flashlight in my nightstand so that if the power goes out I know right where to go. Once I have the flashlight I can dig out candles and/or other flashlights.
3 // Take advantage of any opportunity to charge electronics.
I’ve always been able to do this at work, so I always bring my computer, phone and iPad or Kindle so that I can make sure that I go home with everything fully charged. I’m always able to make it through the night with my electronics, which helps keep my evening routine as normal as possible.
4 // Make the experience fun.
It can be so frustrating to have our modern conveniences taken away, so I like to make it fun. There’s nothing better than reading a thriller at night by candlelight, with shadows bouncing on the wall. And writing by candlelight? Maybe I should let me computer battery run out of charge and get a quill. 🙂
5 // Stop calling the electric company.
This one is also hard. I always want to know what the status is, but if the power is out for a couple of days, it’s because power is out all over the place. They’re aware and calling isn’t going to change anything on their end, but counting up the number of times I’ve called and the power still isn’t on only makes it more frustrating for me. So stop calling (you won’t even get through to a representative) and just do whatever you’re doing to make the experience fun.
At the end of the day, while losing power is frustrating, it’s not the worst thing to live with. The frustration comes from having to change how we live to accommodate the power outage, so having a plan for when the power goes out makes things easier.
(And I feel like I just jinxed myself. Let’s see how long it takes before I experience a power outage.)
What are your tips for losing power?
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Very helpful! =) Thank you for sharing!
I’m glad you thought it was helpful! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
These are great tips! I hate losing electricity!
I’m glad you found them helpful! 🙂 And me too!
ohhh we lost power for the first time ever and it was an experience and I am so thankful my laptop was fully charge and we had battery back ups but I definitely need to get a few more supplies for the future!!
It’s so hard, especially when you’re not used to power outages! Hopefully you made it through well. 🙂
These are great tips! Whenever I see a storm coming I try to make sure my phone is charged up all the way at least – and that I know where a flashlight is.
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed the post. 🙂 Those are great things to do… and often the first things I check on when I see a storm roll in too. 🙂
I am the worst for running my phone super low battery and am often totally screwed if this happens. Great tips!
Me too! Whenever a bad storm rolls in I always look at my phone and it’s close to empty.
I always struggle with calling the power company, it can get so frustrating when the power is out.
Me too! I always call more than I should. 🙂 Like you said, it’s just so frustrating.
Perfect timing for my household! My nephew is visiting, and it’s a running joke that the power always goes out when he is here. My household is pretty good about charging stuff up when a storm is expected, but not as much as a regular habit – good suggestion!
Haha! Hopefully your power didn’t go out this time while your nephew was there! 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks for stopping by!
Making the most of it and making it making the experience fun is definitely important! I hope that you have a good Wednesday, my friend 🙂
Yes! I think that’s the biggest thing for me. If I make it fun, it’s much less frustrating. 🙂 Thanks, Keith! I hope you’ve had a great week (or two!) too. 🙂
We have a generator which is comforting for our fridge etc. When we bought our home, we also made sure that we had a gas stove and heating so if the electricity went out we’d at least have that. Great tips!
Yes, the fridge is always something to worry about! It’s great that you have a generator to help with that! 🙂 And gas stoves are so helpful when it comes to power outages… we have one too, so at least we can use that. 🙂
It’s summer thunderstorm season over here too and these tips are definitely something I’ll keep in mind! I am totally addicted to technology, so power outages (however rare) totally freak me out! Thank you for sharing your tips with us!! 🙂 I especially love #4 – life is what we make it and so is the time we’re without electricity! 😉
I’m glad you found the tips helpful! I’m addicted to technology too, so it’s always difficult when I have to limit my tech use! 🙂