Until today, I thought the Internet could only break if my mom sat on it. That’s lame, but I’m sucker for your mom jokes. Turns out, the Internet can break, and this weekend it’s nearly there: Three of four undersea Internet cables connecting North America to Asia have been cut. If it’s not broken, the Internet might slow down a lot, which means our blogging productivity can get knocked down to zero if we’re not careful. So if the Internet breaks, here are a handful of backup blogging tasks to keep us productive (and yes, many of them involve going to a bookstore):

1. Read a blogging book.
   As bloggers, it’s always a good idea to sharpen your basic blogging skills, many of which are highlighted in books about blogging. Make notes of changes you want to make to your blog, web sites you want to visit, and ideas to try once the Internet is back up and running.
2. Read a niche book or magazine.
   Keep your skills and knowledge sharp and stay on top of the trends in your field. Again, make notes of posts to write when you get the Internet to make.
3. Browse magazine covers for headline ideas.
   This is a classic tip from Copyblogger: create a list of headline templates based upon real-life headlines and implement them in your future posts.
4. Have a drink with a real-life blogger.
   Surely not all your blogger friends are online; surely you know one or two blogger friends in real life. Call them up, have a drink, and trade secrets and stories. Even if your blogs are in totally different niches, you can still learn something from one another.
5. Practice your quick-writing skills.
   Find a book with writing prompts, whip out your journal or laptop, and start writing. Give yourself five minutes to initially get your ideas on the page, and give yourself another five minutes to revise. Who knows, you might even write some unexpected blog posts!
6. Brainstorm ideas.
   With all the information you’re taking in, ideas are sure to abound. Don’t let them get away! Write them down in your idea journal and save them for later.
7. Spend time with your loved ones.
   What a perfect opportunity to unglue yourself from your laptop and your office, soak up some sunshine, and reconnect with your friends and family. And don’t spend all your time talking about blogging to your non-blogging acquaintances. They don’t care that the Interent is broken; they’re just glad you’re hanging out with them.
8. Work on one of your other hobbies.
   Yes, blogging is a hobby for many of us, but it’s important to pursue offline hobbies that require real-life interactions, too. And I find that when I step away from the computer, my mind is free to wander, and blogging ideas still come to me!

I know that the chances are slim that the Internet will actually break, but if it does, now you have something to do. So tell me, do you have anything up your sleeve if the Internet goes down?