New Jersey snow shoveling hack makes winter 2026 a little less brutal

Like you, I’ve been shoveling driveways manually for a long time.

The blizzards of ’78, ’83, ’96, 2010… and now 2026 are the first to come to mind.

Over the years, I’ve tried every strategy and technique you can imagine. Longways up and down the driveway. Side to side. All with a shovel. For a few years, my grandfather had a snow blower, and that was literally a blast to use.

But I’ve never bought one. I figure the minute I do, it’ll never snow again. Plus, it would take up valuable real estate in my shed during the 50 weeks of the year it doesn’t snow. And as we’ve learned recently, we can go a decade without a serious snowfall in New Jersey.

So I keep toiling away with my trusty manual shovel. I prefer the scoop-style “snow pusher” over the flat blade. It’s more efficient when you can push, lift, and throw in one motion.

A simple snow shoveling hack for New Jersey driveways

I saw this hack on social media and tried it today. I think it might be the best strategy yet—so I’m sharing it with you.

SEE ALSO: NJ Blizzard of ’26: Top streaming shows to binge now

Step 1: Start with a snow-covered driveway.

Step 2: Shovel a straight line down the middle of the driveway.

The center-line method: how to shovel heavy, wet snow faster

Step 3: From that center line, work diagonally toward the edges, tossing the snow off to the sides.

Step 4: Admire your progress.

Step 5: Before you know it, you’re done… and the warm weather has arrived and you are ready for a bike ride!

Okay, step 5 might be a slight exaggeration.

But honestly, doing it this way—especially with heavy, wet snow—makes the job easier and cuts down on the exertion.

Winter storm survival tips: avoid injury and pace yourself

This was my second pass at the driveway.  I got a shoveling session in last night so the driveway snow would not be as deep and heavy.  That's an important step.

Don’t push or lift too hard. Take plenty of breaks.

But DO PUSH HARD for spring. It’s less than a month away!

Happy shoveling!