15 Meaningful Things to Do on Your Day off From Work
15 things to do on a day you don't have to work.
Don't Just Fall on the Couch!
Most people get two days off in a row, usually on the weekend. Some work wonky schedules that only allow for one day off before they have to go back to work. Many people who work from home never take a day off at all! When you are your own boss, it can be hard to take a day away from the computer and not check in on stats, earnings, emails, and other day-to-day things.
This article is going to assume that you only get one day off per week: one WHOLE day to do whatever you want without thinking about work.
How Do You Spend That Precious Day Off?
Do you lay on the couch and watch Here Comes Honey Boo Boo? If you do, then you are missing out on moments that could be better spent.
If you don't get your eyes open and participate in your life, then you just may miss it. Spending your free time watching other people's lives on TV instead of living your own is costing you minutes, hours, and possibly even years of self-growth, laughter, and companionship with loved ones.
Stop to think about that. Do you want to look back and think, "Awesome, I caught all of TLC's new shows in my life," or "I really enjoyed myself and the people around me as much as I could"?
Which one sounds more fulfilling?
Get out of town on your day off from work.
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What to Do on a Day Off: 15 Ideas
Here are 15 great ideas for ways to pass your precious, work-free hours.
1. Get Out of Town!
Vacations are great for re-energizing your life and reconnecting you to the people and things around you. However, with one day off, you are not going to be able to head out to Maui, so get out of town and take a mini-vacation! It can offer you all the experiences of new sights, smells, and activities, but have you home within a day.
2. Spend Time with Friends
You chose your friends for a reason, likely because they share a lot in common with you or make you feel good. They are the people you can share memories with, laugh with and confide in, and it is important to take some time out to spend time with them.
3. Spend Time with Family
Family is there through thick and thin. They are people who have known you for your whole life. While they don't always offer support, they are a connection that needs nurturing once in a while. Phone your mom, visit your sister, have tea with your Aunt...make a few hours for the people who have known you longest.
Why not improve yourself a little on your day off?
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4. Attend a Class That You Want to Attend
Chances are you work a job that only utilizes a certain part of your brain. You may do the same things over and over again and, therefore, don't get to learn a whole lot of new skills. Taking a class, whether it be cooking, quilting, or optimizing your life through Lifebook can help your brain work areas that are normally unused. Plus, you will gain some extra knowledge that will benefit your life both in conversation and in awareness.
5. Read Personal Growth Books
Some of the most successful people in business and life have read more books than they can count. Books that offer you new information, a new perspective, or an answer to your problem can be a great investment on a day off. Let's face it, reading can be hard to do in the evening or during a busy day. A quiet day with a cup of tea and a comfy chair can offer the down time needed to read a book all the way through and add some new beliefs into your life. Plus, a book that teaches you how to calm your mind, for example, will benefit you when you go back to work and have to face stress again.
6. Head Out to the Library
The library offers free books, magazines, videos, and the Internet. When I was a kid, the library offered me a place to stimulate my wild imagination. Now, it is a place where I can continue to learn and grow. Supporting your local library not only gives you free books but also offers people without a huge amount of resources the chance to find the information they need for personal growth.
7. Volunteer
I know, you are probably thinking "I don't want to go somewhere to work on my day off!" But volunteering is not like work. It gives you a sense of satisfaction before, during, and after your shift that you can't get anywhere else. You are donating your time to help the world in some way, and that feeling is priceless and worth the few hours you put forward.
8. Do Some Random Acts of Kindness!
Maybe you don't want to spend your day in a building volunteering, but you still want to get the feeling that helping others can give you. Get out into the world and do some random acts of kindness. You can pick up garbage on your street or let someone in front of you in line. The sky is the limit! Just remember, kindness does not expect anything in return.
9. Feng Shui Your House!
If you don't practice Feng Shui, then you may want to look into it. Taking the time to set your house up according to the rules of Feng Shui can help you feel more balanced on your days at work and more comfortable at home.
Feng Shui takes the energy that is in your house and utilizes it in the best way possible.
10. Get Rid of Unwanted or Unused Objects
Don't be a hoarder! You don't want to be that person. Taking the time to go through your belongings and clearing out the things that you don't use or want anymore can help you to feel more balanced. A cluttered house can lead to a cluttered mind. Don't believe me? Try clearing out the clutter and you will see!
11. Get Blogging
You don't have to blog for money. Blogging allows you to talk to people and send a message that you could not send otherwise. It allows you to share your knowledge and insights with people who may benefit from hearing them. Or you can just share your favorite recipes! The Internet has allowed the world to connect. Participating in that is a great feeling.
Spend the Day in Bed
12. Spend The Day in Bed With Your Partner
Sometimes, spending the day in bed can help you rebuild that much-needed bond with your partner. You don't have to be intimate like that for the whole day, but you can be intimate in other ways by talking, cuddling, laughing, and sharing. Of course, a little bit of that can help the bond reconnect as well! Want to make it even more interesting? Try reading something like Fifty Shades of Grey together. If you can look past the way-too-innocent behavior of Ana in the book, you will find that the book heats up your desire to get it on.
Take some time for yourself to rejuvenate on your day off.
13. Schedule Some ME Time
Massages, manicure, pedicures, haircuts - these are all things that make you feel good about yourself and, yes...spoiled. Buy some new clothes. Buy yourself some perfume or cologne. Buy yourself anything! Make the day, or at least a few hours, about you and your desires. It's not selfish to do so. I personally think it's a gift to your soul and happiness to think about yourself, as long as you don't lose sight of other people.
14. Get to Know Your City
Whether you take a leisurely walk through a neighborhood or visit attractions, get to know the small piece of land that you come from and call home. Treat it as if you were a tourist and really explore what your surroundings have to offer you. You will feel more connected to your home if you do. Want to save some money while doing it? Check out Groupon and see if they have some coupons for something that interests you.
15. Work on Your Future
Goals and dreams are not unrealistic fantasies, they are things you should be reaching for every day as they are a version of your life that you want and desire and will make you happy. Instead of taking the day to think about your current work situation, try working on a plan to get you into your ultimate situation (unless you already are of course!) Take the time to build a plan and start taking action on that plan. For instance, if you want to be a nurse, and you are currently a nurse's aid, then figure out the steps you need to take to reach your goal!
Now You Should Have Lots of Things to Do on Your Day Off
Remember, if you are like me, and you work at home, then you have to make yourself take a day off. It's called work-life balance, and you will be much more efficient at whatever you are doing if you allow yourself a day away from your job. You need time to tap back into your true self, likes, and dreams. Have fun!
How Do YOU Spend Your Day Off?
Tim on August 22, 2018:
usually working somewhere else
Kari (author) on June 28, 2017:
@Linda - So are you around horses in your waking life? This may be a past life dream because it's something that we don't tend to do nowadays, depending on where you live, I suppose.
Also, whether it was a past life dream or not, maybe your soul is missing that relaxing ride enjoying nature and talking with a good friend and being present with God.
Linda Aloyo on June 26, 2017:
I ride or drive my horse if the weather is pleasant. If I drive my horse Ms Daisy in a two wheel cart I take my friend and we just enjoy a pleasant drive around the neighborhood looking at neighbor's landscaping or flowers. It is soooooooo relaxing. If I ride, I enjoy riding through the woods enjoying God's landscaping and wildflowers.
Kristen Howe from Northeast Ohio on February 26, 2015:
Great hub, Kari. If I had a job, I would keep this on mind. Since I've been unemployed for years, I want to be a full-time writer and take the weekends off from writing/editing, etc., except for here on Hub Pages. Voted up!
Reena Dhiman on October 16, 2014:
frankly speaking, I like to spend my time on couch, watching television with my family on my side.
blah on October 16, 2013:
DAY OFF! yesssssss
Kari (author) on May 29, 2013:
Productive is a really good word! I find that the older I get, the less I enjoy non-productive days. I used to love sitting around doing nothing all day but now it just feels like a waste of a day most times.
Elizabeth Parker from Las Vegas, NV on May 29, 2013:
Great hub- I think you hit the nail on the head when you mentioned getting your mind off of work. Sometimes that is the hardest thing to do! Your suggestions are good ones- makes you feel as if you had a productive day and sort of "recharges the batteries" to go back to work.
Kari (author) on May 23, 2013:
That's funny iguide...just the other day my husband and I went to a really cool drive-in restaurant that seems to be the focus point of our small town on weekends, but we have never gone to before in the five year that we have lived here. There is just too much to do!
iguidenetwork from Austin, TX on May 23, 2013:
How ironic that the town I've been living for years has something new for me to discover. Last weekend I went to a lakeside park for the first time with my family, it was beautiful and we had a great time. It was just a ride away from my home but I didn't bother to go yet until that time.
I will go to other interesting spots that my hometown can offer, more than the places that I usually go to. I'm glad that going around the city is included in your list. Thanks for posting. :)
Kevin Peter from Global Citizen on May 20, 2013:
Great ideas! I usually spend time sleeping or watching television onsuch days. But after reading your hub I cane to know that those days could be used in a better manner that will help a lot in future.
Edmund Custers on May 16, 2013:
Very useful information. No more lazy days! Thanks for sharing.
Kari (author) on May 15, 2013:
I agree Tonya, I was the same when I was younger. In fact, it was my quest to waste my days!
Tonya on May 15, 2013:
I've been kind of sad about the way I've been spending my days off from work. When I was younger it was okay, but now it is such a waste of time to fill my moments with useless crap. I like all of these suggestions and plan to use them wisely!
Kari (author) on November 01, 2012:
Thanks for commenting care! I feel like saying that time should be used wisely; it is so precious.
caretakerray on November 01, 2012:
Great advice! so many of us waste our day off and simple feel more tired and worn out. thanx for some great tips
Kari (author) on October 12, 2012:
Lol Norns - I'm guilty too.
Chace from Charlotte, NC on October 12, 2012:
Great hub! Voted up. I'm guilty of wishing I was off and then, when that day comes, I'm a couch blob. Will be using this for guidelines! :)
Kari (author) on October 11, 2012:
Thanks for sharing jp. I can see from your weekend Dad hub that you mean business! That's awesome, and it is so important that you do that. Just as it's good for you, I'm sure your daughter appreciates it :)
JP Carlos from Quezon CIty, Phlippines on October 11, 2012:
I like number 3. time with my family is a priority. But work can get in the way. So weekends are spent with them. When I still have some spare time I go for number 13. some me time. Just a few minutes of peace and quiet goes a long way.
Thanks for the list. I'll surely do some this weekend.
Voted Up and shared.
