Smarter Living: What to do with a day off

Step 1: Actually take the day off

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story February 17, 2020

Rose Wong

By Tim Herrera

If you’re fortunate enough to have today off from work, the most important thing on your to-do list is to actually take the day off. Studies have shown that people send only 40 percent less email on holiday Mondays compared with regular Mondays. (Thank you, smartphones and tablets.) Not only that, but taking time to let your brain rest and recover “literally makes us more creative, better at problem-solving, better at coming up with creative ideas.”

So, great, we’re all out of work mode and ready to enjoy the day. But what to do? Here are a few suggestions on how best to spend your day off.

Embrace laziness

Yes, yes, you’re busy, I’m busy, we’re busy-ing ourselves to exhaustion. But if you have today off, take a conscious stand against all this busyness. Being busy — if we even are busy — is rarely the status indicator we’ve come to believe it is. Nonetheless, the impact is real, and instances of burnout, anxiety disorders and stress-related diseases are on the rise. Read more »

Evaluate your career

When was the last time you were completely honest with yourself about your career and whether you’re doing what you want to be doing? If you’re like most people, probably not recently. A full-time worker will spend roughly 80,000 hours at work over the course of her working life, so if you’re in the wrong career that could mean tens of thousands of hours spent devoted to something you don’t even really care about, much less feel is your passion. Read more »

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Have a family meal

It can be tough to get the whole family together for a meal. Work, school, sports practices and other obligations all seem to get in the way. But studies show that families who dine at home together are happier and healthier. Read more »

Fix your finances

Last week’s series on personal finance is a great starting place if you’ve been meaning to get your money life in order. Wherever you fall on the spectrum of financial literacy, we have something for you:

3 Simple Things You Can Do Today to Improve Your Finances The Young Person’s Guide to Investing The Best Way to Use a Credit Card? Treat It Like Cash. 3 Ways to Retrain Your Mind to Get Out of Credit Card Debt Dear Mom and Dad: Are Your Finances Ready for Retirement?

Do that one thing you’ve been putting off

Yeah, yeah, you’ll get to it sometime — it’s the little fib we all tell ourselves to get out of doing the things on our to-do list that are hanging over our heads. But today is a great day just to get it done! Send that email, finish up that task at home, send that holiday thank-you note you still haven’t gotten around to. Whatever it is, just do it. You’ll feel so much better, I promise. Read more »

Do absolutely nothing

Not much more to say here! Give yourself permission to plant in front of the TV today, recharge your batteries and get a good night’s sleep. It might even make you more productive at work this week. Read more »

Tweet me @timherrera and let me know what you get up to, and have a great week!

— Tim

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