How do you spend your day off?
Table of Contents
All through the week we wait for our day off and think to ourselves, we will do this and we will do that, but the day it arrives, we don’t even want to get up from our bed and want to spend our entire day in our bed or just laying in the couch.
Also, I see most people don’t know what to do on days off other than just scrolling the phone, watching Netflix and just sleeping in.
But today I have some great ideas for you to help you spend your off day meaningfully even when you’re alone.
I live alone, but I don’t feel lonely at all. I don’t sulk in boredom, and I love my days off.
I find myself feel more enthusiastic and in high energy on my days off and still wake up by 6 am because its the day when I get to work on me and get to devote all of my day to myself doing things I love.
Before I begin I want to tell you why spending your day off alone properly and meaningfully is so important.
Why Spend your day off wisely
All through the week you are working for someone else and are getting paid for doing somebody else’s work.
Your day off is the day you get to work for yourself and do the things that fills your heart with joy.
But there are too many easy ways to fill time and boredom now.
Get bored and there’s Instagram easily available. They made reels so people get hooked in it and stay on the platform more.
Don’t know what to do and there’s Netflix to spend time in for hours.
We have been working and working for others diligently, but when it comes to ourselves, we don’t even do the basic things for ourselves like eating healthy home cooked meal, moving our body for 10 minutes or pursue our long lost hobbies.
Spending your day off wisely is important because that is a way you can support your dreams and support yourself by recharging yourself.
I truly believe that how you spend your day off and how you spend your free time is what will ultimately define and shape our life.
A salary is a drug they give you to forget your dreams. Honour your job and be grateful for it, but don’t get trapped in it.
Dare to dream and have personal goals which you want to pursue outside of your work.
Don’t let your work become your all and don’t let it suck out all of your energy.
Keep a little for yourself. And when you spend it wisely, you will find your energy multiply.
So your days off are for you openly available to do whatever you want to do. You have all the freedom.
Make sure you use your freedom wisely and you will be truly free.
Here are some wise things to do on your day off alone
15 Wise things to do on day off alone
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1. Take care of household chores
Our home is our sanctuary. I have come to know that our home also has a huge role in shaping our feelings.
If your home is messy and unclean, it affects how you feel.
In a messy home, you will find yourself complaining more, drained in energy, unclear state of mind and will leave you not wanting to do anything for yourself.
So on my days off the first thing I do is take care of my home.
I declutter, clean, and arrange things to where they’re supposed to be, check what needs to get restocked and go out to get my grocery shopping and do my house hold chores.
It’s only when I am at peace with how my home makes me feel, I can do other meaningful things.
I truly believe this is the first thing you need to do on your day off. Leave everything and take care of your household chores and how your home makes you feel.
P.S here is a post I wrote on why I enjoy cleaning my home and not dread it.
2. Create a day called ‘Mindful Day off’
You can make your day off a day of mindfulness and call it a ‘Mindful day off’.
On this day, let it be a day you practice mindfulness more deliberately.
You don’t have to sit in meditation all day to call it a day of mindfulness, you just have to do whatever you do intentionally, slowly and mindfully bringing your mindful presence.
When you’re walking in your home, you can walk gently and mindfully.
This is more easy for you when you’re living alone, so consider living alone an opportunity helping you to practice mindfulness.
When you’re cooking, be present in all of the steps while cooking.
When washing the dishes, Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh says, we must wash the dishes as if we were giving Baby Buddha or baby Jesus a bath.
Creating this mindful day off and practicing mindfulness is a wonderful thing to do on your day off whose energy can be carried with you through your work week.
3. Stretch and exercise
If you’re someone who works on the computer all day and there’s not much movement you do everyday, make sure you stretch and exercise at least on your off day.
I love how stretching and exercise immediately makes me feel good.
I am amazed at how even after exercising and giving off my energy and sweat, I feel my energy multiplied after working out and feel so refreshed and recharged.
They truly are energy givers.
Here is a stretching exercise you are going to love. I love her gentle movements!
4. Go on a solo date
Have you ever gone out on a solo date?
Of course when living alone, we do go out and get our tasks done, but we usually never call it a date with ourselves.
On your day off, go out on a solo date.
Wear a nice outfit and take yourself out on a date.
Here are some great solo date ideas for you to try.
5. Treat yourself to a wonderful meal
On regular days as work demands time, we don’t have much time to cook wonderful meals, but on your off day put in a little effort to treat yourself to a wonderful meal.
You deserve to eat home cooked food and not just processed food all through the week.
As an Indian, I hardly eat processed and packed food at all, but on the week days my food items are less.
On my day off however, I like to go for grocery shopping early and bring home fresh veggies and meat to cook myself a wonderful meal which I can enjoy.
On some days off you can also take yourself out somewhere nice to eat. You deserve to treat yourself.
6. Take afternoon nap
Days off aren’t just for sitting in the couch or bed and scrolling through phone all day, but I am all in for taking afternoon naps.
After a good lunch, I always always take an afternoon nap and I just love that time.
Even on weekdays, I am privileged to have take nap after coming from work.
My work gets over early and I usually come home by 3, and the first thing I do after coming back from work is take a nap.
Yes, its a wise thing to do because it makes me feel refreshed for the next half of my day and have my energy regained.
7. Give time to your hobby
Making time for our hobbies is important. It is what fills our life with joy and makes our life interesting.
I say so because it is important to have something we love doing that fills our cup, and that which makes us forget to check our phones for hours.
For me it is gardening, painting and many other things.
They recharge me and keep my creative spirit high.
Even if not everyday, it is essential that you give time for your hobbies on your day off.
If you’re not convinced, or feel that you don’t have time for your hobbies, I have done an entire podcast episode on why we must make time for hobbies.
Listen to my podcast episode here:
And if you feel that you have no hobbies or don’t know what hobbies you can try, here are some great ideas
Here are 50+ hobby ideas to make life fun.
8. Learn something new
Devote an hour of your day off to learning something new.
Get curious about things you want to learn.
If there is any idea playing in your head about what you would want to do, start or learn at the back of your head, which you haven’t given much thought to right now, use your day off to learn more about it.
Research new things and learn something new. Take up courses and invest in your learning. It never goes wasted.
I started my blog this way. I didn’t just want to spend my life going and coming back from work and doing nothing else.
I learned about blogging in my free time and off days.
I started gardening this way too and now I have come to love them all and still finding new things to learn.
If you want to learn things about yourself, dive deeper into your habits and build a new connection with yourself, you can join my 21-day journaling Challenge + guide for healing, growth and transformation.
9. Listen to a podcast
On your day off, as you do your household chores or any other activity, use that time to listen to a good podcast.
Choosing what you consume for your mind is very important.
Podcasts have now become a wonderful and easy source to learn new things and keep ourselves inspired.
If you want to learn more about minimalism, then listen to minimalism podcasts.
If you want to work on your goals and habits, then listen to self improvement podcasts.
If you want to practice mindfulness, then find some mindfulness podcasts to listen to.
This is a wise and wonderful way to spend your day off.
You can follow my podcast ‘Heart Of Living’ to stay in touch with me where I talk about everything that is at the heart of living from mindfulness, simple and creative living to habits, mindset and everything.
Follow my Podcast, Heart of Living on Spotify and Heart Of Living on Apple
10. Make a vision board
Do something fun on your day off and make a vision board for yourself if you haven’t already.
A vision board helps us keep our goals and dreams in front of our eyes and is a wonderful tool to manifest our desires.
Read this post on how to make a vision board that actually manifests.
11. Declutter
Clutter always seems to pile up if we’re not actively discarding it.
On your days off, declutter your rooms and spaces and make your mind feel spacious.
Decide beforehand what space you want to declutter on your off day.
It can be your kitchen, your drawer, your bed site table, your fridge or anything.
Use your days off to declutter and then tidy your room.
12. Decorate your room
The place where you live should make you feel calm, relaxed, happy and inspired.
When you enter your room it should put you on ease and let your heart smile.
Even if you’re living alone and there is no one to tell you anything or no one who is going to get bothered with how you live, you must remember that you’re actually living for you and no one else.
It has been more than a year since I have started living alone and I put in my effort in making my home feel nice and doing some home decor.
I live in a rented 2 BHK apartment, and even though it is rented, for the time I live in it, it is still mine.
So I consider this is my first home which I can call my own, so I make sure to decorate it and create happy spaces.
Plants help me uplift the vibe of the room and I have kept many plants in my room. Find inspiration from Pinterest and Instagram and make home decor fun.
13. Find something to watch
Oh! And an easy way to spend your day off- finding something to watch.
I try to keep my days off spacious and not let it be filled in with too much work or chores.
Personally I love to watch a movie or an episode of a series (I never binge watch) after finishing everything and I make myself feel nice after a good bath, lunch and cleaning my room and then lay down to watch it.
Its relaxing and I enjoy the spaciousness and I think its a good way to spend our day off too as long as we’re not forgetting how to take care of other things too.
14. Read a book
Or you can read a book and spend your day off immersed in a novel. Decide beforehand what book you want to read, if your reading list is now empty.
Here a best novels to read of all time.
15. Practice self care
Lastly, practice self care and be active in practicing self care.
You can go for a spa, get a mani-pedi done, enjoy an elaborate bath routine, put on face masks, get your nails done, or really anything.
Give yourself time for self care and as you give time to yourself, be thankful to yourself for putting in the time for yourself.
So many people still don’t do that and put themselves last.
Choose to take care of yourself and really enjoy your time of self care.
Here is a self care sunday routine to try
And 30 day self care challenge for you.
So these were all my tips on what you can do on your day off alone
Pin for later 🙂

There are so many things you can do. Choose to do them for you.
If you phone is getting in the way, then uninstall those apps that are distracting you and choose to be with yourself this day off doing things you want to do.
It will feel good.
Here are some other small tips
Tips to spend your off day meaningfully
1. Check your to-do list
Check what needs to be done beforehand so that you can manage your time wisely.
2.Keep what you need ready
If you have anything to order so that you can do it on your day off, then order them and keep the things you need ready.
For example, if you plan to decorate your room, then get the supplies beforehand.
If you want to start planting, then get your soil, compost and pots ready.
3.Plan your day off
Lastly do a little bit of planning on how you would like to spend your day off. If you’re intentional about spending your day off wisely beforehand, only then are you more likely to do them.
You’re not lazy, you’re just not kept the intention.
keep an intention and get clear on what you want to do, and you will be able to spend your off day meaningfully.
I wish you an awesome day off!
You can write to me in the comment how would your ideal off day look like and things you are planning to do 🙂
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I haven’t had a day off in years. I finally decided to take one. I started the day by helping a friend with some cabinet painting. I then treated myself to a nice lunch and a massage. I wish I could take a day off once a week.