What To Do When You Have an Extra Day Off

What to do for fun when you have a day off?

Whether you have an extra day off because it’s an official holiday like Martin Luther King Jr. Day (this year it falls on Monday, January 15) or you claim some form of paid time off, there’s no reason to be bored — unless you want to be. But if you don’t like having nothing to do, read on for some suggestions on how to enjoy yourself on a day off.

Do you have a day off? Cool!Watch Movies

You don’t have to set foot outside to watch good movies  — since the options for renting or watching on continue to proliferate.

There’s also good-old cable television and the binge-watching craze, in which people watch entire seasons of series via online video streaming services.

Volunteer

If you haven’t tried volunteering to help the needy, it can change your life. Going to a soup kitchen will make you appreciate what you have and get into the spirit of gratitude. If you’re already involved with a nonprofit organization, look into whether the group has anything planned on the holiday.

Play Games

If other members of your family are home for the day, playing cards or board games can provide a fun bonding experience and even laughter, depending on your game of choice; even multiplayer videogames can foaster that sense of community when your opponents are loved ones.

Update Your Resume

If you’ve been at your current job for at least a year and are beginning to feel stir crazy, there’s nothing like a day off to update your resume and online career profiles — on LinkedIn and other jobs websites — to be ready for recruiters.

Collect or Scrapbook

A day off gives you the chance to organize any collections you might already have or get started on one. If you don’t collect anything yet, it’s never too late to start a collection — and it doesn’t even have to cost you money. It could be as simple as collecting images to post on Pinterest, pasting things in an offline scrapbook, or amassing physical memorabilia or antiques you find on Etsy or eBay. Let what you’re already interested in serve as the gravitational pull toward starting a collection.

Reconnect with Friends

Social media, and Facebook in particular, makes it easier than ever to reconnect with people from the past — you can see who else is online when you are and chat in real time. From there you might even schedule a time to engage with them in any of the other activities mentioned in this article.

Have Fun on Your Day Off

Hopefully the ideas mentioned above give you some inspiration for your next day off of work — but by all means, please let us know if we missed a good idea. Readers, what do you plan to do on your next day off?