21 Productive and Fun Things to Do On Your Day Off

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Looking for productive or fun things to do on your day off? You’ve come to the right place! It’s always tempting to just stay in bed with a good book after days of hard work and not being able to rest properly. 

But why not try some new things to do for a change? If you want, you can spend the entire day just doing fun and relaxing things, or you can choose to be productive today. It’s your choice, and both options are equally valid. 

I came up with a list of fun and productive things to do on your day off. Choose your favorites and make your time count! 

1. Find a new inspiring TV show to watch

How many of the TV shows you watch make you feel motivated or inspire you to change your life? 

While there’s obviously nothing wrong with watching TV just for fun, it’s good to note that it can also help you become a more ambitious, confident, or hardworking person if you choose the right shows. 

Try to find a series that makes you feel stronger or motivates you to work harder. It can be Gilmore Girls, Desperate Housewives, Better Call Saul, or something else. Whatever makes you feel motivated is good. 

2. Organize your desk

Being tidy and organized will definitely make your life easier. Spend your day off organizing your desk, and maybe you can even get some fun new stationery. 

Make sure that your desk helps you be productive and focus on whatever you are working on. If it’s too cluttered or you have items on it that have nothing to do with your work, you might get distracted. 

3. Create a vision board

When was the last time you created a vision board? Vision boards are a fun and easy way to gain clarity, get motivated, and work on your dreams. 

It’s important to be honest about what you want in life and set goals for the coming months or the next year. 

You can make your vision board on paper, or do it online. I like to use Canva for this, but the important thing is that you dare to dream and aim to achieve your goals sooner rather than later. Digital and tangible vision boards are both super useful! 

4. Go for a bike ride

One way to make this day a bit more memorable is to go on a bike trip! You can bike to the park or to a nearby town, get some fresh air, and see new places. 

Perhaps you’ll find a little cafe that sells the best cinnamon rolls or you’ll see some cute dogs along the way. 

5. Start a diary

Keeping a diary is perhaps considered something mainly young girls do, but doesn’t that just mean that it’s something wonderful? 

Writing in your diary is beneficial in the sense that it helps you organize your thoughts, but the real value lies in recording your life and your feelings, so that you can access them years later. It’s amazing to read your old entries and recall thoughts and events you’d completely forgotten. 

6. Create a new productivity system for yourself

A clear productivity system will help you get things done and know what to do when you encounter a problem or feel unmotivated. The best way to build an effective system is to look for information on how to become more productive and what a good productivity routine would be like, and then figure out which tips and techniques would help in your unique situation. 

When you have a good daily routine and you complete your to-do list in time, you can guiltlessly take the rest of the day off and perhaps get a new hobby or simply relax. 

Read these posts if you want to become more productive:

16 Effective Tips on How to Start Your Day Productively

6 Steps to Finally Keep Up With Your Morning Routine

The Truth About Productivity That You Don’t Want to Hear

7. Start learning a new skill

Marketable or not, new skills are always useful. If you have been thinking about learning a new skill, why not spend your day off doing just that? 

Some skills are quick to learn, like how to fry the perfect egg sunny side up. Others, like crocheting, take a bit more time but are still relatively easy to learn. I myself love to spend an hour here and there learning new vocabulary. Find something that you enjoy doing or a skill that you would benefit from, and commit a couple of hours to that. That’s all you need to learn a new skill. 

8. Declutter your social media

Decluttering your social media is a great way to make your life a bit better. When you unfollow accounts that make you feel bad or that don’t provide useful information, you’re ensuring that your future social media sessions won’t leave you feeling annoyed or like you’re falling behind in life. 

It’s also a good idea to consider deleting some accounts that you don’t use much or that you use often to procrastinate. 

9. Start learning a small or uncommon language

I’m always recommending that you learn a new language, and why wouldn’t I? Studying a foreign language is a good use of your time and it does get fun after you learn the basics. 

One pain-free way to go about this is to choose a smaller language, like Irish or Swedish. It’ll be an interesting addition to your resume, and you don’t have to worry too much about not being good enough because in any case you’ll know more than most people. It can be fun to learn at least the basics of language even if you know you’ll never really need it for anything. 

10. Read a book about productivity or self-improvement

It’s always exciting to start a new book and what better book to read than one that helps you make your life better? 

If you are interested in personal growth or productivity, there are plenty of books that can help you. Here are some worth checking out: 

Atomic Habits

No Excuses

The Power of Discipline

Hello Fears

11. Do volunteer work

There’s much more volunteer work available than you’d expect. Especially if you live in a big city, there are bound to be plenty of opportunities. You can look for places where you can volunteer for just a couple of hours without having to commit to helping weekly if you just want to try it out and see what it’s like. 

You can look for afternoon homework clubs, animal shelters, language cafes, or perhaps something environmental. In any case, I’m sure you’ll have a great time volunteering! 

12. Learn a new recipe

It never hurts to become a better cook. You don’t need a cooking class to learn more, you can simply try a couple of new recipes on your day off, and just like that, you might already have found your new favorite dish! 

Try something new for lunch and maybe a dessert. Or go all out on a grand dinner! 

13. Go to a museum

When’s the last time you’ve been to a museum? Going to a local museum or an art gallery is an easy way to get out of the house and have a good time. And if you happen to be an artist of any kind, you can get new ideas. 

Why not find a museum you haven’t been to yet and make a day of it. You could even make it a new hobby to go to museums and exhibitions! 

14. Come up with ways to save time in your daily life

This might just be the most beneficial thing to do on a day off. We tend to be stuck in our ways and waste our precious time without even noticing it ourselves. Perhaps you always check your phone when you wake up, losing 20 minutes to TikTok videos you don’t even find all that funny. Or maybe you have a habit of doing too many things at the same time, inadvertently wasting a lot of your time because you don’t let yourself focus on anything. 

I always recommend tracking your time at least occasionally, so that you get a good idea of how much time you spend on everything. You might think that grocery shopping only takes 20 minutes or that you only spend 10 minutes a day on Instagram, when the real numbers are 50 and 100.

Take some time today to come up with ways to save time. Maybe you could eat your breakfast faster, meal prep on Sundays, delete a couple of apps on your phone, or watch less TV. You could free up hours of your time per week, which you can put to better use. 

15. Start a side hustle

Are you in a less-than-ideal financial situation? If you need some extra money, why not start a new side hustle? Starting a new project is always fun (at least if you ask me), and while you might not be making thousands of dollars right away, in the long run you might be able to increase your income significantly. 

Here are some side hustle ideas you might want to check out. 

16. Have a self-care day

It never hurts to have a little self-care day with an everything shower, face mask, or foot bath. Stress relief is important after a long week at work, and pampering yourself is a wonderful way to recharge your batteries. 

Sometimes what really works for me is lying on the floor, eyes closed, listening to some peaceful music. Don’t hesitate to take some time for yourself – you definitely deserve it. 

Related article: 16 Self-Care Weekend Ideas for Busy Women

17. Walk 10k

I feel like I’m hearing about 10k challenges every week, but they do work! Challenging yourself to take 10k steps a day for 10 days is a common way to gain clarity with your dreams and goals, teach yourself to stick to your targets, and get healthier. Many people say it helps with their manifestations. 

Go get those steps today and think about what you want to do with your life and what you should change to get where you want to be. It’s good to be a little harsh with yourself sometimes, it’ll help you change your habits. 

18. Go read a book in a park

This is pretty much my favorite thing to do in the world. Go to a nearby park and spend some quality time by yourself, immersing yourself in a great book, and perhaps enjoying some snacks on the side. 

It’s the perfect way to spend a relaxing day. And you can always do some people-watching or go for a little walk as well. 

19. Find new podcasts to listen to

If you’re a fan of podcasts, you might want to look for some new ones to listen to. If you normally listen to chatty and lighthearted podcasts, maybe try something more educational? 

There are many topics you could effortlessly learn a lot about simply by tuning in to a quality podcast once a week. Perhaps you’d like to learn about history, investing, politics, or something else. 

Related article: The 5 Best Motivational Podcasts for Women

20. Create a Pinterest account

If you don’t have a Pinterest account yet, it’s time to create one! Pinterest is a goldmine for tips and inspiration, and you can even create vision boards by saving some inspiring pictures to your own boards. 

This activity doesn’t necessarily take much time, but it’s both fun and can help you in building your future. 

Make sure to follow me on Pinterest! 

21. Take geography quizzes online

This might sound a bit weird, but I think it’s both productive and fun. I love taking geography quizzes on Sporcle, and it has honestly taught me so much. I still can’t quite remember all the countries in the world, but the day will come. 

If you ever feel like playing a game, but you’d also like to spend your time wisely, this is what you should do. 

Take the most out of your day off! 

It can be hard to choose what to do with your free time, but I hope these ideas for things to do on your day off help you get more out of this day and have some fun as well. 

What are your favorite things to do in your free time? Do you usually just chill on the couch or do you perhaps go out a lot? I’d love to read your comments! 

Whatever you decide to do today, I hope you’ll have a wonderful time and that you’ll feel refreshed when you get back to work!