After a stressful work week I sometimes fall into the trap of trying to maximize how I use my days off. This makes me restless. I sometimes need to remind myself that the weekend is not about squeezing as many productively used hours into the day, but rather about just living, relaxing, and embracing a little bit of boredom and randomness in your life.

Here is a list of activities that I think make a weekend great:

• walking in nature, e.g. hiking on a local trail or going to the nearest park or forest
• exploring a new neighborhood in your city without a particular goal in mind
• cooking a meal for your partner or friends
• completing a household chore at the beginning of your day
• meeting a friend for a coffee/museum walk
• small talk with someone in your local community, e.g. one of your neighbors
• messaging or calling a friend who moved far away
• taking time for an activity (running, cycling, swimming, gym, local club meetup)
• playing a board game
• learning a new board game (e.g. Hive, Robinson Crusoe, Wingspan)
• watching a documentary with full attention
• fixing something broken at home, e.g. your bicycle
• reading a fiction or history book
• reading the weekly edition of a newspaper (try a section of the paper you would normally skip)
• reading or deleting interesting blog posts that you have saved on your phone for later
• listening to a music genre that you would have normally not listen to
• following a yoga / stretching / meditation routine on youtube
• learning and taking notes about a topic that is not relevant for your work or career
• practicing a different language
• talking to your parents
• volunteering at a local event