I’ve talked about rest days previously, but sometimes I encounter a problem with this. When I am given the opportunity to sit back, relax, and do nothing, I feel overwhelmed. What do I even do with all this time, I have nothing to do, I have nothing planned!

So, I started to do something that helps me focus on my rest days. In short, I fantasize. What I mean by this, I sit back and imagine, what would I do on a perfect day? What would my perfect day look like?

I know your perfect day may be vastly different from your friend’s perfect day. You may love to wake up late, and do nothing but watch your favorite show on Netflix, pausing only to eat some food or grab your computer charger. Your friend, on the other hand, may want to wake up early, read from their favorite book for an hour, and play video games for a few hours before sitting down to work on a piece of writing.

I know what you’re thinking. You should do something like the latter option because they were more “productive”. No! This is your rest day, this is your attempt at achieving a perfect day. You can be productive or as unproductive as you like. The point of the rest day is to clear away any tasks that can be cleared away so you can spend this rest day doing whatever you want.

Now sit down, take out a piece of paper and pen, and keep reading. I’m going to take you through the steps that can help you plot your rest day, taking you one step closer to achieving a perfect rest day.

1. What time do you want to wake up?

I myself wake up around 7 am every morning, whether or not I actually get up and start my day at that time is another question. It depends on the activities I have planned, or any commitments I have. Maybe you want to sleep in until your body decides to wake up, cool. Maybe you want to get up at the crack of dawn because you get up that time during the week. Cool. Write it down.

2. Get ready for your day

Maybe on your perfect rest day you want to lay around in your sweatpants and a t-shirt all day. Cool. Maybe you want to go about your morning routine, making coffee, eating breakfast, meditating, also cool. Write it down.

3. Pick your activities

On a perfect day, what would you like to do? Do you want to get caught up on the newest season of your favorite TV show? Cool. Maybe you want to go on a leisurely run or do some yoga. Maybe you want to scroll through your favorite social media websites. Cool. Write it down.

Pick a couple of your favorite activities that bring you joy. You can move through them as a checklist, or drift freely between these activities, whatever makes you happiest.

For me, I want to read, write, and watch Netflix or YouTube videos. These are things that bring me the most joy.

4. Add in anything else you would like to do

Maybe you want to get your favorite meal from your favorite restaurant. Awesome. Any other things that may not be activities, but things you would love to do during your perfect day.

The Takeaway:

This is your day. I’m going to repeat this again. This is your day. Do not compare your rest day to your best-friend’s perfect day. You are not the same person, not by a long shot. What brings them joy may fill you with dread. That’s okay. Because this is your day.

Now go out and conquer, I believe in you!