How to have a perfect holiday at home
I’d love to be jet-setting around the world every time I had a week or two off work, but my budget won’t allow for that. When I stay at home I try to follow this formula:
- 1/3 time spent doing useful chores. This is so you don’t get a guilt complex about the other two thirds, and actually get stuff done that’s not easily managed on weekends or after work. This holiday my husband and I decluttered the cupboard in the spare room, replanted our garden in natives, and ordered the kitchen gear for our renovation coming up in a few months.
- 1/3 time spent doing fun stuff. This is so you don’t waste all your time being productive, and can tell your workmates something interesting when you get back to your job. Without it you won’t feel like you had a proper holiday. This time I went to a few parties, hung out with friends, saw a couple of movies at the cinema, went to an art exhibit, and ate out at some new restaurants - generally socialising and catching up on pop culture. Not everyone’s cup of tea, but you get my drift. Substitute bungy jumping or pub crawls or a night at the opera as you like.
- 1/3 time spent sitting on your arse. This is so you actually relax instead of spending as much time rushing around as you do when you’re working. Otherwise you get back to work and feel like you need another holiday - or even worse, you feel relieved to be back at work after the stress of your break. These holidays I spent my couch time knitting and reading random crap on the internet while my husband played video games. We also watched a few DVDs of stuff we’d seen before and liked. Siestas and nana-naps are also highly recommended. As Peter said in Office Space, “I did nothing, and it was everything I dreamed it would be.”
I like to split this up so that the morning is spent doing useful things, the afternoon is relaxation time, and the evening is spent out and about. But sometimes your evening out produces a hangover that requires a full day of relaxation, or your fun stuff is an all-day event. However you split it up, try not to spend more than 4 hours doing anything useful.
