What to Do With a Day Off

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/19/smarter-living/presidents-day-what-to-do-with-a-day-off.html

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Happy Presidents’ Day! If you’re fortunate enough to have the day off from work, the most important thing on your to-do list today is to actually take the day off. Studies have shown that “people only send 40 percent less email” on holiday Mondays compared with regular Mondays. (Thank you, smartphones and tablets.)

So, great, we’re all out of work mode and ready to enjoy the day. But what to do? Here a few suggestions on how best to spend your day off.

Tackle your financial to-do list

Take some time today and check your credit score, try to reduce your monthly bills or really dig in and strategize on your retirement plans. This might sound like homework, but sometimes a little extra free time is just the kick we need to start getting our finances in order. Read more »

Give your fridge the deep clean it deserves

Start by taking out everything — yes, everything. You will be tempted to leave some things behind in the name of saving time (“I can just clean around that box of baking soda”). Resist this temptation! Removing everything all at once will be far less time-consuming than trying to clean around anything. Read more »

Make the best pizza

If cooking is your way to spend a day of leisure, you can’t go wrong with our best recipe for pizza dough, which has more than 2,500 five-star ratings. If pizza isn’t doing it for you today, here are our 10 most popular recipes right now. (These chocolate cookies with white chocolate and cherries look incredible.) Read more »

Back up your photos

Yeah, yeah, you’ll get to it sometime — it’s the little fib we all tell ourselves to get out of doing the often tedious work of backing up our digital data. But don’t keep putting it off! Here’s a sad tale: Three years ago my computer stopped working one night and it hasn’t turned on since. The photos stuck in limbo on that hard drive, if they’re even salvageable, will cost me an estimated $800 to retrieve. Don’t make my mistake, and go back up your photos. (And while you’re at it, re-evaluate your storage practices in general.) Read more »

Get introspective about your career

We’re still sort of in the glow of the new year, which for a lot of us is a convenient excuse to think about our career goals and if we’re on the right path to achieving them. At the very least: Start thinking about how you’ll ask for a raise this year. Read more »

Do absolutely nothing

This is my plan, and there’s not much more to say here. Give yourself permission to plant in front of the TV today, recharge your batteries and get a good night’s sleep. It might even make you more productive at work this week. Read more »

Let me know on Twitter what you get up to today, and have a great week!

— Tim

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We’re over the halfway point of this month’s New Year’s resolutions project, so let’s check in. How are you coming along? Did you pick a new goal, or double down on the one you made on Jan. 1? Email your updates to tim@nytimes.com with the subject line “2018 resolutions,” and tell me what you’ve found helpful in staying strong, or what has been getting in your way.

I’ll start: I stuck with the goal I made Jan. 1, which is to run the Brooklyn Half-Marathon in 90 minutes or less. I’ve been doing well with my sub-goals — 1. Run three days per week, and 2. Cross-train at least one day per week — and I’m making some strong progress. I have a long way to go, but I’m feeling confident.

If you’re still struggling to stay motivated, or you’ve fallen short this month, brush it off and keep going. Remember to go easy on yourself, and keep the big picture in mind. Any amount of progress is better than none.