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by gigaflop 1381 days ago
For the first week, be lazy, and lounge around while keeping up with your normal routines. Try to let yourself get bored. Start reading a book you've wanted to try getting into.

For the second and third weeks, you should have gotten your fill of sitting around. Try finding at least 6 places around you to stop in at, even if it's just for a coffee or lunch. Maybe use this as a way to socialize and stay 'present', if you have anyone you could invite along. Or see a few movies in theater, partake in a guilt-free bar night, etc.

For the final week, you get to reset your sleep schedule, and start shifting back over into more 'normal' habits. Maybe take a day or two to poke at some code to start jogging the brain again, or something that makes you problem-solve in some way. For me, that's often videogames, but it can be anything. If you have a garage, you have space for a physical project, if that's more your thing.

3 comments

> Try finding at least 6 places around you to stop in at, even if it's just for a coffee or lunch.

In my last 2 weeks off where I didn't travel I made the plan to visit a different place for breakfast/brunch each day. It was great! It found more nice places in the city I'm living in that I haven't visited before, and provided each day some structure which prevented my from just doing nothing.

Yes! For me, having some sort of structure is key, otherwise I can easily fall into my comfortable defaults of barely leaving my apartment, despite living in walking distance to my downtown area.

Nothing wrong with being lazy once in a while, but I just don't want to fall victim to "Covid Time Machine" if I can help it.

This is perfect. This would be an amazing thing to do yearly. This is how you reduce stress, and rebuild your mental fortitude, and habits.
This sounds like what would happen if OP followed no advice, nothing wrong with that though and airing out your brain.
Nothing wrong with living like a Hobbit, if that's one's jam. Hobbits do a lot of things right.