140 Great Ways to Do Nothing

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140 Great Ways to Do Nothing

Don't know how to do " nothing? " Here are 140 ideas for de-stressing, relaxing,

enjoying, appreciating and otherwise living like you mean it.

1. Make a date with nature once every week.

2. Brew a pot of sun tea and invite your neighbor over for a taste.

3. Invest in a hammock.

4. Spend an hour in the sunshine to boost your brain's " happiness " chemistry.

5. Grow an aloe vera plant to heal sunburns next summer.

6. Get conversations started at your next party by serving Popsicles as hors

d'oeuvres.

7. Let your kids pick out your next outfit.

8. Hire a kid in the neighborhood to run your errands this week.

9. Think of a change as a workout for your creativity.

10. Burn off extra " worry " adrenaline by exercising.

11. Laugh 100 times to work out your abdomen, neck, back and even your legs.

12. Rent a comedy and invite over that friend with the great laugh.

13. Next time you buy groceries, get yourself something from the toy aisle.

14. Buy a postcard and mail yourself a compliment.

15. Memorize a new joke and try it on a complete stranger.

16. Make a list of your blessings and mail it to yourself.

17. Once a week, substitute the nightly news with recordings of your favorite

comedians.

18. Give the universe time to answer all your questions.

19. On your next vacation, put down the camera and try sketching.

20. Have a family contest to see who can spot the most birds on your street.

21. Watch the sunset with your kids tonight.

22. Make a wish on the first star to come out.

23. Breathe deeply to reduce stress.

24. Take a deep breath and hold it until you think of five people who make you

laugh.

25. Take a hike and shoot a whole roll of film on nothing but bugs.

26. Treat your best friend to a gourmet picnic.

27. Spend an afternoon kite racing.

28. Send yourself flowers, with a card.

29. Pick a mantra just for vacations.

30. Using Crayons, draw a picture of your pet.

31. Do nothing for an hour to replenish your brain chemistry.

32. Watch reruns of I Love Lucy for an hour to replenish your brain chemistry.

33. Mail a present to someone you love.

34. Cleanse your digestive system by eating a mango, which is loaded with

antioxidants.

35. Make and drink a mango smoothie.

36. Sing your favorite Broadway musical hit out loud.

37. Add a dance routine.

38. Get your feet wet.

39. Make time each week to infuse your body with a wild setting.

40. Count your down time as real time.

41. Make a list of your top ten priorities; cut it down to five.

42. Play jacks.

43. See if you can skip for a block without giggling.

44. Go barefoot.

45. Help to prevent heart attacks, depression, arthritis and ulcers with a

spoonful of fish oil.

46. Take a 15-minute catnap to recharge yourself for three hours.

47. Make a date with your inner artist.

48. Spend some of your home improvement budget on original art.

49. Frame your favorite travel photos.

50. Ask your houseplants how they feel today.

51. Build a bird feeder.

52. Blow a whole roll of film on flowers.

53. Have an ice cream cone today.

54. Throw a Frisbee.

55. Take a tango lesson with your sweetheart.

56. Make a CD of the songs you sang along with in high school, and play it in

traffic.

57. Practice yoga by lying very still to calm the mind.

58. Pay extra for home delivery.

59. Ask a kid if you can play, too.

60. Keep Crayons at work.

61. Learn which part of your body tells you when you reach your stress limit.

62. Two more months before you have to, rake leaves again.

63. Book yourself some hammock time.

64. Make a date with your feet to take your toes for a wiggle in the sand.

65. Make optimism your mind's default setting.

66. Spend the day complimenting each person you meet.

67. Talk yourself into living in the moment.

68. " Present time " is the only place the universe can ship your presents.

69. Spend ten minutes eating a pear.

70. Make a Coral Rita: 1 part lime juice, six parts good tequila, 2 parts

cointreau; blend with ice.

71. Let a friend take you for a walk blindfolded.

72. Learn the art of arranging flowers.

73. Keep a foot massage kit near the couch.

74. Make a CD of silly songs and play it on your way to work.

75. Make a Shark Bite: 1 part dark rum, 2 parts orange juice, a splash of sour

mix; blend with ice.

76. Start a sketchbook. If you can't draw, use crayons.

77. Throw a party to invent a new cocktail. Name it after yourself.

78. Spend the day in your cutest pajamas.

79. Eat your dinner out of order.

80. Read a poem out loud to a friend.

81. Hire a musician to serenade your sweetie at work.

82. Have a happy " childhood " by eating an ice cream sundae.

83. Don't skimp on the whipped cream.

84. Learn to throw a boomerang.

85. Make sure you have your own superhero costume.

86. Buy and wear a dramatic hat.

87. Replace should with could for a week.

88. Treat yourself to lunch with that friend who always compliments you.

89. Learn to play your favorite song on the guitar.

90. Make a fruit salad entirely out of fruit you've never had before.

91. Boost your immune system by laughing a lot.

92. Have a bad joke tournament with your friends.

93. Make a list of things you've accomplished that you never thought you could

do.

94. Have a sunset picnic.

95. Imagine the universe as a waiter ready to take your order. Make sure to

order dessert.

96. Strand yourself on a desert island by unplugging your phone for an hour.

97. Hold a garage sale as an excuse to meet your neighbors.

98. Spend the profits on a Slip 'N Slide. (Yes, you can still get them and

they're only about $14.)

99. Play Frisbee.

100. Design a bouquet out of wildflowers.

101. Have a family art show.

102. Dance the Calypso.

103. Let the kids plan your next adventure day.

104. Try juggling, starting with rolled-up socks.

105. Throw a sunset dinner party in a park.

106. Give your kids disposable cameras and have them shoot a day in their life.

107. See who in your family can invent the most ridiculous laugh.

108. E-mail a list of compliments to your sweetheart.

109. Spend five minutes today sitting perfectly still - it's harder than it

sounds.

110. Make mud pies.

111. Make your own field guide to the wildlife in your city.

112. Invent the perfect salad.

113. Write a poem.

114. Take a nap with your dog - on the floor.

115. Make time in the morning to visualize your day.

116. Go skinny-dipping.

117. Put a basket of toys in the break room at work.

118. Blow a whole roll of film on the house from your dog's point of view.

119. Treat yourself to a sunrise.

120. Give the universe time to get back to you when you ask for something.

121. E-mail yourself 10 things you admire about you. Schedule it for delivery a

week from now.

122. Grow a houseplant from a seed.

123. Read the biography of your favorite person in history.

124. Throw an ice cream sundae-building party.

125. Write your " to do " list for the week in crayon.

126. Stimulate your chi by eating fish.

127. Enjoy the moments in-between.

128. Skip rocks.

129. Embrace your animal qualities.

130. Give anger an expiration date.

131. Reduce stress by throwing a water balloon.

132. Spend your loose change at a batting cage.

133. Rub warm sesame oil on your feet before bedtime to cure insomnia.

134. Describe your favorite shining moment to someone in the third person.

135. Ask your inner child to write out a " to do " list for the week.

136. Stage a breakfast feast that lasts till well past noon.

137. Relish the things you are still learning to master.

138. Think of your name as a verb, not a noun.

139. Fish without a hook and just meditate.

140. Schedule a mud bath.