What do you do with your days when you don’t work or if your not in work?

[Tropicaliyes]

So I’m curious how everyone spends their days?

especially when you don’t have a job or when you have time off for whatever reason what does your day look like?

I am looking for things to do, I’m a homebody due to long term health issues however as imagined it’s incredibly tedious waking up to do the same thing day in day out.

I live in London and find there isn’t anything to do. I’m not someone that goes shopping for clothes or other stuff and even so that’s not a daily activity.

I have a dog and so have looked far and wide for things to do with him and in the summer found canoeing and my partner and I took our dog and we all enjoyed that, however it was expensive and now it’s cold I’m less likely to put up with being cold and wet (and pregnant).

I also somehow ended up with feet issues at the beginning of last year when I decided to take our dog on daily 2 hr walks in the wrong foot ware now causing long term foot pain even with the thickest insoles I can find (which gives me about half an hour of walking before the pain kicks in). So those walks don’t happen now and even at the time the same route over and over was starting to get to me as not many walking routes are okay where I am because of main roads, motorways or many dead ends (most people take their dogs to the local park and just keep walking in circles!)

Id love to find something to do when I am going out as I hate leaving home without a purpose, at the same time when I am at home I’m feeling cooped up, trapped, irritated with the endless cycle but at the same time I’m loosing motivation to keep trying to conjure up things to do.

what do you do?

Surely you can find things to do in London ? !! Galleries, Museums, Parks ... so much to look at .... loads of walks .. can't remember the details but there is a suggested walk around London that you do in stages.
Volunteering? I work part time and on my days off (no DC at home) I volunteer, walking, reading plus just relaxing. Coffee out with friends (doesn't have to be expensive).
My DH is retired - he also volunteers, plays golf, goes hiking, currently decorating.

Also, think about getting a physio referral for your feet issues, don't let it become a reason not to exercise, or it will end up spiralling into bigger problems.

@RudolphTheGreat you can volunteer from home? I looked into volunteering but since I’m not in great health it didn’t seem doable when literally every single one of them was asking for me to go to a location and spend time there. I even looked at work from home jobs and remote charity jobs and nearly all of them ended up doing the same.. asking for me to attend. I feel I need to work remotely to have better control of my unpredictable health. I also tried to learn knitting a few years back, first thing I noticed was I got crocheting needles which apparently wasn’t right for knitting or it was the other way round🤔. Then once I got the hang of it, I couldn’t figure out how to get it off the one stick and keep going, I even looked at tutorials and got nowhere😅 but I should have a look again.

@Shnowfairy im glad I’m not the only one feeling like this! I remember looking at meet-ups when I was a teen but I haven’t actually looked at it since, I also never used it when I looked originally but I will see if there is anything of interest on there now especially that can incorporate the whole house.

I also forgot to add but I’m starting an access course on Open university but it starts Next month and is the pathway to a masters degree that will start in September so have a look at Open university as they give you the flexibility you need and can offer finance options or like my access course you can get it for free if your eligible. Escape rooms sound okay but it seems like a one time thing as it would cost to keep doing them over and over. Library is okay but then I’m more likely to check a book out and take it home but I have plenty of books here as well as internet access, most of our local libraries closed down way before the pandemic too.

@MooseAndSquirrelLoveFlannel I also played a lot of MMORPG games especially when the pandemic hit and better yet when I was finished with one I sold my account for a little cost, but since then I never felt like I found a game I liked like that and I was literally spending my whole day and sometimes night playing games which was crazy! I’m looking at some volunteering roles I can do also but haven’t really been successful and most places I can volunteer with round here I already volunteered with.

My ds is now at school, I work 8 hours a week. On my days off I walk dog ( big dog 90 min a day) I do yoga and Pilates. Visit my dad. Meet friends or dd for coffee. Get cleaning/sorting jobs done. I volunteer at my sons school. If I had want a bit of me time I read/watch a film/do jigsaw/crosswords . I sometimes worry I'm going to be bored but it hasn't happened yet!

Try on line courses.
There are some free ones out there, but also some cheap ones.
If you have a baby on the way, then how about a first aid course? Or sign language?
knitting, crocheting, embroidery.

I'm a SAHM with all children at school and nursery. I'm also a full time carer for one of my DC so lots of hospital appointments and meetings etc.

In between all that I...

Go the gym/swim/sauna

Have a rest as I'm up in the night with DC.

Do life admin eg tomorrow I need to ring to chase up a refund and also ring to book a doctor's appointment.

Do the food shop.

Do laundry so don't have to do in the evening.

General sorting of outgrown toys etc and sell on vinted.

@Tropicaliyes for your feet do you think it could be plantar fascitis? I had this and it was agony! Tennis ball rolled under the feet is good or a frozen plastic bottle, never go barefoot and see if you can get a podiatrist appointment as that's what sorted mine when they gave me special insoles

I work part time but have a day off in the week when dc is at childcare. Mostly cleaning, cooking and catching up on chores. Sometimes I meet a friend for a catch up. I go and see my parents. Do the grocery shop. And sometimes I just lie in and watch Netflix most of the day.
Today is my 'day off' and so far I've hung up our new curtains. Contemplating hoovering the house if I can be bothered. Will cook dinner later and catch up on Netflix until dc is back.

I work part time and have two days in the week off.

Occasionally I meet up with a friend but most work full time or their days off are different to mine so this isn't regular.

I go and do the food shopping one day but take my time with it. I buy a newspaper first and go to the supermarket café to order a coffee and sit quietly to read the paper. Then I do the food shop. I absolutely love my coffee/newspaper time once a week as it feels like I'm taking time out for myself.

I go for a walk or go to the gym and listen to a podcast to pass the time.

The necessary evil of housework and life admin. I organise the family finances.

I'm planning on volunteering for a couple of hours a week at DC's primary school to listen to/help with children reading.

Often I'll cook something more involved than on my working days when things are more rushed. Or I'll batch cook to make life easier for myself on other nights.

Hunting through the charity shops for interesting books then sitting with a cup of tea at home and reading them.

TV and Mumsnet.

From 3pm my time is filled up with the school run, getting DC a snack and any hobby clubs they need taking to so I find all the above more than fills my time.

Buy a small folding table for your sewing machine, set up a little space in a corner so it can be kept out. Use your ironing board as an extra surface for cutting and pressing. I could happily sew all day.

If I lived in London I'd never be away from galleries and museums, my idea of heaven! Most galleries have seating so you can admire the artwork while giving your feet a rest.

Do you have a decent camera, either on your phone or separately? I often head out and just take photographs. It can really encourage you to look at your surroundings with fresh eyes, spot details and angles that make a good photo: a tree with branches growing at striking angles against the sky, a date above the door on an old building, railings casting angular shadows on the pavement on a sunny day, that kind of thing.

And YY to seeing someone about your feet - make an appointment with a podiatrist or physio to try to sort that out.

If I lived in London I’d spend all my time in the museums. I bet I could spend a month in the British museum alone. And when I’d examined every single exhibit in every single museum in minute detail, I’d get a coffee, and plonk myself down somewhere busy and people watch for hours.

Just what I was thinking… what’s that quote? if you’re tired of London you’re tired of life?

@Tropicaliyes theres probably loads of stuff you can do but there’s loads of excuses holding you back. Can you sort out a table for your sewing machine? Is there an interest you could pursue like an art class or book group? If you want to make friends join Peanut and go for coffee with some people until you find people you like hanging around with.

Is there something you want to learn? A professional course/qualification, or just something for your own interest? Have a browse on Future Learn or search for ‘how to’ videos on YouTube - learn to make a stop motion film or do watercolour painting or draw, get fashion tips and overhaul your wardrobe, learn a new exercise you can do in front of the TV?

Theres literally hundred of things you could do, it’s just a case of pushing yourself to experiment and learn until you find what really floats your boat. Make your happiness the goal, and if you’re struggling to find what makes you happy learn about psychology and work out what your blocks are.

You live in London and can't find anything to do? I don't believe that for a moment.
There's endless free things to do in London and so many new hobbies to try.

I honestly find it hard to understand people not knowing how to fill their time. Especially if you live in a big city! Time is the most precious gift and the world is a fascinating place. There is so much to do.

Go out and do stuff. Volunteer, join groups, find out what is going on the world and join a cause to campaign for, look into different hobbies. Read. Learn something. There is SOO much to do in the world. Do stuff till you find your thing(s) that you want to dedicate your time to.

Even if I had no job there is more I want to do than I have time to do.

If you want to take up sewing again, how about buying a small cheap folding table. I had one for a while before getting the dining table sorted and would just sit on the sofa with the folding table and my sewing machine. It worked fine, I'd have my supplies set up on the sofa next to me.

some great ideas here for you OP. If I were you, priority would be getting your feet sorted out, that will open a whole host of activities for you to do.

Netflix or a book, or audible books/podcasts are my best friend in times of keeping myself amused and when the weather is too grotty to go out walking.

Thanks everyone for all the replies, they are coming in too quickly for me to address each one but I have read every single one.

For those wanting to know where in London I live, I live in East London, near the old Stratford Olympic stadium and Westfields. I think my issue is that when I was a teenager I had a surplus of free time and I would go out and see everything that was in this area (there is not much on the east end) Stratford is okay but once you have gotten that out your system it becomes really boring and I’m also not a fan of large crowds especially in the time of Corona (and I wasn’t vaccinated so need to be more cautious).

As for courses I have an Open university Access course starting next month which will lead on to my masters Degree in September (the access was optional but i wanted to be ready as I have been out of education a while). I have also been learning Chinese on Duolingo and have been excelling at that and started Hebrew a few months ago (which I’m not excelling at).

Gym, believe it or not, we found a lovely private spa in North London and signed up (£150 pp/pm) and it was just before I got pregnant and I didn’t factor in how I would feel once I got pregnant (planned pregnancy) and I spent the first few months feeling awful so I cancelled that membership as we were paying for something we wasn’t using and it was a big price to go to waste! We was doing swimming at our local gym but stopped for this spa and then when covid cases started rising I wanted to avoid swimming as I couldn’t wear a mask and immune system is already low… HOWEVER once I get my bike I plan so visit some outdoor lidos to do swimming which I feel would make me feel safer than indoors and no circulating air.

As for everyone surprised I cannot find things to do in London, I think that’s an outsiders perspective because once you live here you don’t quite feel the same way. I was born in London so there are hardly any museums/galleries here that I haven’t visited many times over the course of my life. I’m sure I can find a few I haven’t but then for it to interest me enough to go there would have to be a wow factor about it. I’m also not into architecture so the buildings don’t impress me much and grew up as an unwilling Catholic so church isn’t for me either.

There are active things I haven’t done, like laser tag, someone mentioned a trapezes? Trampolining and such but that really depends on my health weather I can do them. I’m also into water sports but I’m don’t like the cold and in the colder months I feel I have to wait for it to get a little warmer to try.

I wanted to do Scuba but then got pregnant so will have to wait until this summer after baby is born to start that course to get qualified.

A lot of activities are inner city London or just other parts of London and since I don’t drive and don’t ride a bike yet, I’d have to rely on train/tube and in peak times this costs a lot! My antenatal appts are in North London and the trip there and back for two of us isn’t cheap (just as well it isn’t so often).

I will get a referral for my feet, I just didn’t know how to go about it as I thought I would have to find a private Podiatrist which I have been searching online because whenever I use our GP I either can’t get an appointment or am told they cannot help, let alone get a referral which lead me to buying many insoles on Amazon to try out but it’s only a temporary fix. I will speak to my GP though if I can go through them. I also don’t know if it’s plantar fasciitis, at one point I though it was heel spurs but I just don’t know, i just know my feet and legs from after im off them it’s horrible!

I have been learning to drive in a hope that we can explore outside the city, that’s what really interests me. Travelling I really want to do and better yet further down south, Cornwall, Devon, Brighton.. those places is where I’d love to sightsee. I know I can get a train there which we have been speaking about and finding a dog friendly hotel but then we have two cats at home (who have Cat Flu) and are wondering how to go about travelling with them at home🤔. When the baby comes I would really like to travel the world with them and hopefully by then will have better mobility and health to do so.

I have binge watched lots of Netflix, Amazon prime and even Apple TV (don’t watch live tv), been on a search for good documentaries. So I think I may have exhausted my tv options.

im also planning to get a little table for my sewing machine but I’m also having to redecorate the house and buy some new flooring and storage to prep the house for when the baby comes so the little table and stuff will wait until we have sorted the house out as we will have a better idea where things will go.

I haven’t visited markets, or gone to jazz clubs or those sorts of things as I’m not great in crowds (social anxiety) which is getting better but I do find them stressful instead of enjoyable unfortunately.

I think my issue with indoors is that I was bedbound for the majority of my life, or in hospital the rest of my time so when I’m not actively sick, feeling cooped up can make me feel stuck. I have lost a lot of interest in the things i use to do indoors as that’s all I really had before, while feeling there is no hope I could go out and do what normal people do, hence why I’m looking for things to do outdoors. Me not being able to go out for most of my life is also possibly why I feel there isn’t much to do out there. Besides the obvious gallery, museums, theatre (which I felt I was dragged to a lot as a child regardless if I wanted to go or had a interest) it feels like… what else? I know for sure if I had my own way I would live here and if I could drive I’d be sightseeing the rest of the U.K.

haha we went to Manchester for our fertility clinic and I loved it up there! So much bigger, less busy and a lot cleaner. Felt lovely!

Dog agility?

I'm in London too and it's all very well people saying museums etc but it still costs money to get there and add in just a coffee out (no food) and you've spent £10. I'm on a very strict budget right now and every £10 adds up! I'm also not the type to study exhibits in detail, a browse round is enough for me. Anything that sounds more interesting to me usually costs £££. Even on meet up, a lot of the things I might be interested in, like board game groups, meet at pubs so again its spending money.

I wfh but it isn't always a full day. I do gardening, weather permitting and/or go for a walk. I have a lot of "home hobbies" many different crafts, jigsaws, knitting, crochet, reading, learning Japanese, playing with my cats 😁DD got me a diamond painting kit for Christmas and I'm currently spending about 4 hours a day just on that! I can get very engrossed in these things. But then I am quite happy spending a lot of time at home. But I do sympathise with struggling to find things out of the home. I also wanted to do more of that in 2023 but I'm finding the cost prohibitive.

Sorry, had t refreshed the page from earlier and didn’t see the updates.

I don't understand this. This is literally the most exciting city in the world. I am just going to list the free things: galleries, museums, talks, book clubs,fringe theatre, sport clubs, volunteering, Parkrun....

^ isn't the point that health issues are keeping OP at home?

From the update I don't think health is the main issue.

2 hours a day cleaning?😯

I've got a few days off now while my son is back at school. I've done some reading, some more elaborate cooking than I would usually do (made quiche with pastry from scratch), gone for a walk each day (do have the benefit of being near a park), got my hair cut, played some video games uninterrupted, and now I'm going to do a deep clean and declutter for a few hours.

Things I'm also thinking about doing over the next 3 days:

Swimming - we go as a family but its not the same as just being able to do lengths uninterrupted. Bit of a trek for me as I can't drive but worth it I think.
Cinema - again chance to watch something of my choosing rather than paw patrol...
Clearing out the kitchen cupboards, checking dates etc, throwing out anything that's expired.
Watch 'Wednesday' on Netflix, I normally only manage a few hours TV/streaming a week so it would be nice to have a binge.