#10: I did something fun after work for a week

Reclaiming my weekdays after my 9-5 job, one late dinner at a time

Working a 9–5 can be draining, especially if you have to commute - I’m lucky enough to work remotely now, but I’ve done my fair share of soul-crushing commutes (the worst one being 90 minutes each way).

You finish work, make yourself some sort of meal, and then melt into the sofa. You scroll through your phone while half-watching a show and occasionally glancing at your laptop, consuming three screens at once but not really absorbing any of it.

And then the weekend rolls around and suddenly, you’re trying to squeeze your entire life into two days. Seeing friends, cleaning the house, doing self-care, finding time for creativity, running errands.

So, with the days getting longer and brighter, I decided to do a little experiment: for one week, I committed to doing something fun after work every day. No more couch rotting 👀

The experiment

Going into the week, I fully expected to feel drained.

I’m an introverted person who gets exhausted pretty fast, so I figured forcing myself to do things every evening would leave me depleted.

But to my surprise, it didn’t. If anything, it had the opposite effect.

Here’s what my week looked like:

• Monday: I tried bouldering for the first time - fun but terrifying!

• Tuesday: A diy pottery kit that I found in a charity shop, perfect no screen activity to feed your creativity.

• Wednesday: I went to a Jazz night with my partner at NT’s loft in London Fields.

• Thursday: Used my trip to the office to go to the Barbican after work to see the newest art exhibition.

• Friday: Date night - I went to a restaurant with my partner that I had been wanting to try for ages!

The results

The biggest takeaway? Doing things after work made my weekdays feel bigger. More spacious. It was like reclaiming the five days I usually let slip by in a blur of routine.

I also noticed some unexpected perks:

• I felt happier and more energetic during work. Knowing I had something fun planned for the evening made the day feel less monotonous.

• My weekends felt less pressured. Because I’d already done fun things during the week, my weekend wasn’t crammed with plans. I actually had time to be lazy without feeling guilty.

• I saw my friends more. Instead of trying to wedge every social interaction into two days, I spread it out - making my time with them feel more relaxed.

Of course, it wasn’t all perfect:

• I had later dinners than usual (we’re talking 9:00 pm, which is late for me).

• My sleep took a hit - I sacrificed a couple of hours to fun.

• I spent more money. It wasn’t outrageous, but still noticeable.

Free Jazz night at NT’s loft in Hackney

The museum shop at the Barbican Centre

So, was it worth it?

Even as an introvert, I found that doing fun, low-stakes things after work gave me more energy, not less.

I was shocked to discover that the time I normally spent horizontally fused to my couch, frying my attention span with short form content, could be repurposed for actual human activities.

Going forward, I’m not going to force myself to do something after work every night—that’s not sustainable. But I am aiming for at least two after-work activities a week.

Even if it’s just a bike ride, a trip to my local park or window shopping in the city.

And if you’re reading this and thinking, that sounds exhausting - I get it. But I also encourage you to give it a go. Invite a friend for dinner on one of your office days, try a random evening workout, or check if that museum you keep meaning to visit has late-night hours on a Thursday.

You might be surprised by how much life you can fit into your weeknights.

---

Thank you so much for reading this newsletter 💌