{"id":73120,"date":"2023-01-20T15:22:40","date_gmt":"2023-01-20T15:22:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/101-activities-free-hour\/"},"modified":"2023-01-20T15:22:40","modified_gmt":"2023-01-20T15:22:40","slug":"101-activities-free-hour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/en-ca\/101-activities-free-hour\/","title":{"rendered":"101 Activities for a Free Hour"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just imagine a whole hour to yourself – no kids, no work and no to-do’s. What would you do? As a busy mom, this can feel more fantasy than reality – but it doesn’t have to be.
 
Check out our babysitter calculator<\/a> to find out how much a local sitter for an hour would cost. Hire a babysitter<\/a> and start planning how to make the most of your invaluable 60 minute time out.
 
Here’s 101 activities for a free hour:<\/p>

  1. Practice meditation — use a site\/app like Calm to help.<\/li>

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  2. Walk on a treadmill.<\/li>

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  3. Tackle at least one thing (if not more) on your to-do list.<\/li>

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  4. Get a manicure, pedicure or go crazy and get both.<\/li>

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  5. Make an appointment at your hair salon and treat yourself to a blowout.<\/li>

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  6. Enjoy a nice cup of coffee and read a good book.<\/li>

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  7. Organize your shoe collection.<\/li>

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  8. Try a new recipe.<\/li>

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  9. Create a “family recipe book.”<\/li>

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  10. Sign up for something new like Zumba or a painting class.<\/li>

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  11. Dust off your helmet and go for a bike ride.<\/li>

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  12. Balance your checkbook.<\/li>

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  13. Organize your office.<\/li>

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  14. Get a massage.<\/li>

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  15. Or ask your partner to give you a half-hour massage, then switch.<\/li>

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  16. Create fun new Pandora stations to listen to.<\/li>

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  17. Clean out the refrigerator.<\/li>

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  18. Straighten up your pantry.<\/li>

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  19. Catch up on the dishes overflowing in the sink.<\/li>

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  20. Take one look at the dishes and post a job for a housekeeper<\/a>.<\/li>

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  21. Make a scrapbook.<\/li>

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  22. Take a walk.<\/li>

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  23. Watch the sunset with your spouse.<\/li>

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  24. Unplug your computer, hide your cell phone, turn off the television and just enjoy the silence.<\/li>

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  25. Take a drive with the windows down.<\/li>

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  26. Enjoy a nice glass of wine and some fancy cheese that you don’t have to share.<\/li>

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  27. Pull out your makeup and give yourself a makeover.<\/li>

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  28. Tend to your garden.<\/li>

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  29. Take a much-needed, well-deserved nap.<\/li>

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  30. Discover your om: Catch a yoga class.<\/li>

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  31. Take a hot bubble bath.<\/li>

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  32. Enjoy one hour of uninterrupted time with your spouse or significant other.<\/li>

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  33. Grocery shop without kids begging you to buy every sugary snack.<\/li>

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  34. Catch up on all the adult shows that fill your DVR.<\/li>

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  35. Watch your favorite sports team on TV.<\/li>

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  36. Sit in the park and enjoy the quiet.<\/li>

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  37. Call your parents or family.<\/li>

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  38. Call a friend to catch up.<\/li>

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  39. Write a friend a handwritten letter (or at least an email).<\/li>

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  40. Go out to eat with a friend and have an uninterrupted adult conversation.<\/li>

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  41. Enjoy your favorite ice cream or frozen yogurt without having to share, suggests North Carolina mother of two young boys, Michelle Pennington.<\/li>

    <\/p>

  42. Cook in advance: Prepare some quick and easy meals you can freeze and thaw out during a busy work week.<\/li>

    <\/p>

  43. Write in a journal.<\/li>

    <\/p>

  44. Go through your closet, cleaning out the clothes you no longer wear.<\/li>

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  45. Now that you have room in the closet, go shopping and treat yourself to something new.<\/li>

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  46. If you can’t get out, do a little online shopping.<\/li>

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  47. Go on Amazon.com and create a “wish list.”<\/li>

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  48. Bake your favorite dessert.<\/li>

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  49. Take a cooking class.<\/li>

    <\/p>

  50. Start a new knitting project.<\/li>

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  51. Slice up a cucumber, lay back and see if placing them on your eyes really helps puffiness<\/li>

    <\/p>

  52. Visit a local museum.<\/li>

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  53. Snuggle up on the couch with your pet or partner.<\/li>

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  54. Daydream and plan out your perfect vacation.<\/li>

    <\/p>

  55. Take your car to get the oil changed.<\/li>

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  56. Play a board game with a friend or your significant other.<\/li>

    <\/p>

  57. Go outside and take pictures of nature.<\/li>

    <\/p>

  58. Organize the family photos on your computer and get them developed.<\/li>

    <\/p>

  59. Create a collage of your favorite pictures.<\/li>

    <\/p>

  60. Take a bike ride by yourself or with a friend.<\/li>

    <\/p>

  61. Update your résumé.<\/li>

    <\/p>

  62. Clean out and organize your email inbox.<\/li>

    <\/p>

  63. Reply to old emails.<\/li>

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  64. Volunteer at a local soup kitchen.<\/li>

    <\/p>

  65. Look up funny videos on YouTube.<\/li>

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  66. Visit a local pottery shop and create a masterpiece.<\/li>

    <\/p>

  67. Take a “wine and canvas” class with a friend.<\/li>

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  68. Research something you’ve always wanted to learn more about on the Internet.<\/li>

    <\/p>

  69. Play around on StumbleUpon and see what sites pop up.<\/li>

    <\/p>

  70. Catch up on business. Blogger Michelle Gannon, of Language Playground,says she would catch up on work and finish blog posts she started but never finished.<\/li>

    <\/p>

  71. Read your favorite blog.<\/li>

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  72. Are you a single parent? Try a local speed-dating event or browse an online dating site.<\/li>

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  73. Browse Pinterest for recipe and craft inspiration.<\/li>

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  74. Have an indoor picnic with your significant other.<\/li>

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  75. Take a trip down memory lane by watching old videos or looking through old albums.<\/li>

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  76. Indulge in a guilty pleasure, like reading celebrity news magazines.<\/li>

    <\/p>

  77. Do a jigsaw puzzle.<\/li>

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  78. Challenge yourself and your brain by trying to complete the New York Times crossword.<\/li>

    <\/p>

  79. Roll up your extra change and come up with a creative way to spend it, no matter how small.<\/li>

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  80. Clean out your gift bag collection; toss the ones that have seen better days.<\/li>

    <\/p>

  81. Write a short story or poem.<\/li>

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  82. Write a love note to your spouse or significant other.<\/li>

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  83. Create a list of all the things you like about yourself.<\/li>

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  84. Research inspirational quotes online, write each one on a Post-It note and place them around the house for when you need them most.<\/li>

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  85. Learn a new language. Pop in a Rosetta Stone disk to begin learning a language you’ve always wanted to master.<\/li>

    <\/p>

  86. Or just go out to a Mexican restaurant and practice saying “margarita”.<\/li>

    <\/p>

  87. Catch up on any sewing projects (like those loose buttons on your coat) that you’ve been putting off for so long.<\/li>

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  88. Create a bucket list … then scratch something off it!<\/li>

    <\/p>

  89. Create a game plan for getting a promotion at work.<\/li>

    <\/p>

  90. Hit a few balls at the driving range.<\/li>

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  91. Take broken jewelry to the store to get fixed.<\/li>

    <\/p>

  92. Go bowling with a friend.<\/li>

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  93. Indulge in a guilt-free episode of reality TV.<\/li>

    <\/p>

  94. Do a little feng shui and rearrange the furniture in a room.<\/li>

    <\/p>

  95. Read a magazine article about how to get organized — then promptly forget everything.<\/li>

    <\/p>

  96. Clean out your kids’ toys while they’re not around to argue about which ones they “still play with.”<\/li>

    <\/p>

  97. Play your favorite music as loud as you want and dance and sing around the house.<\/li>

    <\/p>

  98. Read the newspaper and catch up on current events.<\/li>

    <\/p>

  99. Play your child’s favorite video game — and beat their high score.<\/li>

    <\/p>

  100. Go to the library and visit the adult section for once, instead of the kids’ corner.<\/li>

    <\/p>

  101. Roller-skate.<\/li><\/ol>

     
    Any parent can tell you that free time is a luxury. An hour may seem short, but sans kids, you’ll be amazed what you can accomplish in 60 minutes.
     
    What would you do with a kid-free hour? Share your ideas with us below.<\/strong>
     
     <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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