It’s Labor Day in the United States and Canada, so we’re kicking back and relaxing. Whether you want to use your time off to be productive, eat some great food, or just chill out and relax, we’ve got you covered so your holiday doesn’t go to waste.
Have a Party in the Back Yard
If you’ve got a backyard, you’ve got a party. Consider creating a projection screen for some outdoor screenings or a DIY slip ‘n’ slide for the kids. Alternatively, a giant bubble wand can make for a lot of fun and some awesome photos. If you need to liven things up, this outdoor music streamer made from a kitchen cart will help.If you don’t have much in the way of outdoor furniture, just turn to wooden pallets. An attractive DIY mosquito torch will keep the bugs away while you’re out there.
Make Some Great Food
When you have a day off, you have time to make some great food. During the summer, you’ll probably want to grill it. First, start with some great recipes and consider making your own charcoal for enhanced flavor. Different techniques help bring out the flavor in different meats, whether you want the perfect burger or steak. For hot dogs, a great spiral cut technique makes all the difference. For sausages, you ought to just poach them right on the grill. If you’re grilling some veggies, you might want to invest in some grill clips. Regardless of the food, just make sure you know where to put it. For dessert, you can make some great stuff with just two ingredients, like ice cream, chocolate mousse or the dead-simple granita. Both can cool you off on a hot day. Eat them in the back yard or head out for a picnic in the sun.
Get Organized
While you ought to relax if you need it, if you don’t you can use your free time to get stuff done. Besides, if you organize things now you’ll have less work to do later. For those with tiny apartments, here are a few great suggestions. We’re also big fans of the closet office. When it comes to the kitchen, consider organizing it like a programmer. If you’ve got a huge mess to tackle, start with a full reboot. If you’re wrangling cables, you have plenty of options. Rain gutters can do the trick, but so can hiding them artfully in plain sight. Of course, versatile binder clips always help and you have tons of other options if you need them.
Your home isn’t the only place that needs a little organization. You bag does, too. I like to have a modular go-bag system so I can switch items around to the most appropriate backpack or messenger with ease. Every bag ought to have a travel charger with a backpack battery, too. Those will save your butt regularly.
Build Some Technology
Weather varies from place to place and you may not get a perfectly sunny day with a nice breeze. If you have to take the fun indoors, you still have plenty of available projects. Of all the projects we love, building a computer takes the top slot. For Apple lovers, make it a hackintosh. If you already have a trusty desktop, consider building a NAS.
Of course, if you want something a little quicker and easier, the Raspberry Pi is the technology DIYer’s dream. We have more projects than you can count, some as simple as as a few clicks. Check out our Raspberry Pi tag for more ideas.
If you want to play some games, your desktop or smartphone makes for a great retro arcade (not to mention the aforementioned Raspberry Pi). You can even build it into an arcade table. If you’d rather go analog, check out the board game remix kit. It offers tons of ways to liven up boring old board games you have lying around the house. Just make sure you keep everything organized.
Try Some New Software
If you want to give your computer a good upgrade—beyond the usual maintenance—all you need is a great download or two. We have plenty of apps in our app directory and the Lifehacker Packs, and you can get some killer wallpapers in our Wallpaper Wednesday archive.
If you haven’t upgraded to Windows 10 yet—or if you just haven’t learned your way around—there’s no better time than now. Mac and iPhone users still have a few days before OS X El Capitain and iOS 9 drop, but if you can’t wait, you can try out the betas now.
Just Chill Out
Stress hurts, so don’t let it get to you on your day off. It helps to sleep, of course, so if you need to catch up a day off is a great time to reboot your sleep cycle. You can take measures to counteract stress now and in the future, like starting a meditation routine or yoga. Both will help you relax and a day off provides time to learn. If you need a few ways to relax when you get back into the rush of normal life, set yourself up with a personal thunderstorm or visit Calm.com for a break.
Enjoy your day off!
Photos by Pushkin (Shutterstock), Renee Mcgurk, and Davidd.