To-do lists are a godsend. On most days, they’re the sole reason you get things done. But what happens when you've ticked everything off the list and finally have some time to unwind? While an OTT show is certainly entertaining, there’s no denying the niggling feeling that you could do so much more with your spare time. 

Enter the down-time list. A run-down of the activities you’d like to perform in your free time. While making this list, keep in mind that these aren’t activities you don’t mind doing, but those you actually want to do. Maybe you’ve been meaning to revisit an old hobby, or call an old friend. Your list doesn’t have to be too ambitious—after all, it is meant for your down-time. Instead, it is a fun mix of relaxing and exciting tasks to look forward to, which you don’t need to achieve in one go…simply keep adding things as and when you think of them. 

Here are a few ways in which making and following through with a down-time list can prove beneficial for your mental health. 

It helps you tackle decision fatigue

From picking out an outfit to wear in the morning to figuring out a strategy to crack an important deal at work, we spend most part of our day making a number of big and small decisions. However, research suggests that the quality of our decision-making goes down as the quantity of decisions increases, which probably explains why we’re left with no energy to decide how we want to spend our free time at the end of the working day. A down-time list allows you to make the most of your me-time without putting pressure on coming up with fun activities on the spot. 

It reduces anxiety created by unfinished tasks

Just like your work tasks, your down-time tasks can also build up anxiety when left incomplete. Let’s say you’ve been putting off rearranging your bookshelf for weeks. It's something you enjoy doing, and you’re looking forward to it, but you simply haven’t gotten the chance to getting around to it. Every time you look at your copy of To Kill A Mockingbird sitting next to a contemporary thriller, you feel restless and anxious. It makes you feel inefficient. By writing this task down in your down-time list, you can give yourself the reassurance that you will eventually get to it when you have free time, thereby reducing the daily anxiety it creates.

Reduces revenge bedtime procrastination

We’ve all experienced the unwillingness to go to sleep because of the feeling that we’ve not had enough me-time during the day, also known as revenge bedtime procrastination. This often stems from the dissatisfaction of wasting precious free time on mindless activities like scrolling through social media, for instance. With your down-time being taken care of, you’ll find drifting off to sleep easier, and feel happier because writing down your plans can help you find the time to actually pursue them.