10 Things You Can Do During The Commercial Break Without Getting Off The Couch

We live in the information age. That means most of the things we do can be done online. Since almost everyone owns a smartphone today, we can do many of these things anytime, anywhere.

Even in front of the TV in the evening, we don't have to wait idly for the commercial break of our favorite movie or the series we watch to end. During this time we can do a lot of small things on our mobile phones that are difficult to integrate into the typical working day. Some things need to be done, but keep pulling us out of our actual work during the day.

These small tasks create stress because we squeeze them into our daily routine.

Let's put an end to this stress and use the evening on the couch to prepare for the next day.

Here are ten things you can do in the evening without getting off the couch.

1. Plan the next day.

The biggest stress is in the morning when you don't know what the day will bring and how to manage it all. When the day comes like an unforeseen storm, all we can do is react.

Imagine, on the other hand, what it would be like if you knew exactly what you had to do and in what order when you got up. You would know that you can accomplish the things you set out to do and that you have to say no to all further obligations.

When your day lies before you like an open book, you can make good decisions and don't lose track.

In the evening on the couch, you can lay the foundation for such a day. Write down what you have to do tomorrow, what you can postpone, and what you might not have to do at all, even though you have the vague feeling that you have to take care of it.

Plan in advance how much time each task will cost you approximately and compare it with the time you will have available. In this way, you can decide in the evening how you will tackle the next day.

2. answer private e-mails

Nobody should open professional e-mails after work and certainly not answer them. But the e-mails of friends and relatives also want to be answered and for this purpose, the evening on the couch is an excellent opportunity.

Instead of answering these e-mails somehow in the course of your working day and inevitably being only half-hearted, you can respond to your loved ones in the evening without time pressure.

3. clean up your e-mail inbox.

Again, you should only take care of your private mails after work. But even here, there is enough to do.

If you are like me, you have subscribed to numerous newsletters and receive many e-mails from companies you have shopped with online in the past. After a week at the latest, your inbox becomes so confusing that you run the risk of merely missing crucial e-mails.

Use one of the commercial breaks every evening to clean up your inbox. Delete all e-mails that you do not want to read immediately. Either read all others or sort them into subfolders so you can look at them later.

The main thing is that your inbox is as empty as possible when you open it.

Hundreds of unread mails directly in your inbox cause unnecessary stress, which you can save by spending a few minutes in the evening to clean up.

4. research information you will need the next day.

Maybe your bike is broken and has to go to a garage, or you have to bring a package to the post office. Find out the evening before when the shops you need the next day are open and where you can get what services.

Planning your shopping also belongs to this category. Find out what ingredients you need for tomorrow's dinner and where you can buy them without making long detours after work.

Surely you can think of many examples from your own life. For almost everything we plan for the next day, we need some information in advance. Get this information the evening before, and then you can start the next day.

5. write down ideas for your projects.

I'm not one to get into work after hours, but our brains don't always take a break when we want to.

Sometimes in the evening, as if out of the blue, we suddenly get an idea that we can use for a professional project. In this case, it is useful to write down this idea.

Once this is done, further ideas or questions often arise. Write down everything that your subconscious supplies on this topic because the next day, you will not be able to remember most of it. Ideas that you have on the couch will disappear if you don't write them down.

6. arrange appointments.

Nowadays, you can make appointments online, almost everywhere. Whether you want to go to a restaurant or the hairdresser is not essential. With just a few clicks, you can easily make appointments without calling the service providers during their opening hours.

Take advantage of this opportunity while you are lying on your couch.

7. read books or articles that will help you get ahead.

Not everyone can read for hours without their eyes closing. But a commercial break only lasts a few minutes, and everyone can read for a few minutes.

Most people who rarely or never read say that they do not read for lack of time. This excuse does not apply if reading only takes up a few minutes a day, during which one would otherwise just lie idle.

A few minutes a day are enough to provide your mind with new insights, ideas, and valuable knowledge. Read a few pages every evening for a year, and you will find that a new world opens up for you.

8. plan and book your next holiday.

Many employees in the company where I worked surfed the internet during working hours to plan and book their holidays.

This could not only cause trouble if the boss noticed, but also lead to mistakes. At work, you should concentrate on your work, because every mental distraction only leads to the fact that you need longer for your tasks and the quality suffers.

Instead, take your mobile phone in the evening and plan your holiday while lying comfortably on the couch. You can watch videos of your dream destinations at home, and you don't have to check to see if your boss is coming in continually. Planning holidays should be fun and should take place in a relaxed atmosphere. At home, you can fully concentrate on this pleasant task.

9. write a diary.

Many self-help experts believe that regular journal writing is good for mental health and helps us better understand ourselves and our lives.

I don't keep a diary myself, but I don't doubt that this habit can be of great benefit to many people.

Of course, the evening is ideal for such an undertaking. The day lies behind us and can be reflected. We can review the day while writing and possibly gain valuable insights.

If you are one of those who always wanted to keep a diary but have never found the time to do so, think about whether the time in front of the TV might be just right.

10. writing

Bloggers and writers are always looking for free time to write. Those who have a regular job have to fight for every minute to write.

Few people ever get the idea to write the first draft for a novel chapter or an article on a mobile phone. But it is unnecessary to use a word processing program on a PC just to write a few sentences. An exposé or a first draft for an article can easily be written in a note app. Later you can still copy these texts into Word or any other writing program.

If you have to write under time constraints, the threshold for writing should be as low as possible. You can always start writing immediately on your mobile phone. You don't have to start up a computer, sit down at a desk, or leave the room.

If you are a blogger or writer, you should try writing on your mobile phone. This method could finally give you the momentum you always wanted.

Conclusion

We can all immediately become more effective and productive if we only use a few minutes in the evening, which would otherwise be empty and meaningless.

We can achieve all this without getting up from the couch and sitting at the computer after work, which would feel like work.

Probably you are already using your mobile phone during the commercial breaks. Your family wouldn't even notice if, instead of surfing Facebook, you started writing a book or making plans while lying comfortably on the couch.

Try it out for a week before you decide whether it's for you or not. You have nothing to lose, but you certainly have a lot to gain.