Start walking, with no particular direction in mind. Choose some sweet, mellow tunes as the soundtrack to your stroll, blocking out the bustle of the city, focusing on your breath and the rhythm of your step. Perhaps you’ll find yourself by the water, following a tree-lined path for shade. Take along a small pair of scissors and a tote bag and snip a few sneaky succulent cuttings to replant later (guerrilla-gardening style) in your neighbourhood or collect a few herbs at a community garden for your dinner.

Those stacks of unread books around the house are awaiting your attention – pick up the first one that catches your eye and read for an hour. If you’re still hooked (and haven’t fallen into a relaxed slumber) after this time, keep reading, or switch to a second book if you find your mind wandering. If you do this twice throughout the weekend, you’ll have started on four new books, learning four new ideas or stories in the process.

Go for a drive up a mountain or to a tiny quiet park normally off your usual route. Take a blanket, notebook and pencil and lie down to watch the clouds. Let your mind drift – whether through the week, your work, your friends, your family, what you ate for breakfast – and you may discover an idea, thought or question tucked in a clandestine pocket of your brain you didn’t know was there. Write it down, quick!

Finish the weekend with friends – call up (not text, email, Facebook message) some loved ones and invite them over for a spontaneous beverage on the back deck. After dusk has fallen and the temperature has cooled, a thrown-together meal of whatever fresh veggies were purchased at the farmers market the day before can be tossed into a rainbow-coloured salad for a light meal.