The Officially Unofficial Adj-Approved Downtime Survival Guide
What to do when the things that you’d normally be doing aren’t able to be done.
We at Adjective & Co. are supremely large fans of uptime. Uptime is where the magic happens. It’s where we create awesome work for amazing brands. Every now and then, though, we dabble in the realm of downtime. Because of our self-proclaimed expertise—and our ability to turn anything into a list—we decided to compile a Myspace-esque Top 8 of options for you to work through whilst compiling your scroll of activities to fill up that downtime.
GETTING IN TOUCH WITH NEATURE
Let’s fire this one immediately out of the activities cannon, shall we? The sights, sounds, and smells that come with fresh air and nature can’t be outdone, making any outdoor activity about twelve notches above the rest. Not to say that there isn’t value in a mid-day nap sesh, but there’s just something about the kayaking, trail-walking, KanJamming, lawn-camping euphoria that comes with cha-cha-sliding that body of yours out into the wilderness.
BINGEING ONLY THE BEST
When embarking on an irrationally long binge session, you’ll undoubtedly stumble upon less-than-stellar moments that have been dotted throughout the history of viewership. Scott’s Tots. The One After the Super Bowl. The finale of The Man in the High Castle. Season two of True Detective. The overall existence of The Big Bang Theory. You get the picture. Mid-binge disappointment is a tale as old as time, and ain’t nobody got time for that tale. Instead, we recommend cherrypicking the absolute best-o-le-best so that you can embark on a joyous spree of reliving your favorite moments in streaming history.
GIVING DIY THE OLD COLLEGE TRY
If there’s anything 2020 has shown us, it’s that just about anything can be accomplished online. If there’s anything that YouTube has taught us, it’s that a bit of blind confidence and a deep rabbit hole of do-it-yourself video tutorials is pretty much all we need to commit ourselves to a wildly elaborate home renovation. Whether it’s a backyard garden or a full-scale replica of the Hoover Dam, DIY projects are one of the most rewarding activities you can take part in.
FILM FESTIVAL FRIDAY
Once you and your inner circle settle your differences on what the greatest go-to theatre snack of all time is and arm-wrestle for seat selection, wrangle up a day’s worth of movies based around a theme of your choice and let the line-quoting begin. (Oh, and the correct answer to the movie snacks conflict is a bucket of popcorn with an entire bag of Reese’s Pieces dumped into it.)
WRIST WHIPPIN’ IN THE KITCHEN
From homemade pasta to build-your-own-pizza-that-in-no-way-needs-that-many-toppings night, few things are as enjoyable as sharing a little bit of conversation over some food and bev. And while being as skillful as Gordon Ramsay isn’t required to have a good time in the kitchen, watching clips of him screaming obscenities after a contestant’s lackluster performance is an absolute mandatory.
KEEPING THINGS MASTERCLASSY
While some seek out their downtime solace in the form of maximum sweatpants-wearing and minimal movement, others turn to developing a new skill. One of the best sources we’ve found for turning those aspirational dreams into impressive realities is Masterclass. Hoping to write the next great American novel? Learn from pros like Margaret Atwood and Neil Gaiman. Looking to dethrone the sweaty tanktop guy from your intramural basketball league? Steph Curry will teach you how to shoot from downtown. It’s an incredibly user-friendly way to take on the challenge of learning a new craft.
BLESSING YOUR INNER BIBLIOPHILE
The simplest addition to our list is arguably the most satisfying of them all. Whether it’s to learn, to laugh, or just an avenue to get lost for a while, diving into stories offers an endless supply of creative inspiration. Here are a few of our favorites at the moment:
“Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel
“Parable of the Sower” by Octavia Butler
“The Circle” by Dave Eggers
“National Geographic Infographics” by Taschen
“We Cast a Shadow” by Maurice Carlos Ruffin
“Murmurs of Earth: The Voyager Interstellar Record” by Carl Sagan
“Misery” by Stephen King
“A Gentleman in Moscow” by Amor Towles
THE PERPLEXING ART OF PUZZLESHIP.
If patience is a virtue that leapfrogged right over you in life, this may not be your gig. That being said, there’s something majestic about the way that assembling a puzzle allows you to tightrope between creative relaxation and all-out mental collapse. For those of you who have chosen the path of puzz, we took it upon ourselves to battle the emptiness of the card+puzzle aisle and create our own.
And if you find yourself in need of a mid-puzzle motivational speech to help talk you out of rage-flipping your dining room table, or if you’ve been scouring the Interwebs for an agency that will apply the same excruciating level of detail to building your brand as they do to creating 1,000 individual puzzle pieces, check out some more of our work here.