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National Goof Off Day

Fun · March 22

A day for goofing off on purpose: setting aside the to-do list for a while and spending time on something unproductive, playful and light.

National Goof Off Day falls on Monday, March 22, 2027. That is 146 days away.

Goofing off is the art of doing nothing useful, and doing it on purpose. Some people call this day International Goof-Off Day. The idea is simple. For a few hours, the list of chores waits, and you spend the time on whatever pulls your attention for no good reason.

It tends to look different for everyone. One person doodles in the margins of a notebook. Another builds a lopsided tower of playing cards, takes the long way home, or watches clouds until one looks like a teapot. The common thread is that nothing gets finished, and nobody minds.

There is a real skill to it. Plenty of adults have forgotten how to spend an afternoon without checking whether it counted for anything. Children rarely have this problem. A stick, a puddle and twenty free minutes are a complete plan to them.

The easiest way in is to pick one ordinary task and swap it for something pointless and pleasant. Skip folding the laundry and make a paper airplane instead. Trade the inbox for a game of cards. If friends or family are around, goofing off together usually turns sillier, and louder, than doing it alone.

It also helps to keep the stakes low. Goofing off works best without a goal, a score or a photo that has to come out well. The paper airplane can crash into the couch on its first flight.

Ways to celebrate

• Fold a paper airplane and test how far it flies across a room.
• Take a slow walk with no destination in mind.
• Play a card game or board game you have not touched in years.
• Doodle freely for twenty minutes without trying to draw anything good.
• Spend an hour watching clouds, birds or people go by.

Dates

All national days on March 22

Also on March 22

• National Bavarian Crepes Day
• As Young as You Feel Day

Categories: Fun days