3 Secrets to Scheduling a Catch Up Day” Where You’ll Actually Catch Up on Your Life

By Patrick Wilson

Apartment Therapy’s January Cure is a free 20-day program all about loving on your home and preparing yourself and your space for the new year. Sign up now to get daily lessons sent straight to your inbox!

If you don’t already understand the lore of the catch-up day, let me regale you: It is a day you set aside for catching up on mundane life tasks. It should remain free from other appointments and distractions, as a pristine block of time dedicated to finishing all the things you don’t have time to finish in the course of normal life.

Catch-up days can make you feel like you’re on top of the world, if you do them right. But it’s way too easy to let your well-intentioned day slip away.

I have three secrets for a catch-up day that will actually help you catch up:

If you want to actually catch-up with life on your catch-up day, you need to do three things: Write down a plan, gather supplies in advance, and get an early start.

Now that you know how to have a successful catch-up day, I have great news: I’ve already finished step one for you. Today’s Cure assignment is all about… whatever you need to get done today.

Let’s begin…

Day 18: Take a catch-up day.

There’s no real Cure assignment for today. We’ve left a blank space for you to fill in by completing the circle on whatever you’ve been slacking on or putting off. You name it!

That might mean catching up on a missed Cure assignment , putting the finishing touches on your project , hanging the art you had framed , or doing whatever else needs doing around the house—whether that’s Cure-related or not.

Even if you don’t finish your catch-up to-do list today, give yourself some grace. You’re working hard to make your home the best it can be, and that’s impressive and impactful in any amount. The Cure isn’t about perfection, it’s about progress. You’ll get to finishing everything your home needs, little by little. Especially if you schedule this lost time into your regular monthly routine.

Go ahead and put another catch-up day on the calendar for February and keep this smart habit up all year long.

More Ways to Participate in the January Cure:

Sign up for email updates

Visit the 2021 January Cure page and catch up on assignments

Save or print your own January Cure tips workbook

Download the January Cure calendar

Join the Apartment Therapy Cure Facebook group