Irrespective of whether you believe your life on this planet is a one-time thing, that Earth is merely the waiting room for eternal paradise or, actually, you’ve been reincarnated as an iguana before, and chances are you will again, ask yourself: are you happy? Are you, though? Punching out quarterly reports in an office for low pay is one thing, but what about everything else? As a kid, did you actually think you’d spend your precious downtime on week-long TV show binges, rearranging the cutlery drawer or meticulously totting up your expenditure in Excel? Don’t be mistaken to think this is about money (or a lack thereof); this is about enjoyment. And, well, we’re really starting to worry about you. In a recent Art Fund study, more than half (53 per cent) of respondents admitted to feeling some level of anxiety, a quarter (27 per cent) said they felt guilty if they dared take time out for themselves, and three out of five (57 per cent) didn’t “make conscious choices to give life meaning”. This is desperately depressing. Are these people miserably shuffling towards the grave, with no plan, no hope even, of having enjoyed a single bit of it? Worse: are you one them? Don’t be. Below we have collated a rundown of simple, actionable – and for the most part, free – tricks to jumpstart your joie de vivre.

Step Away From The Smartphone

Look, modern mobile phones are objectively brilliant. If you’d told us 20 years ago that we’d have better technology in our pocket than what flew rockets to the moon in the ’60s – capable of delivering up-to-the-second news, mapping our destination or ordering food, goods or cabs at the touch of an LED screen – we’d have strongly advised you see a doctor; and so you won’t find us advocating you chuck your iPhone off a bridge, and fully embrace the nomadic lifestyle. We will absolutely point out, however, that for all that shiny stuff, your smartphone doesn’t make you happy.