Follow this formula and you could have the best day ever

Four hours of exercise, six hours with family, and no doomscrolling – what could possibly go wrong?

by Suzy Walker

We all know what a good day feels like. The coffee’s hot, your inbox is kind, and even the dog seems to wag in time with your mood.

But what if you could engineer the perfect day? Not by luck, or with crystals, but with actual science? A new study published by researchers at the University of British Columbia analysed data from the American Time Use Survey, which recorded how thousands of people spent their time across more than 100 activities.

By comparing these patterns with whether participants rated their day as “better than typical,” they were able to pinpoint the building blocks of a good day.

Their conclusion? There’s a formula for a truly joyful day.

BDE = 6h family + 2h friends + 1.5h socializing + 2h exercise + 1h eating/drinking – work >6h – TV >1h – commuting >15min

OR

BDE = FAM₆ + FR₂ + SOC₁.₅ + EX₂ + EAT₁ – WRK₆ – TV₁ – CMT₀.₂₅

(All variables measured in hours or minutes. “–” denotes tipping points where enjoyment decreases.)

OR

That’s Best Day Ever = 6 hours with family + 2 hours with friends + 1.5 hours of extra socialising + 2 hours of exercise + 1 hour of eating and drinking – with less than 6 hours of work, indulging in only 1 hour of screen time, and a 15-minute commute.

Basically: be fit, fun, available, and somehow not working too much. So... early retirement?

Still, I thought I’d give it a go.

Six hours with family

Let’s begin with the near-impossible: six hours of family time. Lovely, if you live in a commune or own a toddler. Me? I live alone. My 23-year-old son Charlie moved out to go to university four years ago, and the house has been quieter than a library with a power cut.

I’d underestimated just how punchy the grief of empty nesting would feel. Turns out, I wasn’t quite ready to trade my daily dose of “Muuum, where’s my charger?” for the melancholic hum of Radio 4 and reheated soup for one.

So today, I arranged a mid-morning Zoom call, not a WhatsApp “how’s work” tap-and-go. We talked, laughed, planned an Easter escape (a cottage! With actual eye contact!). Obviously, it didn’t hit the full six hours, but it hit the heart, and that’s something. It was a proper, soul-soothing 20-minutes and the researchers were right, it brightened my mood and day.

The Good Day Formula (evidence-based)

Here’s what the study says...

1. Time with family:

~6 hours (360 minutes)

The most important predictor of a good day. Participants who spent more time with family were significantly more likely to rate their day as better than typical.

2. Time with friends:

~1.5–3 hours (90–180 minutes)

Powerfully positive. The more time spent with friends, the better. Benefits increased almost linearly up to 5–6 hours.

3. Socializing (general):

Up to 2 hours (120 minutes)

Socialising in any context (including phone calls, chatting) improves day quality—but benefits plateau after two hours.

4. Physical exercise/sports:

Up to 4 hours (240 minutes)

Consistently associated with better days. Participants who engaged in physical activity had a higher likelihood of rating their day positively.

5. Eating & drinking (including travel to eat out):

1–1.5 hours (60–90 minutes)

Pleasure and nourishment both matter. Dining experiences—especially when they involve some social component—correlated with better days.

6. Minimal or no work:

< 6 hours

Working for more than six hours sharply decreased the likelihood of a good day. Less is more here.

7. Very limited screen-based leisure (e.g. TV watching):

< 1 hour

Surprisingly, relaxing/leisure time (especially watching TV) was negatively associated with good days. Less lounging, more engaging.

8. Very short commute (or none at all):

< 15 minutes

Commuting for longer periods reduced day satisfaction. Short travel to eat/socialize = good. Long commutes to work = bad.

This inspired me to visit my nephew, who had just bought his first house nearby to me. Normally I’d send a round of enthusiastic emojis on the family group chat. But in the spirit of “Better Day Energy”, I showed up in real life.

I even turned down a freelance commission to take two hours out of my day to visit – something I would never normally do. It felt weird. And also... wonderful as I saw my nephew beam as he showed me round his new home. There’s a big difference between staying in touch and truly connecting.

Two hours with friends

For my friendship quota, conveniently, my friend Lizzie from London was staying with me (I live in Northumberland), en route to a work conference in Edinburgh. So I had friendship time on tap this week.

We had kicked off the day with an early beach walk. Normally I treat dog-walking like a chore to be endured and normally stomp round the back of Aldi carpark. But reframed as soul-nourishing joy with a friend? Honestly? Game-changer. We walked a bit further to the beach and talked, laughed, solved nothing and everything and admired the view.

One and a half hours of extra socialising

The formula also recommends a bit of general chit-chat beyond your immediate circle. So I spoke to the woman at the coffee shop about the new film on at the local cinema, joked with a man in the bakery queue about his ill-shaped croissant and talked books with my local indie bookseller when I picked up a book I was supposed to be reviewing for work. None of this changed my life, but it made the day feel more human. Less tunnel-vision, more twinkly.

Two hours of exercising

Next up: exercise. The formula recommends up to four hours. FOUR. I laughed. I’ve technically joined a gym, but my usual routine is 20 minutes on a treadmill followed by a long nap in the sauna. So I made an effort: I committed to a proper hour of movement, plus add in the two beach dog walks. Total: 2+ hours. Result: smug. I won’t say I became an endorphin junkie overnight, but I did spend the day feeling less like a laptop goblin and more like a functioning human.

One hour of eating and drinking

Eating and drinking made the official shortlist for Best Day Ever activities (finally, something I’m already good at). Normally, lunch involves hovering over my laptop, half-chewing while replying to emails and accidentally liking someone’s Instagram post from 2017.

But for science, I decided to go full domestic goddess: I set the table, lit a candle (for lunch!)and actually tasted my food like some kind of civilised human. Then that evening, Lizzie and I cooked dinner together with a soundtrack of 1980s bangers and absolutely no agenda. It wasn’t gourmet – just pasta and salad – but we laughed, we stirred, we debated how much parmesan was too much (answer: that limit does not exist). The food was fine. The company was better. The vibe? Michelin-starred emotional nourishment.

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