20 Different Ways to ‘Break the Script’ and Make Some Memories This Weekend

Apartment Therapy Weekend Projects is a guided program designed to help you get the happy, healthy home you’ve always wanted, one weekend at a time. Sign up now for email updates so you never miss a lesson.

Many of us thrive on routine. A steady and predictable rhythm of doing what we know comes next frees our minds and time from many decisions so we can focus on the more essential aspects of our days. An automatic pilot schedule can be freeing. But when our days become rote, we run the risk of not being present. And when things become too cyclical, time can feel like it’s speeding up.

This weekend, we’re going to break the script. We’re going to choose to do something differently and thereby ground ourselves in the moment, slow down time, and make memories that will stick with us and our loved ones for many years to come.

The concept of breaking the script comes from Chip and Dan Heath’s book “The Power of Moments.” The idea is simple but revolutionary, and can be applied not only in business but in our personal lives as well.

Breaking the script involves inserting an element of surprise in something typical. This creates memorable moments. As the Heath brothers say, “Familiarity and memorability are often at odds… If you’re looking to create memorable moments for your customers, you’ve got to break the script.”

Think of yourself and the people you love as your “customers” and choose one of the following to put into play this weekend (or make up your own):

1. Take a different route home and take in the scenery.
2. Have a picnic on the floor for any meal.
3. Read a book aloud together instead of watching a movie.
4. Replace girls’ night out with girls’ game night in.
5. Have breakfast for dinner.
6. Instead of cleaning out the garage (again), drive to the nearest beach/mountain/natural setting and take a hike.
7. Eat by candlelight.
8. Use the fancy china for a regular dinner.
9. Wake up early and take a morning walk.
10. Change where you sit at the table.
11. Take the TV outside and have movie night under the stars.
12. Play duck-duck-goose.
13. Buy some whipped cream in a can and eat it straight from the can.
14. Find a grassy hill and roll down it together.
15. Take your weekend “work” (whether it’s catching up on bills or office work) and do it together at a coffee shop.
16. Order a drink or entree that you’ve never had.
17. Go to a place you rarely frequent, such as a bowling alley, an indoor arcade, or a trampoline park.
18. Sleep in a tent in the backyard or even in the house.
19. Invite someone to join you doing something you’d typically do alone.
20. Eat dessert first.

Which will you choose?

You can catch up with weekend projects right here. Share your progress with us and others by posting updates and photos on Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #atweekendproject.

Remember: This is about improvement, not perfection. Each week you can either choose to work on the assignment we’ve sent you, or tackle another project you’ve been meaning to get to. It’s also completely okay to skip a weekend if you’re busy or not feeling the assignment.