An ordinary night in can feel chosen when it includes something you look forward to.

The difference between a quiet evening and a wasted one is often a single planned element. Nothing about the night has to change, and adding one thing you were looking forward to converts it from what was left over into what you decided. Choice is largely a matter of arranging in advance rather than settling by default. The same hours can be experienced as either.

Give an evening this week one small fixture: a particular meal, a programme, a bath, a phone call. Decide on it in the morning so the evening arrives as a plan rather than an absence of plans.