Today's is the one day of the year where doing nothing is totally justified (Picture: Getty)
Dreaming of a quieter life is not only acceptable but required on August 10 (Picture: Getty)

Today is the day for even the most horizontal of us to truly kick back and do nothing.

August 10 is National Lazy Day, and the clue is in the title.

The day is primarily aimed at the stressed out and rundown among us – after all, for the professional slacker EVERY day is Lazy Day.

Today is for those who can’t stop thinking about work, or the gym, or those pesky home chores, or the present shopping for upcoming birthdays, or the travel plans for the August Bank Holiday… for some the list is endless.

It would defeat the purpose if we went into a long-winded history of how National Lazy Day came about. It just did, all right?

But it’s perhaps worth mentioning that next year’s Lazy Day falls on a Monday.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on getting the least out of National Lazy Day. Do one or do them all:

1. Stay in bed

It’s not too late if you’ve already risen, nobody will tell on you if you slip back under the covers.

Woman in bed
We couldn’t even be bothered finding a colour photograph (Picture: Corbis)

2. Don’t get dressed

What you slept in is fine, especially if you’re sticking to Step 1. If you’re really 100% into the concept, don’t brush your teeth or shower either.

Patrick Kavanagh, loom bands, loom band thong, loom band penis pouch
Hey, we don’t judge you on your night attire (Picture: SWNS)

3. Resist the urge to do anything

For example, listening to music is okay, but don’t sing along or do the dance moves – International Dance Day was April 29.

The Avegant Glyph, a virtual retinal display fused with a pair of high-quality headphones, posed by model image. free pic
Listening to music is okay, but doing anything other than standing still is not being lazy (Picture: Metro)

4. Watch TV

For a truly lazy experience, just turn it on to whatever channel comes on and leave the remote alone. A perfect addition to steps 1 and 2.

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5. Order delivery

Let someone else do the work, and with judicious use of fast food containers, you don’t have to do any dishes either.

A Pizza Delivery Man
Perhaps you might have to skip Step 2 and get dressed if this guy arrives (Picture: Corbis)

6. Don’t answer the phone (and especially not the door)

Nothing good ever comes of unexpected calls or visitors. Warning: Do not combine Step 5 and Step 6.

Posed by model
Do not answer the phone, especially if it’s almost older than you are and doesn’t work (Picture: Evening Standard)

7. Avoid any responsibility

If friends or family ask for advice or an opinion, pretend you haven’t heard them. Putting fingers in your ears and singing ‘La la la la…’ helps, but don’t put too much effort into it (see Step 3).

Man Putting Fingers in Ears
‘La la la la…’ etcetera (Picture: Corbis)

8. Chores

Piles of dishes or dirty clothes? If you can’t reach them from where you are, look away from them (then they don’t exist!).

Chores
Leave it long enough and the rats will lick those dishes clean (Picture: Alamy Images)

9. Daydreaming yes, thinking no

Imagining what it would be like to fly, or being Orlando Bloom punching Justin Bieber, is acceptable laziness. Actually thinking about a flying holiday abroad – or punching Justin Bieber for real – is planning, and you’re not being lazy enough.

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10. Don’t read anything

Including this article. Perhaps this should have been step one. Whatever.