Researchers have figured out which activities, and in what volume, are linked to people reporting having a good day. We challenge three writers to follow the blueprint for improving their daily grind

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What edges a day over the threshold from being humdrum to something better? Something good?

It is a question that occurred to Dunigan Folk, a researcher from the University of Pennsylvania, when he encountered the vast data treasure trove of the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) in which tens of thousands of Americans record what they do with their days. In it, the survey respondents are asked to evaluate their day – whether it was a typical one, or, perhaps, better than average. In research published last month, Folk and colleagues used machine learning to analyse the ATUS data and figure out which activities, in what volume, were linked to people reporting having had a good day.

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