Duh, right? Hear me out. This is relevant to even those of us who swear we go out ALL THE TIME.

Feeling disenchanted with the whole dating scene and being just plain over it sit securely in the “there’s no point, so why try” cheering camp. When we feel like this, before we know it we’ve spent both weekend days inside our apartments — reorganizing our closets and/or the spice rack, knitting or just chilling in our own company.

Fortunately for our shoe closet — but unfortunately for our love lives — the days are when the magic happens. This is because people are more low-key and relaxed during the day, so it’s much easier to have those awesome, random conversations that can turn into more than just “that fun guy I met in the coffee shop/bookstore/park.”

Don’t get me wrong — there’s nothing wrong with a little self-imposed hibernation now and again. If anything, it’s needed and healthy to take a staycation from our lives and put aside some time to do that weird stuff that occupies our time when we live alone (or at least have our own room in a shared house). However, staying in ALL the time is bad news for our date count because unfortunately, rarely is the pizza or sushi delivery guy as sexy (and willing and available) as we dream them to be (or as they always seem to be in cheesy porn).

The excuses for not leaving the house are plentiful and easy to come by, largely because it’s must easier to chill at home than it is to get dressed, find a reason to leave and go out (especially when it’s raining.) So, the next time these excuses try to seduce you into yet another Project Runway marathon, give these excuses the finger.

Weekend morning coffee drinker? Bring a book or your favorite magazine and go sit at your local coffee shop for a couple hours on Sunday. Bored? Peruse a bookstore or check out that new art gallery down the street. It’s not necessary to have a point every time we go out — we can simply be out for the sake of being out, and for the sake of interacting with other breathing, warm-bodied (hopefully attractive and cool) fellow humans. And if our friends aren’t available to accompany us on these sojourns? Go without them. Being out by yourself is a fantastic way to make new friends, and who knows — you might just meet your next date.

Yours in avoiding spice-rack alphabetization, S