There will always be another email, another bill, another problem and another plan to make. Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is stop. The Times looks at how Australians can reclaim Sunday — and make a day of it in every capital city.

Sunday used to be different.

Shops closed. Offices were empty. The telephone did not follow us around. There were fewer places to go and considerably fewer ways for the outside world to intrude upon the day.

Australia has changed, mostly for the better. We have more choices, more opportunities and instant access to information.

But somewhere along the way we also acquired the ability to work, worry, communicate and plan every hour of every day.

The office can now fit into a pocket.

So can the news.

So can the bank account, share portfolio, mortgage calculator, property listings, social media, world conflicts and seemingly endless procession of things demanding our attention.

Even when we are not working, we can remain mentally at work.

Perhaps Sunday deserves another look.

Give your mind some free time

Taking a break does not mean abandoning responsibilities.

Monday will still arrive.

The mortgage will still need paying. The business will still need running. The lawn may still need mowing. The inbox will still contain messages.

There are problems that require serious thought, and there are ambitions worth pursuing.

But they do not necessarily require attention seven days a week.

There is something to be said for deliberately making the horizon smaller for a few hours.

Instead of asking what you need to accomplish during the next five years, ask where you might have lunch.

Instead of thinking about Monday's meeting, decide where you would like to walk.

Instead of reading another account of something going wrong somewhere in the world, look at what is happening around you.

Take Sunday off.

Not necessarily from activity.

From planning.

Do something for somebody else

There is another ingredient to a good Sunday that is easily overlooked.

Other people.

Invite somebody to breakfast.

Take your partner somewhere you have been promising to visit.

Call your parents.

Take the children or grandchildren out.

Invite a friend who might otherwise spend the day alone.

Buy somebody a coffee.

Cook lunch.

Go for a walk together.

A day does not have to be expensive or spectacular to become memorable.

Sometimes the important part is simply deciding that, for a few hours, nothing else is more important than the person sitting opposite you.

And Australia provides an extraordinary collection of places in which to do it.

Here is The Times guide to having a Sunday out in Australia's eight capital cities.

Sydney — let the harbour do the work

Sydney sometimes makes relaxation unnecessarily complicated.

People cross the city for entertainment while overlooking one of the world's great natural harbours sitting directly in front of them.

A good Sydney Sunday can therefore begin with a simple rule:

Go towards the water.

One option is breakfast around Circular Quay or The Rocks followed by a walk through Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and around Mrs Macquarie's Point.

There is no requirement to rush.

Look at the harbour.

Watch the ferries.

Walk.

Stop for coffee.

Alternatively, head east to Bondi Beach, walk part of the coastal route and find somewhere for a long lunch.

But perhaps Sydney's quintessential Sunday excursion is to leave the car behind altogether.

Catch a ferry across the harbour to Manly Beach.

The ferry ride becomes part of the outing rather than merely transportation.

Sydney's Opal network covers trains, Metro, buses, light rail and ferries, and passengers can generally use an Opal card or contactless bank card to tap on and off.

With a car: Bondi, Watsons Bay, Palm Beach, the Royal National Park or the Blue Mountains can turn Sunday into a genuine escape.

Without a car: Use the train, Metro, bus, light rail and especially the ferries. Rideshare can conveniently cover the final few kilometres.

The objective is not to see Sydney.

It is to enjoy being in Sydney.

Brisbane — make the river your Sunday highway

Brisbane has become particularly good at Sunday.

Its climate, river and increasingly active inner city provide plenty of opportunities to spend a day outside without creating an elaborate itinerary.

Start around South Bank Parklands.

Walk beside the river, find breakfast, explore the cultural precinct or simply sit somewhere and watch Brisbane go past.

Then get on the river.

CityCats operate daily and serve South Bank, while the free CityHopper provides another way of experiencing the central river reaches.

Another option is the City Botanic Gardens followed by lunch in the city.

With a car, drive to Mount Coot-tha and look back across Brisbane.

And there is an unusually strong argument for leaving the car at home: Queensland's Translink network currently charges a flat 50-cent fare on its bus, train and ferry services in South East Queensland, excluding Airtrain's special airport fare.

With a car: Mount Coot-tha, bayside Brisbane or a longer excursion towards the hinterland.

Without a car: Train, bus, CityCat and ferry services make the river and inner city particularly accessible. Rideshare works well for destinations away from major routes.

Brisbane's great Sunday advantage is that you can do quite a lot while feeling as though you have done very little.

That is precisely the point.

Canberra — rediscover the city Australians think they know

Canberra may be one of Australia's most underestimated Sunday cities.

Its national institutions, open spaces and relatively compact geography make it exceptionally well suited to an unhurried day.

Begin around Lake Burley Griffin.

Walk.

Cycle.

Have coffee.

Then choose one institution rather than attempting to conquer them all.

The National Gallery of Australia is an obvious possibility.

So is the Australian War Memorial.

Or head to the National Arboretum or Australian National Botanic Gardens. VisitCanberra notes that many of the capital's attractions are free or offer family pricing, and the Old Bus Depot Markets operate on Sundays.

The temptation in Canberra is to turn a day out into an educational expedition.

Don't.

Choose one thing.

Enjoy it properly.

Have lunch.

Go somewhere else only if you feel like it.

With a car: Canberra is extraordinarily easy to explore, and the surrounding countryside provides further options.

Without a car: Transport Canberra buses and light rail provide alternatives, while rideshare can bridge the gaps between dispersed attractions. Weekend public transport receives off-peak pricing, with an adult weekend/public-holiday daily cap under the MyWay+ fare system.

Canberra on Sunday demonstrates something easily forgotten:

A capital city does not have to be busy to be interesting.

Adelaide — beach, hills or city?

Adelaide presents an excellent Sunday problem.

Which direction?

Drive west and you reach the sea.

Drive east and the Adelaide Hills rise almost immediately.

Or stay in the city and enjoy one of Australia's most manageable capitals.

For a traditional Sunday, head towards Glenelg Beach.

Walk along the foreshore, have lunch and stay long enough to remember that Sunday is not a race.

Alternatively, head into the Adelaide Hills.

Drive towards Crafers and Mount Lofty Summit, perhaps continuing through some of the Hills towns.

The Adelaide Hills are particularly attractive in winter, when the landscape takes on a different character.

One caution for visitors planning a Sunday: Adelaide Central Market is a famous Adelaide institution, but it is not normally a Sunday market. Don't build the day's itinerary around finding it open.

With a car: The Adelaide Hills make an easy Sunday excursion, as do the city's coastal suburbs.

Without a car: The Glenelg tram provides a straightforward city-to-beach excursion. Adelaide Metro also reaches parts of the Hills, including services to destinations such as Mount Lofty and Hahndorf, while the Belair train serves the foothills.

Adelaide's advantage is proximity.

A relatively small decision can produce a very different day.

Perth — from the park to Fremantle and the Indian Ocean

Perth has space.

That is one of its luxuries.

Begin at Kings Park.

Take in the city and Swan River.

Walk.

Have coffee.

Then decide whether Sunday belongs to the city or the coast.

A particularly good excursion is Fremantle.

Fremantle Markets trades on Sundays, providing exactly the sort of wandering, eating and people-watching environment a Sunday deserves.

From Fremantle you can head towards the coast, perhaps finishing around Cottesloe Beach.

And Perth currently offers an unusually compelling public-transport option: Sunday travel on the Transperth network is free when passengers correctly tag on and off using a SmartRider or eligible contactless payment method. Perth's free CAT buses also operate daily around the city.

With a car: Kings Park, Fremantle and the coast can comfortably form a full day's circuit.

Without a car: Trains make Fremantle highly accessible, while buses and CAT services provide alternatives around Perth. Rideshare can handle shorter connections.

If the weather cooperates, there are few better ways to finish an Australian Sunday than watching the sun disappear into the Indian Ocean.

Darwin — don't try to make it Melbourne

Darwin deserves a different Sunday.

The climate is different.

The distances are different.

The rhythm is different.

Embrace that.

Start around Darwin Waterfront Precinct.

Have breakfast, walk around the waterfront and take your time.

Later, consider the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.

Then leave room in the afternoon for the coast, a sunset or simply doing very little.

Darwin is one city where visitors should resist constructing an exhausting checklist.

Heat and humidity can dictate the day's pace, particularly during the build-up and wet season.

Plan around conditions.

Drink water.

Seek shade.

And remember that a tropical Sunday should feel tropical.

With a car: Darwin becomes much easier to explore, particularly when moving between waterfront, museum, coastal areas and destinations outside the centre.

Without a car: Public buses serve Darwin and surrounding suburbs, while taxis and rideshare can be particularly useful when heat or distance makes walking unattractive.

There is no prize for fitting twelve attractions into Sunday.

Darwin is a particularly good place to remember that.

Melbourne — wander rather than conquer

Melbourne's great Sunday strength is that you don't really need a plan.

You need a direction.

Start at Queen Victoria Market, which trades on Sundays.

Eat something.

Buy something unnecessary.

Walk towards the city.

Perhaps continue to the river and then the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria - Melbourne Gardens.

Or head south towards St Kilda beach and spend the afternoon beside Port Phillip.

Melbourne is also exceptionally suited to a car-free Sunday.

Trains, trams and buses connect the city and inner suburbs, and the central Free Tram Zone makes wandering around the CBD particularly straightforward.

With a car: Bayside suburbs, the Dandenong Ranges or Mornington Peninsula become possibilities, although a longer excursion can easily turn Sunday into a driving exercise.

Without a car: Melbourne may be the easiest Australian capital in which simply to get on a tram and see where the day takes you. Trains expand the possibilities further, and rideshare can fill the remaining gaps.

The Melbourne Sunday does not need a headline attraction.

Coffee, a market, a tram ride, a walk and lunch can be enough.

Hobart — waterfront, gardens and the mountain

Hobart almost seems designed for this exercise.

Start around Salamanca Pl and the waterfront.

There is an important Sunday distinction here: the famous Salamanca Market is a Saturday institution, so Sunday visitors should not arrive expecting the weekly market.

That does not diminish Salamanca itself.

Walk the historic precinct.

Find breakfast.

Explore Battery Point.

Look across the Derwent.

Then perhaps visit the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens.

If the weather allows, the day's grand excursion is Mount Wellington — kunanyi/Mount Wellington — rising dramatically behind the city.

But conditions at elevation can be very different from those on Hobart's waterfront.

Check conditions before going.

With a car: The mountain, surrounding countryside and nearby towns considerably expand the possibilities.

Without a car: Metro buses cover Hobart and surrounding suburbs, while rideshare is practical for many shorter journeys. Specialist transport options may also operate towards the mountain, so check current schedules before setting out.

Hobart offers something increasingly valuable in a capital city:

The countryside never feels very far away.

You don't have to go anywhere

There is, of course, another possibility.

Stay home.

Put the phone down.

Cook breakfast.

Sit outside.

Read something that has nothing to do with work.

Walk around your neighbourhood.

Invite somebody over.

Make lunch.

Call someone you have been meaning to call.

Watch a film.

Play with the dog.

Take the children to the park.

Do absolutely nothing for an hour without feeling guilty about it.

The point is not that Australians should spend every Sunday visiting attractions.

Quite the opposite.

The point is to occasionally stop treating every hour as an economic unit that must produce something.

We optimise businesses.

We optimise investments.

We optimise websites, careers, mortgages, superannuation, travel, exercise, diets and even sleep.

Perhaps Sunday does not need optimising.

Perhaps it just needs enjoying.

The Times View

Australia will still be there on Monday morning.

So will most of our problems.

There is value in ambition, planning and hard work. Much of what people build in their lives depends upon all three.

But a life spent continually preparing for what happens next carries its own cost.

Sunday offers an opportunity to interrupt that cycle.

Take the ferry.

Walk beside the river.

Drive to the hills.

Go to the beach.

Visit the gallery.

Have lunch.

Take somebody with you.

Do something kind for somebody without expecting anything in return.

And for a few hours, resist the temptation to solve next week.

Take a break from planning your life long enough to live some of it.