How often have you thought to yourself on Monday morning, “Where did the weekend go?” The weekend for most people is a time to get caught up on all the things they didn’t have time to do during the week, see friends, have fun, and do it all over again five days later. For many, this routine leaves them feeling just as exhausted on Monday morning as they felt on Friday afternoon. The challenge: how to simultaneously decompress from the week, recharge, and create positive emotions and experiences.
Craft weekends that are memorable, relaxing, and productive with these 8 tips.
Take a break from work
That’s right, actually give it a rest. Make a decision on Friday evening to turn off your work mode. Imagine you’re stepping out of the work version of you and into the lighthearted weekend version of yourself. Be okay relaxing, guilt-free.
Don't sleep in
Although you may be tempted to do so, this will rob you of valuable time to get out there and make the most of the day. Further, it will eventually interfere with your sleep schedule during the rest of the week. Instead, if you’re tired, take a short power nap during the day.
Don't leave all your chores and errands for the weekend
Doing so will put pressure on you at a time when you are trying to decompress. Instead, lighten your weekend load by knocking off some of your chores during the week.
Unplug
Being constantly connected to smartphones and social media spreads your attention thin, thus sapping you of energy at a time when you’re trying to recharge. Learn more about how to
detox from your smartphone here.
Strike a balance between planning ahead and going with the flow
Look forward to activities and have plans in place, but be flexible and don’t pack the weekend too tightly.
Plan time to do nothing for an hour or two
For years I’ve been allowing a morning or an afternoon each weekend to be without plans. That may seem boring, but knowing that I don’t have to be anywhere, do anything, or be accountable to anyone, is a healthy way for me to recharge and hit the reset button. So carve out an hour (or more if you don’t have a partner or kids) and be entirely selfish and self-indulgent.
Step out of your comfort zone and mix up the scenery
Monotony can make a weekend feel routinely boring. Challenge yourself with new physical or intellectual activities and make your weekend different from the previous one. Consider a weekend staycation. Pretend you’re a tourist in your own city. What would you do and see? Perhaps there are some yet to be realised diversions for you to take.
Conquer the Sunday blues
People sometimes can’t enjoy the weekend because their head is wrapped up in the work week that lies ahead. Learn how to beat the
Sunday blues here. And above all, know that the weekends are yours... make them different and special.
How do you spend your weekends? Let us know in the comments.
