The weekends are our only chance to break out of the daily grind of the work-week and enjoy life. But what happens when the 48 hours we have feel like they’ve flown by too fast and it’s back to Monday again? We’ve gathered some tips to help you spend your weekends with more intention and stretch them out to maximize the fun.
1. Wake up!
The easiest way to make the most out of your weekends is to give yourself more time, literally! Just as you have a defined wake up time on weekdays, set an alarm for the weekends too. Plan to sleep in no longer than an hour or two after the time you wake up from Monday to Friday. This eliminates the groggy feeling you get from too much sleep and won’t disrupt your sleep cycle between the work-week and weekend.
2. Create intentional, effortful fun
It’s easy to curl up in bed and power through Netflix for hours , effortless fun, but this isn’t particularly memorable. Think of your weekends like you think of a vacation by taking advantage of each day. Get the most of your time by exploring new hobbies, fulfilling your passions, building relationships and taking little adventures. Make a dream list of all the things you want to experience, from trying out a much talked about dish at a restaurant to taking that first aerial yoga class, and start ticking off whatever is locally available to you. Fun that is purposeful is more enjoyable, memorable and fulfilling.
3. Plan in advance
Plan ahead and schedule in your weekend activities during the weekdays in order to have something to look forward to. The anticipation will hype you up during the week, making that more enjoyable too! Once your events are fixed in your calendar, they’re also more likely to happen, ensuring that your weekend is filled with treats.
4. Be present
It’s been said before but it’s a sure-fire way to make the most of your time. During office hours (and sometimes after them), we can’t help but be on our phones, tablets and laptops pretty much all the time. And, while we work, we’re also invariably switching between texting, social media and general internet browsing. Save the weekend hours to truly invest in the company you’re with, the activity you’re doing, or the food you’re eating. Enjoy where you are without the anticipation or worry that comes with being ‘on’ and ‘elsewhere’ all the time.
5. Thwart those errands
There are two ways to tackle errands to leave more time for weekend fun. The first is to break up your chores into smaller, manageable tasks that you can take on during the week nights. Going into the weekend with less on your plate lightens your weekend load and mind set. If you must run some errands over the weekend, group them together in a designated window of time, such as 10am to noon on Saturday, so that they don’t take over your weekend or get in the way of any play. Setting a marked time for errands also allows you to relax whilst doing other activities with the knowledge that you have a specific time to take care of all the things that you need to take care of.
6. Banish the Sunday blues
Perhaps a hangover from our school days, we’re all still prone to gloomy thoughts as Sunday evening approaches, no matter how much we enjoy our jobs. Extend the fun and skip any Sunday negativity by planning something enjoyable during the evening, such as a group dinner with friends or game night at home. Not only does this end the weekend on a high, but it gives you something to look forward to and makes it easier to forget about the prospect of work the next day.
7. And the Monday blues too
Similar to the intent of the Sunday evening plan, use your Monday evening to let your hair down, perhaps during a post work cocktail with a friend. Extending the weekend feeling into the work week softens the distinction between the two parts of the week. Going back to work isn’t so bad if you’ve got something fun coming up almost immediately! The other advantage of this is that restaurants will be less crowded so you might get a chance to go to that spot you’ve been wanting to go to for a while and enjoy a quieter evening.
Which of these will you be incorporating into your weekend? Let us know how you make the most of your weekends and if you have any tips you’d like to share!
