I think we can all agree that for most of us, the weekends are our most anticipated time of the week. But they always go just so darn quick, don’t they!
So how can we ensure we are getting the most out of our weekends?
Make Plans in Advance
Don’t leave it until the weekend has already begun for you to start to think about what you want to get up to. If you leave it to the last minute, it may be likely that your friends or family already have their own plans and you will probably waste more time thinking about what you want to do with your weekend, rather than just jumping in and doing it.
Spending time on the weekend thinking and talking about what you want to do is WASTING YOUR WEEKEND! Send a message out or talk to others earlier in the week to schedule in social events so you have something to look forward to, and the plan is already in place.
Be Flexible
While having weekend plans is a top priority to get the most out of your weekend, make sure you also remain flexible and open to spontaneity. Don’t be so rigid in your plans that you get out of sync if the plans change, or another (potentially better) opportunity presents itself to you.
Sometimes the best weekends come about when there is no set plan, the plan just happens (and you generally have more fun doing it, than if it had been part of your plan anyway). So, remain open to this.
Avoid Procrastination
The reality is that despite our best efforts, most of us will still have at least some chores or ‘less-fun’ tasks that will need to be completed on the weekend too.
Whether it be studying, cleaning, doing your laundry, washing your car, going grocery shopping or attending appointments etc., these are all things that we would probably prefer not to spend our weekends doing.
Don’t put doing these things off. If you procrastinate about doing them, you will waste the weekend thinking about all of the things that you have to do but don’t want to do, rather than making the most of your weekend – just get in and get them done!
Personally, I like to get all of these activities done first thing on a Saturday morning. This means that they are out of the way; I don’t have to think about them anymore or remind myself that I need to do them, and I am free to spend the rest of my weekend the way I please.
Don’t Overcommit Yourself
No one feels refreshed after a full-on busy weekend where you have been rushing from one thing to the next and don’t even have a chance to catch your breath.
Yes, every now and again you will have a weekend like this, for example, the couple of weekends leading into Christmas where there are many Christmas parties, carols, family catch-ups, last-minute shopping etc. that you need to do. But doing this every weekend is a recipe for burnout.
Don’t be afraid to say no! Your weekend is YOUR weekend; YOUR time and YOU get to choose HOW you spend it and WHO you spend it with. It’s better to reschedule plans for a later date than get to the end of the weekend and feel as if you haven’t had a break.
Scheduled Downtime for Selfcare
I don’t know about you, but if I get to the end of the weekend and go straight into the workweek with no downtime, I sometimes don’t even feel like I’ve had a weekend.
It is so, SO important to schedule yourself some time for self-care. You don’t have to block out a huge amount of time; it doesn’t have to involve a massage (although, I certainly wouldn’t be objecting), it just has to be something that allows you to regroup and calm yourself. Is it sleeping in? Watching a movie? Taking a bath? Going for a walk? Painting?… Work out what makes you feel relaxed, and schedule in time to do that too.
So there you have it, my tips for how I get the most out of my weekends to make them last just that little bit longer!
About the Author
Nadia is the founder of On Her Desk, an online luxury stationery brand for driven and ambitious women. Nadia created On Her Desk to support women to be organised without compromising on style.
This is a fab post! Something I never would haven thought I needed help with, but when we come out of lockdown I’m worried I won’t know how to ‘weekend’ anymore haha! xx
Haha I know the feeling. It’s going to be weird adjusting back to normal life xx