Weekends are precious so make sure you don’t waste yours
It’s been about a year since our family made the change to both Anna and I working full-time and out-of-the-house. The way we think about weekends has changed immensely! It’s challenging to find a sustainable pace.
Before that, either one or both of us had worked from home. There are some definite down-sides to working from home, but that kind of flexibility does make it way easier to get a full work day in and stay up on chores–especially if you’re able to avoid an hour in the car.
Over the last year I’ve made a number of mis-steps in managing the week which have led to wasted weekends. Here are five easy ways to waste your weekend and go back to work on Monday feeling robbed.
Do nothing but chores
The weekend won’t last forever.
Use every last ounce of energy to knock out every possible chore you could need to do during the week.
Fall into bed on Sunday night exhausted and then when the alarm goes off in the morning: hate your life.
Better alternative: try spacing out chores every night. Make a schedule and try to avoid all-or-nothing thinking.
Eat comfort food
You finally made it to the weekend.
You’re tired. You don’t want to cook.
Just grab a frozen pizza, fling it into a pre-heated oven and eat.
Better alternative: Plan out some salads, fish, or other healthy meals so that you don’t have to make a decision in the moment.
Hibernate in the house
You get up early every morning and leave the house. You spend ours in the car each week fighting traffic. You deserve to stay on the couch all weekend watching sports.
Don’t you?
Better alternative: make time for rest and for exertion. If all you do is veg you’ll find yourself becoming lethargic. If all you do is exert, you’ll find yourself exhausted.
Say Yes to Everything
You only have one weekend. Try to pack a week’s worth of fun into it.
There’s a lot going on.
Do. It. All.
Better alternative: designate part of your weekend solely for things that give you energy and that lift your spirit.
Burn the midnight oil
Sleep is for old people.
Young people.
The weak.
Make sure you wring every moment from the weekend by staying up late and getting up early. You’ll make up for it during the work week.
Jeff Gissing 