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Weekdays can get busy and chaotic with unexpected things popping up all the time. It can be easy to think you’ll quickly take care of something and suddenly, your day is completely off track and you haven’t been nearly as productive as you want to be. Before you know it, the week is gone, and you’re left with a long list of things to do that you never got around to.
Then the weekend comes around and you feel like you’re running around trying to catch up from the things you didn’t accomplish during the week.
There has to be a better way!
Your weekend needs to feel different from your busy week; there needs to be more time to relax and do the things you enjoy. And your week needs to be more productive so that you can enjoy your weekend a little more.
Doing something different with your weekend allows your body and mind to recover from the stress you face during the week.
Enjoying quality rest and relaxation time on the weekend and doing a few things to prepare yourself for the week ahead will make your week more productive and your weekend more enjoyable.
These tips will help you get some much-needed rest and rejuvenation while gearing up for a productive week.
Table of Contents
NURTURE YOUR WEEKEND ROUTINE
MAKE SUNDAY NIGHT FUN
The Sunday night blues can start hitting you mid-day as you start to think about your busy week ahead, drawing your attention from the fact that it is still the weekend.
Drain every last minute of the weekend by planning something fun and/or relaxing for Sunday night. This will ensure that you enjoy the weekend to its fullest. Plan a date night or dinner with friends, take an evening yoga class, or have a family fun night of games and pizza.
Plan something different each Sunday night so you have something to look forward to and can avoid falling into a routine and letting those Sunday night blues set in again.
Read: How to Take Better Care of Yourself
CREATE WEEKEND TRADITIONS
Have a special weekend tradition that gets it kicked off, triggering your brain to slip into weekend mode. Have a Saturday morning pancake breakfast, go for a family hike, or create some other fun family tradition to enjoy on Saturday mornings to get the weekend off to a good start. This will help to separate the start of your weekend and the end of your week for your brain, allowing you to let go of the past week and anything that came with it.
If you can swing it consider doing this on Friday night when everyone comes home. We ring a cowbell every Friday night to announce the start of the weekend!
It’s become a fun and simple ritual which sets the mood that it’s time to enjoy our down time!
Read: Is There Such a Thing as Life Balance?
REDUCE (OR ELIMINATE) TECHNOLOGY
You may find it difficult to stay away from email and Facebook for an entire day, but reducing how often you check your phone will help you relax and enjoy what’s going on around you more. It’s also great for your brain to get a break from technology.
Enjoy some “phone free” time with your family. Make a house rule to stay off the phones (and computers) for at least a couple of hours each day on the weekends. Find something to do with each other instead.
Phone free time encourages you to have more quality time with your spouse, friends, and kids. If doing work on the weekends is an absolute must, create a specific window of time to finish a project, then walk away from it. This way, you will be able to relax and enjoy your weekend more than if you went back and forth to your office all weekend long.
Read: 9 Things You Can Do Now To Become Unbusy and Free Up Time
TAKE A NAP (OR TWO)
It’s time to go back to your pre-school days and enjoy a mid-day nap. Naps have been shown to increase both focus and mental awareness. Not only is it a great way to allow your body and mind to recover from the past week, but it will also help to rejuvenate you for the week ahead.
It doesn’t have to be a long nap; 15 to 20 minutes is all you need to feel refreshed and focused. Plan some time in your weekend for a little power nap and get your family to enjoy one too. It will do all of you some good to get a little extra mental and physical rest.
STOP MULTITASKING
Multitasking is the biggest lie that ever fed us.
It’s easy to think that if you can do more than one thing at a time you’ll get more done and be more productive. But since your brain can only give its full attention to one thing at a time, you’re being less efficient in your work and may have to go back and do it over again.
Focusing on just the task at hand can be meditative and calming, plus it allows you to be more productive instead of scatter-brained and stressed.
Read: How A Life Planner Can Change Your Life (and finally get and keep you organized!)
GET SOME EXERCISE
Staying physically active is beneficial for your mind and body — weekends included. Getting some exercise will help your brain to be able to stay more focused during the week when it matters. Whether it’s going to the gym or enjoying a family bowling night, get up and get moving. You’ll find that the more you move, the more energy and focus you have.
PLAN YOUR WEEKEND
Making weekend plans ahead of the coming weekend will allow you to enjoy your time more instead of just sitting in front of the tv because you didn’t make any plans. Planning ahead also lets you enjoy the anticipation of something fun, it will give you something to look forward to all week long.
Read: How to Finish Your To-Do List in Half the Time
PLAN YOUR WEEK
On the weekend, take a few minutes to plan the week ahead as well. Take just 10 minutes to review your schedule of appointments, go over your to do list, and create an action plan for getting it done including what you need to do each day. This will allow you to jump right into the day without wasting time figuring out what you need to accomplish first; allow you to be more productive.
CONCLUSION
When we take the time to create a ritual that announces the weekend and then fill it with the things that matter to our body, mind, and spirit, it sets us up to enjoy our ME time.
Enjoying some downtime on the weekend will allow you to be more focused for the coming week, which ultimately means you’ll be more productive. Take some time to relax and enjoy something special with your family; let go of work until Monday morning.
