We all have those days of the working week when we just wish the weekend would arrive and then when it does, it seems to be over in the blink of an eye.

Hello friends, so this had gotten me curious as to what we can do to make the most of my weekends but indeed every day so that we don’t feel like we are on this perpetual hamster wheel of waiting for the weekend to arrive.

And whichever type of weekend you prefer, I suppose making the most of the weekend must follow the same formula regardless of how you prefer to spend the time. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Weekends are brilliant – 48 hours of time, without the hustle and bustle of work life so the key must be not to fall into a pattern of laziness and procrastination that can lead us to feel unfulfilled and unsatisfied.

I read an article recently about a  study published in the Harvard Business Review where they ran an experiment to see if a group of people could get the same enjoyment from a weekend and we do when we are on holiday.  The study was run with 400 workers in the United States, whereby on the Friday before the weekend, half were told to treat the weekend like a holiday, while the other half (the control group) were told to treat the weekend like any other weekend. The finding essentially found that people who treated their weekends like a holiday were much happier than the control group.

Now the thing is the study wasn’t about forgetting about all housework or weekend jobs that needed to be done but more about being fully present in whatever they were doing at the weekend – in essence just slowing down and taking notice of whatever it was that they were doing.

So let’s think about ways of making the most of your weekends so that we can return to work on a Monday feeling rejuvenated and productive for the week ahead.

Everything I have read about this subject begins with the same advice:

1.      Spend time planning

Now this may suit some people more than others and what is meant by this is not to feel you have to plan out each moment of the weekend but to at least have some non-negotiables. The way this increases our happiness is that you have time during the week or even weeks ahead to look forward to some of those plans, which actually makes your working week good too.

2.     Totally disconnect from work

We often talk about the importance of work-life balance and there is nothing worse than ruminating about work matters in your spare time. So think about strategies for avoiding work emails or that report you didn’t manage to write during the week and instead just enjoy the time you have. Time away from other distractions like social media can also help you stay in the moment. There is nothing worse than the onset of thoughts that can overtake us on a Sunday evening, that snatch away our precious downtime so why not consider how you end your work week? On a  Friday afternoon set some time aside to plan out your schedule for the coming week.  That way you can avoid the onset of work thoughts on a Sunday evening.

3.    Have a weekend bucket list

Spend some time with friends and family and talk about all the great things you could and would like to do during your weekends. Think about new and different things you may have wanted to try; places you want to visit, restaurants you’ve wanted to try out, new recipes you want to cook, and events you’ve never planned for and wished you had.

4.    Spend time in nature

This one always had to be on the list. We all know the benefits of spending time in nature for its physical and mental benefits, whether it’s a hike or a visit to your local park or woodland.  So find those places you feel excited at the thought of being there and make time for them. 

5.    Carve out some time for self-care

Explore what self-care means to you and take the opportunity to build it into your weekend. Whether you enjoy reading, exercising, meditation or simply taking time to do nothing but relax and unwind is essential to top up your batteries for the week ahead.

6.    Try to do some housework during the week

We all have those jobs that need doing at the weekend but perhaps thinking about which of those tasks you can squeeze into your weekdays will pay dividends by freeing up precious weekend time. It could be as simple as running the hoover around before you leave for work, cleaning that kitchen floor one weekday evening, or putting a load of laundry into the washing machine.

I hope you’ve enjoyed thinking about how you can enjoy your weekends more, I know I have and know I will go into them with a different mindset going forward.

I would love to hear what are your perfect weekends like, leave me a comment in the chat.

Bye for now. Jackie