If your days off from work are as chaotic as your days in the office, you are in desperate need of some quality weekend time. Here are 5 Simple Ways to Reclaim Your Weekend.
- Set a Strict “Pencils Down” Rule for Work
Many people’s weekend work can come from their constant connectedness. So long as you have your smartphone with you at all times, you’ll always have work emails and messages to read and respond to.
Stop work from creeping into your weekend by turning off notifications on work-related apps such as Slack, Teams and email. Set your inbox to ‘read-only’ from Friday evening to Monday morning so you don’t get pulled back into work.
Create a ritual to mark the end of your workweek. This will help signal to your brain that you are no longer at work. Whether you choose to put your laptop in a drawer, pick up a few items from your desk and take them to the floor, or go for a quick walk outside to get some fresh air, having a clear ritual will help you move from work mode to weekend mode more easily.
- Outsource the Heavy Lifting
I try to help people with all sorts of tasks, to free up their time to relax and enjoy their weekends. That’s why I was so excited to try out WeCasa, a platform that lets you book and pay for in-home services from hairdressers to massage therapists to house cleaners. Because if you’re having to spend your Saturday’s and Sunday’s running from task to task doing things to keep your house and yourself clean and put together for the week, then you’re not really getting a weekend off from work. And that’s not fair.
Nowadays there are more platforms than ever before that you can use to outsource tasks such as cleaning, personal training or hairdressers. Websites like WeCasa bring the experts to you so that you can make use of them in your free time, and then do what you like with the hours that you have just ‘bought back’.
- Schedule “Do Nothing” Time
Many people try to cram as much fun and interesting things into their free time as possible before they know it they have been running around nonstop and haven’t gotten a chance to recharge.
For 2 hours on your weekends, do nothing. And I mean nothing. No reading, no TV, no movies, no new hobbies or interests. And don’t tell yourself you’re just ‘relaxing’ because then you’re not. You’re recovering from the rigors of work, other obligations, and all of the rest of your life.
- Practice Habit Batching for Errands
Rather than scattering errands all over your weekend, try to batch them and go to all of the stores in your town, for example, on one morning. Then you can head home and relax for the rest of the weekend, knowing that you have completed all of your weekend domestic chores.
- Do a “Sunday Reset”
Sunday anxiety is a real thing. Many people suffer from what is known as the “Sunday Scaries” because of the fear of not being prepared enough for the week ahead. Doing a Sunday reset can help alleviate some of this stress and only take 30 to 45 minutes to complete. Some things to consider in your Sunday reset would be to:
Meal prep: Chop up vegetables or decide on and even prep out dinner for the next Monday and Tuesday.
Pick out your outfit for the next day: This one is huge. Knowing what to wear in the morning will save you a ton of stress and make sure you can get out the door on time.
Brain dump: Write down the top three things you have to do on Monday at work so they are out of your head when you go to sleep for the night.
The Bottom LineYour weekends should be about more than laundry, meal planning, and a host of other items that could be done during the week. Your weekends are for recharging your batteries for the week ahead. Intentionally allocate your time and energy to make sure you are coming back to work refreshed and ready to take on whatever your week brings.
