The weekend should be the time to relax and recharge after the workweek. Unfortunately, many of us squander our leisure days with habits and activities that leave us stressed and depleted come Sunday evening. To help you avoid wasting your weekend, we’ve gathered together four tips that can help you relax and have fun while you’re off work.
1. Put Together a Plan
You shouldn’t aim to fill every minute — after all, one goal is to relax — but having a few scheduled activities can help keep you from sinking into inaction. If you have nothing lined up, you can find yourself wasting hour after hour listlessly browsing the internet or catatonically watching TV. With definite plans, you’ll make sure that you have something to look forward to.1
2. Cool It on the Chores
Because you have so much free time available over the weekend, it’s tempting to delay unpleasant tasks like housecleaning or paying bills until Saturday or Sunday. Unfortunately, this can backfire, leaving you dreading the very hours that you should be enjoying. Try to break your chores up throughout the week — laundry one night and bathroom cleaning the next. At the end of the week, you’ll have a lot less tidying up to do when you’re off work.1
3. Stave off Sunday Doldrums
It’s easy to lose a big chunk of your weekend thinking too much about Monday. Even those who don’t dread the start of the workweek can spend Sunday afternoon thinking about the next morning, getting themselves into work mode when they still have hours of free time left. Stay focused on the weekend with Sunday afternoon activities. Try scheduling an evening exercise class, or invite your friends over for a small get together. Put on your favorite podcast or a mood-boosting playlist and prep some meals for the week to keep your post-work time a little less stressful. You’ll have plenty of time to think about work while you’re actually in the office!2
4. Put Away the Smartphone
Nothing makes it harder to relax than feeling like you’re still plugged in at work. Even if you’re stretched out on a hammock with a lemonade in your hand, it’s hard to really unwind if you’re checking your email every few minutes. Set aside chunks of time throughout the weekend where you disconnect completely: Put away the phone, turn off the computer and enjoy the present.3
References
1 Cutrone, C. (2014, November 21). How successful people make the most of their weekends. Retrieved April 27, 2015, from http://www.businessinsider.com/how-successful-people-spend-weekends-2014-11?op=1
2 Vanderkam, L. (2013, April 18). 4 things successful people never do on weekends. Retrieved April 27, 2015, from http://www.oprah.com/spirit/How-to-Make-the-Most-of-Your-Weekend
3 Douthwaite, K. (n.d.). Kick the Sunday Blues! 5 Ways to Make the Most of Your Weekend. Retrieved April 27, 2015, from https://www.themuse.com/advice/kick-the-sunday-blues-5-ways-to-make-the-most-of-your-weekend
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