(Byline: Emily Osterhaus) Weekends always feel like they fly by. Why is that? Do you leave all of your household chores and “honey do’s” for what’s meant to be your time off? Do you try to jam pack all of your fun, non-work activities for the weekend and start your Monday mornings not feeling rested? Do you stress about work tasks all weekend? Whatever may be preventing you from truly resting and relaxing during the weekend, changing the way you look at and how you schedule your weekdays might help you achieve a truly relaxing weekend. Here are a few suggestions:
Unplug, unplug, unplug. Don’t look at your work email. If someone truly needs to reach you, they’ll call you or figure it out themselves. Even if you do respond to a work email right away, there’s a good chance that the recipient isn’t going to look at it until Monday morning anyway.
Let Monday be Monday; don’t borrow trouble. Why are you stressing yourself out about tasks that should be or have to be left until Monday. Start thinking about what you can do for yourself on Saturday and Sunday.
Don’t make Sunday laundry day, yard work day, deep cleaning, or meal prep day. Rework your schedule so that you can fit those in during the week. If laundry day is the bane of your existence like it is for me, throw your clothes in the wash on Tuesday and fold them on Wednesday if you can’t find the motivation to do it all in the same day (No judgement here, I consider folding it the same week a win).
Save time and money by doing a pickup order at your grocery store if they offer it. You can schedule to pick it up on your way home, and you won’t even have to get out of the car.
Stop thinking that the weekends are the only time to have fun. I find that I get so stressed about the weekends that I try to fit in as many fun activities as I can. Jam packing your weekends with happy hour, going to the beach, going to your friend’s dinner party, and trying that new chocolate cake recipe while doing your other daily activities is exhausting and it certainly isn’t relaxing.
Make time during the week for evenings of fun. There are so many ways to add fun to your weekday evenings including hosting a watch party for your favorite tv show, go bowling (a lot of bowling alleys will have cheaper prices during the week), start a new craft, or pick up a new hobby that excites you. Some more ideas include supporting your local breweries and playing trivia (a lot of places will give you a gift card if you win), find a group fitness class like Zumba or yoga, or find a cool podcast to listen to during your commute. Have a make your own pizza night or a game night; some libraries will allow you to check out board games if you have a library card!
Let’s change how we look at our lives for the better. We shouldn’t live to work. A work to live mentality allows for the betterment of our lives. Achieving a work life balance is important and you owe it to yourself, your family, and your friends. So let’s start working towards this balance instead of just hoping for it. Ready, set, go!