I don’t know about you, but I LOVE the weekends. I enjoy my job and look forward to going to work on Monday, but weekends are a just such a magical time aren’t they? From the moment you “clock off” on Friday afternoon to Sunday night, the weekend is a time for relaxation, socialising and of course, for us productivity nuts, a time to get a few extra tasks crossed off.
A lot of the productivity articles out there talk about how to get more done at work. How to optimise your work day and how to do better at your job.
But what about the weekends?
Should we just switch off at 5 pm on a Friday and forget about getting stuff done?
In my view, no we shouldn’t.
To me (and I hope you as well), productivity is a tool for getting more out of life. It’s not just about doing more at work, it’s about being more effective and efficient in everything that we do, including how we spend out weekends.
I’d argue that by working out how you can have a more effective and efficient weekend i.e. a weekend where you’re happier and one where you’re pleased with how you’ve spent your time, you’ll be able to get more out of them, contributing to greater happiness and fulfilment.
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MY WEEKEND ROUTINE
To give you an idea of my weekend routine (and not to say this is perfect by any means), here’s how things generally play out:
Saturday morning we’ll wake up about 7–8am. This is still early for some people but because I’m up at 5 am on week days this is considered a lie in for me.
After getting up, Hayley and I will often have a nice breakfast; something like pancakes with coffee. We’ll either eat this at the table or in bed watching as we catch up on some Casey Neistat vlogs.
Saturday mornings are usually when I’ll tackle any chores like washing, cleaning, house maintenance and other errands. I like being able to get this stuff out of the way so that I have a clear agenda for the rest of the weekend.
Often on Saturday’s if I don’t have any chores to do I’ll squeeze in some work like writing, responding to email, working on my site or other side-project stuff. I’m always conscious not to go overboard with the amount I try to do at the weekend as I want to balance work with relaxation.
Generally, in the afternoon and evening, we’ll be hanging out with friends or family. We’ll often arrange something ahead of time so we don’t need to waste time working out who’s available or what we’re going to do.
Sunday mornings, much like Saturday is spent having a nice breakfast and coffee. We’ll often go out for breakfast on a Sunday and go for a walk afterwards.
The only priority for Sunday is to conduct my weekly review and plan the upcoming week. This generally takes around 30 minutes and I’ll use this time to organise my tasks and schedule when I’m going to do what during the following week.
Sunday evenings we’ll often go around to my parents for dinner because… we’ll… free food!
KEY COMPONENTS OF A HAPPY AND PRODUCTIVE WEEKEND
Reading my above routine, you may have noticed a few key components which I’d like to expand on below:
Getting up early vs. sleeping in
Personally, I don’t think there’s a right or wrong when it comes to waking up on Saturday morning. Some people will advise you to get up early and maximise how much you can do during the weekend. But do you really want to do this? If you want to sleep in, don’t feel guilty about it. And if you want to get up early, go for it! Part of the enjoyment of weekends comes from slowing down and taking the time to relax. Do what works for you.
I would simply advise that you don’t go overboard and sleep in until 11 am as this is going to eat into your day. And if you think you can combat this with staying up until 2 am I’d challenge you to think about how this is going to set you up for the following week…
Getting some exercise
Just because we’re taking it easy, doesn’t mean you get the whole weekend off. Getting some exercise at the weekend is a great way of giving some extra attention to your workouts and sporting activities.
For example, if you’re a runner, typically you’ll go for a long-run at the weekend when you have the added time to prepare, train and recover.
It’s easy to get lazy without workouts during the week. Use the weekend to work extra hard and really push yourself!
Take your time on activities you would rush during the week
When I asked my wife Hayley what I should write about when starting this post, she made this really good point to slow down and take your time with all the activities you rush during the week.
For example, instead of scoffing down your breakfast, take the time to prepare a nice meal and eat it at the table with your spouse, family or flatmates.
Instead of going to the gym and powering through a 30-minute routine, take the time to enjoy some sporting activity like tennis. There’s a double win here if you’re playing with a friend.
Instead of rushing your morning routine, take the time to get ready and prepare for the day. Start your day with some meditation, journaling or reading. It’s so easy to rush these activities during the week; use the extra time at the weekend to slow down and invest in yourself.
Schedule any chores or work you’d like to get done
As I mentioned above, I’ll often tackle some chores and(or) work on Saturday mornings. To make sure I actually do the work, I’ll schedule it in my calendar (just like I would during the week). My view is that if you want to get something done (including chores), it has to be scheduled.
By doing this, I carve out an actual time for the things I want to do so I can clearly see where my weekend time is being spent. I also know that if I schedule it in my calendar it’s much more likely to get done compared to trying to remember to do something at the weekend which doesn’t have a time attached to it.
Relax and enjoy the “guilt free time”
Once chores, exercise and work have been scheduled all the empty white space is treated as “guilt-free time” where I can do what I want – watch Netflix, read, go out, anything I like without feeling guilty.
I don’t schedule things like going out for breakfast or going for walks as those things are often spare of the moment and are things I consider to be part of my “guilt free time”.
Make time for friends and family
Part of having a happy weekend is spending time with the people you care about. Family dinners on a Sunday have been a tradition in our family since I can remember.
Again, use the extra available time at the weekend to reconnect with old friends and nurture those relationships. It can be tricky to find the time to do this during the week, so make it a priority at the weekend.
Planning the week ahead
This is one of the most important parts of the weekend and the part you should (in my opinion) treat as non-negotiable.
Spending 30-minutes to plan the week ahead is one of the most beneficial things you can do to ensure you have a productive week.
Have a read of how I conduct my weekly review. In essence, you should:
- Organise your task list and decide which few things you’re going to focus on in the upcoming week.
- Plan when you’re going to do these things and block out time on your calendar.
- Document your main achievements and challenges from the previous week using some sort of journal.
As with the other key appointments, make sure you schedule this in your calendar and set this event to repeat every Sunday.
YOUR TURN
Take five minutes now to schedule a few key activities for the upcoming weekend. Schedule any chores you'd like to get done, time for friends and family and, of course, the all-important weekly review. By spending just 5 minutes now thinking about how you'd like to spend your time, you can have a much happier and more productive weekend.