Here’s Why You’re Not Feeling REFRESHED AFTER A WEEKEND

PC: @Christinanadin

I learned something the other day. Sunday-scaries only come in when I feel like I didn’t take full advantage of my weekend. It’s knocking on my brain saying “oh no, here comes Monday and you wasted yet another weekend away on your phone.” That familiar dread reminds me that I have to go through another five days of laptop-staring before I can engage in some rest again. I don’t know about you, but I absolutely hate this feeling. I know it’s short, and there’s so much you want to cram into those two days, but you absolutely can be both productive and relaxing in those 48 hours — 54, if you count Friday evening. After some trial and error, I found the perfect weekend formula that allows me to check off all the things I want to do on a weekend so that I can welcome Monday with open arms (I know, hard to believe). And while I know everyone has different needs, ideas of what’s fun, and energy levels, perhaps some of you will be able to relate to this weekend recipe and implement it into your life as well. Follow this weekend schedule and I promise you’ll feel both recharged and energized for another work week ahead.

Friday Night

I like to elongate my weekend as much as possible, and I find that going out on Friday nights, rather than Saturdays, is the best way to kickoff the weekend vibes a little earlier. This doesn’t have to mean go out and get drunk, it just means do something that you typically can’t on a random Tuesday night. You just worked hard for 5 days, it’s time to let go and “celebrate”. Go get drinks, go play volleyball, meet some friends at the river… whatever it is, just kick off the weekend by going out and having pure fun. Let your mind just get out of that computer-staring funk.

Saturday

Morning: I love a slow Saturday morning. Taking my sweet time making coffee, catching up on my favorite Youtube videos or reading a book. Every morning during work feels anything but relaxing, so getting to cuddle into my blanket feels like a true treat. Then I pull out my journal and write down my intentions for the weekend. Everything I hope to check off in the next two days gets written down, so I can set my weekend up for success.

Afternoon: Saturdays are the days I like to go out during the day. Maybe I’ll head into the city and go shopping. I’ll go get brunch with my bestie and catch up. I’ll take a little day trip to somewhere nearby, and stimulate the mind with new sights and smells. I don’t want to be doing anything “productive” to say, I just want to rest and have some lighthearted fun.

Evening: Because I went out the night before, I don’t feel the need to go out again on Saturday. I’m decently rested at this point for me to now work on my passion projects. I do the work I actually want to do for myself, not the work I’m being paid for by a higher up, and it’s always best done with a glass of wine by my side. Maybe that’s this blog, maybe that’s creating content, maybe that’s building something else alltogether. Whatever it is, it’s important to have some part of the weekend dedicated to doing something fruitful for your own personal life.

Sunday

Morning: Sundays are my rest days. Most people that know me know that I need at least one day a weekend where I don’t go out, don’t meet friends, and stay at home to collect myself again, and that’s typically my Sunday. It’s also the day I dedicate to my passion projects. I want to feel like I’ve done something for my own personal life, and even though I did some of that on the Saturday night before, it’s usually not enough to last me through the week. Sundays are here for me to catch up on more self-work. For this to happen, I let myself have an extra slow and relaxing breakfast before I get to work.

Afternoon: I start my “work” by cleaning. The apartment falls into a bit of a chaos state through the week, so I reset the place (and my mind) by giving it a good clean. This sets the space into a beautiful place for me to happily chonk through my creative to do list. Once that’s done, I open my laptop, journal, and mind to continue the creative work I started the night before.

Evening: I try not to end the night doing work, so I typically shut my mind off from anything productive and give myself a good rest before the work week begins again. Sometimes I journal about the weekend, or write down my plans for the week. This helps to close out the mind from rest and set it up for a successful work week. Then I indulge in a show or two before going to sleep and feel good about a productive, fun, and restful weekend.