Have a productive weekend

It’s Friday! You wrap up your work. You are looking forward to have two day filled with fun, frolic, and maybe even a few drinks. You switch off your system, start your TV and start playing Netflix. Next thing you know is that the weekend is over. You are back to your system, looking at the screen, waiting for Friday.

Sounds familiar?

Yeah! Happens to most of us.

I asked a few friends to explain their weekends to me. When they explained their schedules, it was evident there are some parallels in the entire weekend-spending process. This intrigued me and set me on a quest to discover a way to make weekends more productive.

In a culture where working from home has become the norm, the boundaries between personal space and professional space are getting blurred by the day. On days when the workload is light, watching funny videos on YouTube during work-hours is considered okay. When workload is too much, sitting through nights and Sundays is considered okay. This picture presents in itself some issue that may be considered wrong overall.

So, where does the problem lie? Can it be identified? Let’s have a look!

A lot of times, we spend the day planning with a solid intent to execute. We decide well in advance what it will be that we are going to do once the beloved weekend arrives. There may be plans to go out on a drive, meet friends and have dinner at a fancy place. Or, our plans may include finishing off the household chores. Washing clothes, cleaning the room, sorting our things and deciding what to discard. For some, just laying down and doing absolutely nothing constitutes a plan. These are all good ideas. Rather, the intent behind them is genuine.

But mere intent is not enough to get results or to get things done.

All it takes is an unexpected Friday. One unplanned party, one episode of a really good show, one phone call from the official powers that be to put a dent in our well defined and well chartered plans. We spend so much time in one particular task that we tend to overlook anything and everything else. By the time Saturday reached its mid and inches towards the sunset, we are ridden with guilt regarding how the day was spent. We then make it a point to cover it all up in the coming day.

At this junction, there are to choices. Either finish the tasks of two days in one, or to continue with how the previous day went and do nothing about it. Procrastination, with its cute head, pops up and we put things for “another time”. This, right here, is the trouble that we all face.

Come Monday, we are back to saying “this weekend disappeared as quickly as it came”, or “I wish there were more days in the weekend” or anything with a similar tune and tone.

Now that we know where the problem lies, what could be an effective solution?

In one word: moderation. Moderation can be the answer to a lot of our woes. The power lies in knowing where to stop, in where to draw a line.

We need to examine our behavior and know our limits. Once we are aware of that, we will be able to give “No” as an answer and in the process of doing so, we will be giving ourselves a priority to do the things that we want. Sure, that show is binge-worthy but it will stay on the platform even the next day. Yes, having a party is great but late in the night everyone is tired and wants to sleep in their beds. Talking to the partner is fine but they need rest as much as you do and thus, by saying no, you will be helping them as well.

Do observe this that our entire course of the weekend is set in motion by what we do on Friday night. It will create a domino effect that will help you in figuring out your entire weekend. And do not put a lot of things off to be done over the weekend. Just a few small ones would do. Having small goals will not make you feel overwhelmed. It will give you the freedom to choose the time that you wish to spend in order to complete it. More importantly, it will boost your confidence and thus, will encourage you to make your next goal a little larger this time. Rome wasn’t built in a day, you see!

Fun fact: Saying “no” does not weigh heavy on our minds as subconsciously, we know that we have made the right decision.

Not engaging is time consuming activities will result in a lot of saved time (duh!). This time can be utilized for fruitful purposes. It all begins with taking a small step towards changing the way one lives. This needn’t be a life changing decision. Just something small, something healthy on Friday that will set the course for the entire weekend.

Do something different this Friday. Sleep early. Set an early alarm for Saturday and go for a walk. Pick up a book and start reading. It may not be a news magazine or anything interesting. Any simple book with do. Do not switch on the TV. Spend some time with your family. If the family isn’t around, then give them a call and have a long call with them. Even old friends would do. Then, in the evening, sit aside with a pen and paper. List down the important tasks that need to be done in the coming week. Then, without opening your system, run these tasks in your head and see how well you can break them into simpler tasks.

Then, when Sunday comes, repeat the same things again.

Productivity is a function of proper time management. Thus, once you are able to make time out for small things, the larger ones fall into place on their own.

Do let me know how your weekend went!