Whether you have a 9 to 5 job at the office or one of those cool jobs that create the illusion of freedom with a schedule that you make up for yourself – you probably still crave the weekend. Because the weekend means you don’t have to work and you get to relax, restore and chill. However, a lot of people don’t use their weekends to the full potential. They either waste them away in bed or go out and party the weekend away, which leaves them tired and exhausted once the working week starts. So if you want to feel rested next Monday yet also feel like your weekend wasn’t a complete waste of time – here are a couple of weekend rituals you might want to adopt.
1. Screen Time Management
Let’s be real, whatever job you have you probably stare at a screen all day. It might be your computer for work, or your phone for fun. And then you come home and you stare at your TV or your iPad all evening, up until you fall asleep. That can’t be good for your eyes, or your brain. You get overstimulated and therefore always feel tired. Try limiting screen time on the weekends. Instead of immediately checking your phone after waking up, promise yourself to make breakfast and a cup of coffee before that. Enjoy your food instead of mindlessly shoveling it into your mouth as you scroll through Instagram or Twitter.
2. Interact With Nature
Most of us gravitate towards cities these days, even if we grew up in the country. It makes sense, cities have better job prospects. But it means that we rarely get to enjoy nature anymore. We’re constantly in meeting rooms, cafes and cars. Try to plan trips to the country or just picnics at the park on the weekends. In the colder months, plan a skiing getaway, or just go for a quick stroll in the park. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how a patch of grass, a couple of trees and some fresh air can really make a difference.
3. Listen To Music
You probably listen to music in your headphones if you commute to work, or even at work, but for a lot of people that’s more about tuning out the outside world. On the weekend set aside the time to really listen to the music you like. Blast it through your speakers and dance around if that’s your jam, or just sit and listen and let it really move you.
4. Cook Your Favorite Meals
We’re all busy people. We don’t have time to cook during the week, so we just order takeout or eat out in cafes and restaurants. In fact, we often don’t even pay attention to what we’re eating, we just know we should eat so we do. On the weekend you have the time to cook, so why not cook your favorite meals and enjoy them? You could even plan ahead and cook a bit more so you have leftovers for a couple of days or prep meals for the week ahead.
5. SPA Time
SPAs aren’t exactly cheap and we know it, but you can probably afford a massage once in awhile. Even if it’s not every weekend but just twice a month. Everyone needs a good massage after a long week of coaching over a laptop. Your back and neck muscles will thank you. But even more than that, you’ll feel invigorated and like a whole new person after it. And on the weekends you can’t go to the SPA, pamper yourself at home – take a bubble bath, do a face mask, paint your nails, use that cool galaxy bath bomb.
6. Go On Adventures
Adventures mean different things to each of us. To some an adventure means something that’s new, exciting and adrenalin based, like skydiving or mountain climbing, for others it might just be a rollercoaster ride and for some it could be something as simple as going for a ride on bicycle or going to see a new movie, or getting a new haircut. Whatever it might be for you – the weekend is your time to be adventurous.
7. Plan Ahead
Last but not least, take the time to plan out the week ahead. A lot of people journal and write about things that have already happened but we suggest you try a different approach. Plan out what you have to do next week, set aside time for things you want to do and set goals you want to achieve. You’ll be surprised how satisfying it is to achieve all the goals you set for the week, and at the same time it’ll help you to plan things out so you don’t get overwhelmed with tasks you don’t have time for.