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How To Stop Living For The Weekends and Enjoy Your Week More

How To Stop Living For The Weekends and Enjoy Your Week More

HOW TO STOP LIVING FOR THE WEEKENDS AND ENJOY THE WEEK MORE

Here are some tips on how to stop living for the weekends. Simple ideas to help you make the most of your week rather than wishing ahead to the weekend.

DO YOU LIVE FOR THE WEEKEND?

How do you feel about your week? Do you get up raring to go each day or do you find yourself wishing away the week and looking forward to the weekends?

I think many of us fall into the trap of living for the weekends. Monday to Friday gets filled with work, school, appointments, things to do, places to be and stuff to remember. It’s no wonder that we long for a break, a change of pace, a rest, more time and the weekend to come rolling around.

However, it’s such a shame that we spend our weekdays living for the weekends when we could be making the most of every day. Let’s try to shift our thinking, make a few adjustments to our plans and schedules so that we can look forward to every day, not just Saturday and Sunday!

In this article I’d like to share some ideas on how to stop living for the weekends so you can make the most of your week and every day.

25 IDEAS ON HOW TO STOP LIVNG FOR THE WEEKENDS

Here are some tips on how to stop living for the weekends. Some are tiny changes that you can start today, others might take a little time to introduce. I hope you find some ideas that work for you.

1. Evaluate your current job

Find meaningful work that you love or re-frame how you think and feel about your current job. Consider adding to your skillset or working towards a qualification to help you move up the career ladder. If your existing work doesn’t fulfil you or a promotion won’t inspire or motivate you, why not consider re-training for a new job or swapping roles completely? Many of us spend a lot of time at work so it’s helpful to enjoy it as much as possible!

2. Do something fun during the week

Plan a day out, go for dinner, enjoy a movie or games night with the kids. Choose an activity you might normally save for the weekend and see if you can plan to do it (or part of it) during the week.

3. Treat yourself

Buy a bunch of flowers, your favourite drink or a box of chocolates. Give yourself a little mid-week treat to make midweek feel special. Find little moments of joy in your every day.

4. Do something different

Weekdays can often feel a bit mundane. Switch your routines around so it feels like you’re doing something different even if it’s not a huge change. Take your evening walk in the morning. Drive an alternative route to work. Find a different TV series to watch.

5. Get out of the home

Sometimes, in the past, I feel my weekdays have just involved me going to work, doing the school run, cooking dinner and going to bed, all in rotation. There isn’t always much reason to get out of the house (apart from to work where I just swap house for office!). Make a point of getting out and about. Coffee in the local coffee shop, a visit to a friend’s house, a different park to walk the dog. A change of scene can give you a new perspective.

6. Plan your week ahead

One way to stop living for the weekends is to make sure you’re actually looking forward to the week ahead. More than just having exciting things in your diary, it’s about removing the stress and strain that often accompany our weekdays. You can do this by planning your week ahead so that you’re ready, organised and prepared for what lies in store for you.

7. Chat with a friend

Preferably in person, if not by phone and if not that, a text! Catch up with the news, share a laugh and have fun.

8. Spend time with your partner

Weekdays are often busy and time for your spouse or partner is often time snatched at the end of the day when we’re tired. Time with your partner might be quality over quantity but make a point of doing something special. Date breakfast in the morning, a glass of wine in the evening. Try these 20 ways to bond with your partner for some simple ideas.

9. Take a nap

We use the weekends to rest and recharge our physical and mental batteries so stop living for the weekends and take a nap during the weekdays if you need it (and you can weave it into your day). Naps have health benefits and are a great way of giving you a little power boost when your energy levels dip and increase your productivity.

How to stop living for the weekends

10. Reconnect with yourself

Sometimes I don’t like the weekdays because I feel I’m on auto-pilot. As an introvert often craving quiet and calm by myself to recharge, I’m just going through the motions of my busy day and doing whatever my To Do list, family commitments and work deadlines require of me. That is, until I began finding ways to reconnect with myself and listen to what my body and brain needs. A great way to do this is through journaling where you can express and explore your thoughts and feelings through pen and paper. Try these journaling tips for beginners to help you get started.

11. Meditation

I struggled with meditation to begin with as I was out of practice with focusing on one thing. My brain was used to multi-tasking and switching gears with lightning speed! By the way, that didn’t mean I was always good at it, or that it was good for me! However, a few minutes of meditation each day helps bring me back to centre. I sit peacefully and quietly for 10 minutes and have learnt to block out the noise of the day and my home so I can feel grounded. Listen to yourself instead of the world around you.

12. Assess your week

Many of us are great at planning the week ahead but sometimes those plans don’t go as we imagine and our week unravels before us. One way to make sure your week is going as you’d like it so you can stop living for the weekends, is to do a midweek check-in to assess how your week is going. Try these 10 mindful questions for your midweek check-in so you can enjoy and make the most of your week.

13. Review your schedule

One reason we live for the weekends is that the pace of life is slower. We might have errands to do but often our routine is more flexible. Work and school often mean we have stricter wake-up and bedtime routines and our days are more rigid. Weekends can be easier and less structured. Why not review your schedule for your week so you can be less busy and give yourself more freedom and flexibility wherever possible? Slow down, factor in some downtime, some free time which you can do with what you feel like at the time.

14. Take a regular day off

If you can, taking a day off regularly every week or month or two, can really help. You can use it to run errands, take that day out we mentioned above, redecorate a room, visit your parents. Use it in a way that feels right for you.

15. Practice regular self-care

Looking after yourself doesn’t have to be time-consuming or costly. Try these 50 self-care ideas which you can do in 10 minutes or less.

16. Make the most of your commute

One of the things that many people dread about the working week is the commute to work. You might be walking, sitting on a train, sitting in your car in a traffic jam or waiting for a bus, but however you commute to work, think about ways you can make the most of that time. Listen to a podcast or some music, learn a language, contact a friend or family member, write your To Do list for the day, plan a lovely meal for dinner. Of course, safety first, so what you do does depend on how you commute!

17. Listen to your body

Maybe you live for the weekends because your body and mind are calling for some downtime. Listen to your body, maybe it’s telling you to slow down, change the pace and find another way to live your weekdays. Here are 18 signs that you are too busy and what to do about them. Do you recognise any of them in yourself?

18. Get enough sleep

Sleep is a form of self-care so make sure you get enough sleep to see you through the week. Stick to regular morning and evening routines and try to go to bed at the same time each night. Identify how many hours of sleep you need to function best and work out what time you need to turn the lights out in order to get up at the right time in the morning. Stay off your phone, avoid caffeine and declutter your bedroom for a good night’s sleep.

19. Exercise and healthy eating

Again, on the topic of self-care, make exercise a regular weekday routine instead of doing nothing during the week and then hitting the gym or running a marathon at the weekend. Be realistic and be consistent with your exercise and healthy eating habits. Try these simple healthy eating tips for some more ideas.

How to stop living for the weekends

20. Make your home a haven

When you come back from work or school, do you look forward to walking in through the front door or do you dread being greeted by clutter and the mess of the morning? Make your home a peaceful haven and sanctuary from the world. Make it inviting, welcoming and a place you love to be. Read these tips on how to create a calm family home.

21. Declutter your home

One of the most impactful ways of creating a calm home that we mentioned above, is by having less clutter. Too much stuff is visually distracting and makes us feel unfocused and restless. Here are some reasons to declutter your home and some tips on how to simplify your space.

22. Do housework little and often

Stop living for the weekends by doing housework little and often. You don’t have to spend hours playing catch up in the evenings when you’re tired and have other things you could and want to do. Read how to spend less time cleaning and get your family to help with chores too if possible!

23. Make time for hobbies and leisure interests

There are plenty of things you’ll need to do during the week but it’s also important to make time for what you WANT to do and what makes you happy. Think about your favourite hobbies and interests. How can you make time for those during the week, even if it’s just 10-15 minutes here and there?

24. Practice gratitude

Gratitude is a powerful mindset which enables us to be happy, content and satisfied with what we have instead of chasing what we don’t. Maybe your week is spent meeting deadlines, chasing that elusive bonus, dreading that call with your boss, trouble-shooting problems, drowning in emails, dreaming out of the window and in your mind, planning a grand escape from your desk! Instead, gratitude encourages us to count our blessings and be thankful for this precious life we’re living. Read more about how to create a regular gratitude practice.

25. Be present

Stop living for the weekends and live in the here and now, every day. Here are some tips to practice slow living, be more mindful, engaged and more present in life.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON HOW TO STOP LIVING FOR THE WEEEKENDS

I hope you enjoyed these ideas. Do you have any other tips to share about how to embrace and enjoy weekdays? Do you find yourself living for the weekends? Why do you think that is? I’d love to hear from you so please leave a comment below!

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