Hot off of the back of a working weekend, I can attest to how productive and therapeutic a working weekend can be!
Since working full time for myself, I’ve come to love those quiet hours of desk time when I can totally ‘get in the zone’ without the distraction of emails or day-to-day tasks.
Working on the weekends can be quite a polarising subject, and I’m excited to share Chelsea’s take on working on the weekends. More specifically how you too can enjoy it!
I’d love to know your thoughts on this! Have a peruse of Chelsea’s advice, and drop us both a comment at the bottom of this post.
Love, Monica x
How to Enjoy Working on the Weekend
If I would have read this headline – or knew that I wrote it(!) – a few years ago, I would have shook my head hard.
Back then, the weekends were saved for as much fun as possible. I strictly separated “pleasure” from “career”. I shoved any and all responsibility to Monday mornings.
And while that was a blast, looking back to weekends where I didn’t touch, let alone think about work, I remember suffering with Sunday night anxiety. AKA the Sunday Scaries.
“Since everyone seemed to be
experiencing this stress on a Sunday,
I figured it was normal“
Without thinking about my job Friday evening-Monday, the overwhelming thought of my inbox, tasks, etc. left me panicked every Sunday evening.
Same with my friends, too.
Since everyone seemed to be experiencing this stress on a Sunday, I figured it was normal. I continued to shove in all career stuff Monday-Friday.
As the years went on and I started my own small business, work flowed naturally over into the weekends – usually Sundays.
And something really interesting happened – I began to thoroughly enjoy working on the weekend!
There was something about the quieter email responses, less pressure than a Monday, a slower morning, and flow of creativity. This all happened when I wasn’t ‘forcing it’ on a weekday.
Something that seemed foreign and like a horrible idea (working on the weekend!) actually became something I looked forward to.
My own slice of weekend productivity – and from anywhere!
Since becoming such a fan of the weekend work ritual, I thought I’d share 5 tips that make it enjoyable (I promise it’s not as bad as it sounds!). I have a feeling that – if done correctly – you might be head down alongside me this weekend.
Weekend Work
5 Ways To Make It Something You Look Forward To – It’s Do-Able!
1 – Forget time
On the weekends, don’t pay attention to what time it is, and instead, take advantage of a more unlimited approach to deadlines.
No one is waiting on an email reply, you can take all the breaks you want, you don’t have to be at any meetings.
Maybe you’ll work for 20 minutes, maybe you find yourself motivated to go for more – do what feels right for your weekend day while taking as long as you need.
2 – Work where you’re comfortable
Another perk to working on the weekends? Your desk can be anywhere!
Set up shop in your garden, at a coffee shop, or even from bed (it is Sunday after all!).
Make a delicious meal and a tea to accompany you, and blast a record instead of relying on uncomfortable headphones – things you can’t always do from an office during the week.
“Waking up to a Monday without
that nagging need to organize is priceless “
3 – Focus on organization
One thing that has made a huge impact on nixing the Sunday Scaries is getting organized over the weekend.
I love working on the weekend because it lets me have more time to get my inbox and to-do list together. I also respond to any emails that I’ve been putting off.
Waking up on Monday without that nagging need to organize is priceless – and the anxiety seems to fade when doing it on the weekend. This leaves more room to kick start your week with a productive (not intimidating) morning routine.
Sunday evenings are now one of my favourite evenings of the whole week!
I’ve even grown to love Monday . . . crazy-sounding I know!
Try going as far as to schedule out your week of work AND errands/chores. You’ll thank yourself later!
4 – Find a balance
While you want your weekends to stay happy, imagine how great knocking off one painful task would be before your week even starts.
Choose something that will take quite a bit of brainpower and focus, and conquer it. Your mind will be in tip-top shape after having some time off (make sure to give yourself a break too!) and crucially not in the daze that accompanies Monday-itus.
Mix it in with one work task that brings you pleasure, and you’ll have the perfect combo of productivity, accomplishment, and joy all in one.
And what a way to start the week with that pesky task completed!
Perhaps more time for a Wednesday night happy hour with the girls?
5 – Log off
Before you spend an entire Sunday in work mode, give yourself the evening to log off and enjoy the last bits of the weekend.
Savour this time to focus on yourself and recharge for the week ahead – a week that’ll be much easier due to your time spent working earlier!
What’s Your Take?
So what do you think? Can you be convinced that working on a weekend isn’t so bad after all?
Do you find yourself working out of choice on Saturdays or Sundays ever? Are you not-so-secretly in love with working a little on the weekend like I am?
Love, Chelsea x
be the first to comment!