Have you ever heard someone explaining what they did over the weekend and wondered how they’re able to fit everything into just two days? If you’re anything like me, upon hearing that, you probably are curious if it’s possible for you to have a productive weekend like that.
I set out to find a balance in my weekend so I have time for rest and fun activities I can’t do during the week while leaving time to prepare for the week ahead. If you would like to have more fulfilling weekends, you’re in the right place!
This post is all about how to plan out a productive weekend along with suggestions on how to follow through with the plan!
How to Create a Productive Weekend
Why You Should Be Productive the Weekends
When working a full-time job, it can feel like your weekends pass by in the blink of an eye. You might be struggling to find a balance between getting enough rest to feel rejuvenated and resetting to get ready for the coming week. Maybe you’re feeling defeated because every Monday morning, you don’t feel rested or prepared for the week to come.
I have absolutely been there and for me, this was because I would come home from work on Friday, so exhausted from the week that I didn’t feel like doing anything. After wasting that entire evening I would scramble to make a plan to either do something fun or start my weekend chores and the next thing I knew it was Sunday night.
If you can relate to these challenges, keep reading because I have found a way to master my weekends. Every weekend I have a plan for everything I need to get done, and everything I want to do, while still making time to rest.
{ Related Post: Quick Guide: What is Productivity? }
Backbone Schedule of a Restful and Productive Weekend
-
Friday:
Friday evenings are usually a good day for the final planning and prepping for your weekend. After getting home from work, you may be exhausted so it’s important to plan easier tasks for that evening.
Maybe on Friday evenings, you can make your meal plan and grocery list for the week, catch up with an old friend, or get some reading in.
-
Saturday:
Saturdays are a great opportunity to get a head start on your important tasks for the weekend. Personally, I prefer to have a slower start to my day and then work on some of the more important items for the weekend.
By taking this approach, I feel well-rested but still have a productive day. I usually spend the evening with friends or slowly winding down and focusing on myself.
-
Sunday:
Similar to Saturday, I think it is very beneficial to let yourself sleep in on Sunday. Sometimes getting up only 30 minutes later than usual can make a huge difference.
Ideally, the majority of your necessary tasks would have been completed on Saturday so that you can have a clear mind for Sunday.
7 Steps on How to Plan a Productive Weekend
While these steps may sound simple, they can be very helpful in forming the habit of a productive weekend. Give it a try when you’re first starting out and eventually they will become second nature to you.
On weekends when I have a very busy schedule, I still follow these steps to ensure that I have a well-rounded weekend.
1. Make a list of what you need to get done over the weekend
When making this list, get as specific as possible. Really thinking ahead about everything you need to do will decrease the chances of something coming up and turning your whole schedule upside down.
2. Schedule what day/time would be best to complete your necessary tasks
Using the list you created, estimate how much time each task will take and schedule everything. You can do this using any calendar you like, but make sure you’re able to easily see what time is still available.
You can start to plan out your mornings using the free printable found here!
{ Related Post: The Complete Morning Routine Checklist with Easy Steps that You’ll Actually Want to Follow }
3. Make a list of what you WANT to do this weekend and prioritize it
Similar to the necessities, think about what you would like to do over the weekend. This could be spending time with friends, face-timing your family, getting your nails done, going to the beach, etc.
Once you have the list made, add numbers next to each item to represent the priority.
4. Starting with the highest priority, add these items to your schedule
Fit as many of these items as you can into your calendar. Each week, I like to keep the list and go back to it. This allows me to try to complete as many items on this list as possible.
Maybe the first week that I listed “go to the beach” it was a priority 6. After missing out on it for a week or two, this priority may increase.
5. When other opportunities come up on the weekend think back to your schedule
Even though you are creating this schedule, it is absolutely okay for it to change as the weekend goes on. When something comes up, I encourage you to take a look at the calendar and see what you might be canceling.
If you had an item that you listed as something you need to get done, make sure you can reschedule it. If you’d be missing something that you wanted to do this weekend, consider which item would be a higher priority.
6. Be productive, don’t procrastinate
This is especially important when scheduling your time. Since you are planning to complete a task at a certain time, it is important to stick to that time otherwise you will have a domino effect in your calendar. This will make it so much more difficult to complete your weekend plan
To learn more about how to be productive, check out this article on productivity tips!
{ Related Post: 5 Simple Productivity Tips You NEED to Know }
7. Allow yourself some flexibility where you can
While your calendar may look rigid after completing it, remember that this is your weekend. If you’re anything like me, you’ve been looking forward to this all week, so if you’re feeling like you want to change something during the weekend, change it! You deserve to relax during your days off.
Important Productive Habits to do EVERY Weekend
Meal prep
When I first started meal prepping for the whole week, I didn’t have a strategy and I felt like I was spending the whole day in the kitchen. After meal-prepping consistently for a few years now, I have found many ways to make the process much quicker and more efficient.
Even though this takes some extra time on the weekends, the benefits are so worth it. The three main benefits of meal prepping are:
- Saves time during the week
- Saves money
- Allows you to eat healthier
Get outside
This is very important to me because it has so many mental and physical benefits. For me, this can look very different from week to week. Sometimes it is as short as a 10-minute walk outside and other weeks it’s an entire day (or more) spent hiking or snowboarding.
Sleep in
As someone who is an early riser during the week, having at least one day without an alarm is so refreshing. As I mentioned above, it is not necessary to sleep in hours later than you typically get up for this benefit.
Clean/laundry
I learned the hard way that it is WAY nicer to spend a short amount of time every week keeping up with cleaning and laundry than spending an entire weekend on only cleaning and laundry.
It is important to spend just a short amount of time every week so you never have to spend hours and hours catching up on these chores.
Catch up with friends/family
I have a lot of friends and family that live out of state so I am not able to see them often. For that reason, I like to take advantage of time on the weekends to catch up with them. Sometimes I like to chat while I’m enjoying my time outside and other times I’ll call while I’m folding laundry.
I hope this allowed you to see that with some practice and a strategy, it is possible to “do it all” while still relaxing over the weekend.
Please comment below on any new activities that you’ve been able to fit into your weekends!
Leave a Reply