While there are many, many things you can do to make your weekends better , these are the absolutely most important:. Do you work on weekends? I do and I know I'm not alone. But a few years ago, I learned about an ad agency employee named Mita Diran who literally worked herself to death. At the time, I was working very long hours myself, and through most weekends. My performance, my relationships, and my mood were all suffering for it.
I took Diran's death as a wakeup call. Around the same time, I began hearing from experts that working too long without a break is harmful for brain function and that it's a productivity killer.
And so I made a firm commitment to take at least one full day off every week, usually a weekend day. It's one of the best decisions I ever made and I've stuck with it, even when it meant missing deadlines. The truth is, I probably would have missed those deadlines anyway because there's a point of diminishing return.
Research shows that if you work too many hours, it takes you so much longer to complete every task that you get the same amount done as if you had quit at a reasonable time. But the weekend did not simply arise from government legislation — it was shaped by a combination of campaigns. Some were led by half-day holiday movements, others by trade unions, commercial leisure companies and employers themselves.
The formation of the weekend in Britain was a piecemeal and uneven affair that had to overcome unofficial popular traditions that punctured the working week during the 19th century.
For much of the 19th century, for example, skilled artisan workers adopted their own work rhythms as they often hired workshop space and were responsible for producing items for their buyer on a weekly basis. While Saint Monday mimicked the religious Saint Day holidays, it was in fact an entirely secular practice, instigated by workers to provide an extended break in the working week.
The modern-day weekend was created not by government legislation, but through various campaigns by unions and companies Credit: Getty Images. By the midth century, Saint Monday was a popular institution in British society. So much so that commercial leisure — like music halls, theatres and singing saloons — staged events on this unofficial holiday.
Workers in the early factory system also adopted the tradition of Saint Monday, despite manufacturers consistently opposing the practice, as it hurt productivity. But workers had a religious devotion to the unofficial holiday, which made it difficult for masters to break the habit. It continued to thrive into the s and s. Nonetheless, religious bodies and trade unions were keen to instil a more formal holiday in the working week.
But hey, I just figured since I am all locked up in the house, why not use this time to catch up on some precious sleep? This is why the weekends are still an incentive even while I am working from home at least I can sleep until whatever time without any disturbances hopefully.
Also, waking up and logging into work still means I have to sleep early to catch up on my zzzs so the weekends are important. Yes, the junk drawer. Well, my junk drawer is overflowing now and the only time I have to clean it is over the weekend. I was waiting for the weekend to clean and now, I am as excited as Monica would be. Over the week finding some quiet reading time is tough since I am staring at my computer screen for almost eight hours a day.
When we were put under lockdown, I was so excited because now I could finally finish my reading list. Little did I know that just like normal days, I would have to look forward to the weekends to read. Spend quality time with family.
Spending quality time with your family on the weekend is essential if you want to recharge and relax. Weekdays are so hectic that the entire week can fly by with little quality family time.
Take your kids to the park, take your spouse to his or her favorite restaurant, and go visit your parents. Schedule micro-adventures. Buy tickets to a concert or play, or get reservations for that cool new hotel that just opened downtown. Instead of running on a treadmill, plan a hike. Studies show that anticipating something good to come is a significant part of what makes the activity pleasurable. Knowing that you have something interesting planned for Saturday will not only be fun come Saturday, but it will significantly improve your mood throughout the week.
Wake up at the same time. Though it feels good temporarily, having an inconsistent wake-up time disturbs your circadian rhythm.
Your body cycles through an elaborate series of sleep phases in order for you to wake up rested and refreshed. One of these phases involves preparing your mind to be awake and alert, which is why people often wake up just before their alarm clock goes off the brain is trained and ready.
When you sleep past your regular wake-up time on the weekend, you end up feeling groggy and tired. If you need to catch up on sleep, just go to bed earlier.
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