I work full time, so I need to have a productive weekend. My job is very stressful. So stressful sometimes, that by the time I get home from work on weekdays, I just have enough energy to make dinner before curling up in my bed to watch TV before I fall asleep. And while I hate to admit it, I have been falling asleep lately around 8 pm because I am so tired. Which means I am not getting much done around the house on weekdays.
As you can imagine, with the stress from the work week it is easy for me to get lazy on the weekends. And unfortunately, I am not always as productive as I would like to be. When Sunday night rolls around, I am disappointed with how little I have accomplished. That’s not a great feeling when I know I have another busy week starting the next day.
To combat my laziness I have started doing six things that really help me be more productive each weekend.
SHOWER EVERY MORNING
I’ll admit that I do not always shower on one of the days if I know I will not be leaving my home. Showering, for me, can feel like an extra chore. I normally have a lot of things I should be doing, like laundry, cleaning, and working on my blog, that taking a shower just feels like an extra task on my to-do list.
Recently, I noticed that the mornings I do wake up and shower right away, I am actually more productive. I think the shower sends a signal to my brain that “it is time to get going.” And this definitely works best when I take my shower earlier in the day.
This morning I showered and I have to admit I feel clean and am ready to be very accomplish a lot today.
EXERCISE
I have a love/hate relationship with exercise. It is rarely something I feel like doing, but after it is done I feel amazing! I feel more awake and energetic throughout the day. And because my mind is constantly spinning, yoga and cardio help alleviate my stress.
I am on a great workout schedule on weekdays. After waking up at 4:40 am, I check my emails and social media for ten minutes, then head downstairs for a morning workout. I often exercise on my mini stepper while I watch television. Lately I have also been doing yoga because I heard it can help with my infertility. After I finish my workout, I head upstairs to shower.
Occasionally something will come up where I am unable to workout before work, and I find that those days are less productive. So I realized that it made sense that this was also part of my problem on the weekend.
So now I try to start my weekend mornings like my weekday mornings, with a good workout.
EAT A HEALTHY BREAKFAST
Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. You may think this sounds cliche, but the first food you eats breaks your fast from while you were asleep.
If I am hungry, I tend to be focused on my growling stomach rather than whatever I am trying to get done. So after my workout and shower, its time for me to make a healthy breakfast.
Lately, since I have started the Paleo diet, I tend to cook scrambled eggs with a mixture of pan seared vegetables. Lately those pan seared vegetables I have been obsessed with eating are onions, sweet potatoes, and green and black olives. My husband thinks it sounds weird, but the combination is delicious!
With my stomach no longer empty, I feel ready to take on the day.
MAKE A TO DO LIST
Every morning after I finish reading my emails at work, I make a to-do list. I normally have this split up into 3 categories, things that are due, top 3 priorities, and all the other to-dos for the day. It helps keep me focused and productive at work.
I was finding that I was not having productive weekends, so I decided to also write to-do lists on the weekend . Since I have started doing this, my productivity has gone up tremendously. It keeps me focused on everything I want to get done. And just like work, I get great satisfaction every time I cross off something I have completed on my list.
CONSIDER ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
I used to get a back massages every other Saturday morning to help with my back pain. However, since I started infertility treatments, I have switched to going to get Acupuncture every Saturday morning.
I know this sounds like an extravagance, but these alternative medicines both help reduce the stress that has built up during the week at work. I do not want that stress to stay with me all weekend, or else work is on my mind instead of my priorities at home.
After an hour long session of acupuncture, I feel refreshed and relaxed and ready for a productive weekend.
TAKE TIME TO UNWIND
This may sound counter intuitive, but I am more productive if I have something fun planned for the weekend. When I have plans later in the day, it forces me to start on my to-do list earlier in the day. For instance, my husband and I are going to dinner and a play tonight. So, I have been working through my to-do list since early in the day. Already I have exercised, showered, been to acupuncture and out shopping, done a load of laundry and ordered my groceries from Peapod.
I also tend to be more productive the next day (as long as I was not drinking too much or out too late). When I have a fun night out, I tend to feel happier the next day. And when I’m feeling happier I tend to have more energy. And more energy and a good attitude, normally helps with my productivity.
I hope these tips will help you to have productive weekends too!
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