8 Ways To Make The Most Of Your Short 60-Hour Weekend

How do you spend your weekends? Perhaps 8 out of 10 adults would say, “at home, sleeping all day” or worse, “doing the laundry.”

We’re busy from Mondays to Fridays. With the stress of juggling work, study, family, relationships, monthly bills, and commitments, it’s hard not get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life with no time left for leisure. When the weekend hits, we think of doing “nothing” in order to recharge our brains.

Unfortunately, not finding the time to relax, unwind, and enjoy a moment of peace truly would take its toll on you. You’re existing but you’re barely alive when all you’ve ever done was to work and eat and sleep. Quality time for yourself is vital in reducing stress, burnout, and fatigue, and maintaining a healthy physical and emotional well-being.

So if you’re tired of being tired, here are some ways to make the most of your weekend and maintain a balance in your life. You only have 60 hours, with 24 hours to sleep and 36 hours to seize.

1. Make plans ahead of time and prioritize

It’s Sunday night again. And yes, you’re once again guilty of letting the time fly so fast. Sounds familiar? Change things up for this upcoming weekend or for the next weekends to come.

Plan it out. Find time during the weekdays to make future reservations. Check upcoming concerts or any other forms of live entertainment. See cheap accommodations under the radar to decompress after the long week. Or simply get out of the house to treat yourself a fine dinner and red wine.

Aside from making your weekends more meaningful, the mere anticipation of having killer plans hypes you up through the week.

2. Find new places to explore

Make a list of the places you want to see for the first time. You don’t need to book a plane trip – you can go on mini adventures around your city or drive to the countryside.

Set a radius of how far you’re willing to travel, and then search for cool new places to explore. You can even travel with someone. It can be a museum, a historic park, an amusement park, a food park, comedy bar, an or even a town with quaint buildings that are Instagram-worthy. If it’s possible, escape to somewhere different from the concrete jungle you live in, like a beachfront or riverside.

3. Catch up with people

When the work week is heavy with deadlines, it can be pretty easy to lose touch with friends and family. Throwing a weekly get together helps keep the connection alive while having fun.

Reserve this Friday night for a dinner or pub night with your friends. Plan a short getaway with your family, for a whole day or overnight. Visit a loved one’s home and bring a potluck. Isn’t it nice to reconnect and have a laugh every once in a while?

4. Use weekends for self-growth pursuits

When you wake up on a weekend morning without an alarm clock, chances are you’re pretty energized. Use this energy to go after some of your self-growth pursuits – things you tend to forego during the week.

• Create something. You may start by cooking an extraordinary, healthy, Gordon Ramsay-approved breakfast.
• Craft your neglected skills. Practice the guitar or piano, write a poem, paint,make handicrafts, or refresh your photography skills. Do things that you love which don’t necessarily require much brain power.
• Get fit. Hop on a treadmill or walk around the block. Spend time preparing salads and smoothies. Your body, who has been consuming greasy foods and sitting at a desk for hours, will thank you.
• Learn or pick up a hobby. Maybe it’s the best time to watch latte art tutorials or learn Japanese.

There’s more to weekend mornings than watching cartoons.

5. Fill in gaps with things you’ve been neglecting

Are you anxious about some appointments you’ve been putting on hold for quite some time? Maybe it’s a dental appointment for a damaged tooth or an application for your driver’s license.

Take that burden off your chest by doing it during the weekend. While the activity isn’t fun, that sense of accomplishment feels rewarding.

6. Abandon thy phone

We’re not just talking about phones, creating a solid barrier between you and your loved ones.Looking down and being constantly connected to your smartphone and the virtual world (like social media, YouTube and games) saps you of energy at a time when you’re trying to recharge. You’ve probably been infront of a computer screen during the week, so put your eyes to rest.

While it can be relaxing to binge-watch series on your couch while eating microwave popcorn, try to use some of your free time outdoors. Walk around the block with your partner and pet. Breathe fresh air. Refresh your eyes by looking at the trees and the sky.

7. Stop thinking about Monday

Smonday: The moment when Sunday stops feeling like a rest day since the anxiety of Monday kicks in.

To stop the pre-Monday blues, plan something special for Sunday and make sure you occupy 3 PM onwards (when Smonday sickness usually attacks). This way, you have no choice but to go out and have some fun, taking your mind off work.

8. Get chores out of the way during weekdays

“I need to do the laundry” – this is a common excuse when you can’t go out on a bustling Saturday afternoon. While it’s understandable, these things can’t go on forever.

Do yourself a favor and knock off some of your chores during the week instead of leaving a pile of chores for the weekend. Tidy up the bathroom after a shower or wash a few clothes after dinner.

Your weekend, from 6 PM Friday dismissal to your 6 AM Monday alarm clock, only has 60 hoursso make sure to dedicate your precious two-day break to nothing but fun and relaxation.

Author Bio:Mina Natividad is a creative writer for West HQ, an iconic one-stop destination for world-class dining,  entertainment, accommodation, and leisure experiences in the heart of Western Sydney. This free-spirited damsel loves writing about lifestyle, mainly food, entertainment, travel, and health and fitness.