When working from home, you will always have your work sitting on your desk, staring you down and making you feel guilty if you let it. Let the weekends be time to reconnect, refocus, and regroup for your body, mind, and life.
Disconnect from the grind
My absolute favorite thing to do on a Friday after work is to click that little minimize button on my Chrome browser as I do all of my “Thrive Agency” work on my Chrome browser. It does not get reopened until Monday morning. The only time I may look at anything Thrive related is if a customer sends an email that states their site is broken or hacked. Everything else can and will wait until Monday at 8:00am.
If your brain is 24/7 on your job, burnout can happen at warp speed. You have to give yourself time to be away from it. If that means muting notifications, not having certain work apps on your phone, or having a separate laptop or computer for work and play, then so be it.
Some people have also found that disconnecting from social media during the weekend and not being digital at all helps them. This can be good to. Some do use social media as a way of connecting to people, especially during social distancing. Make sure though that whichever you choose is the best for your physical and mental health.
Make yourself a priority
This should happen every day but often we get so busy that we often put our health on autopilot until we hit turbulence. On the weekends, make time for self-care, exercise, mental health, and whatever else makes you healthier both inside and out.
As Elle from Legally Blonde said; “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people don’t shoot their husbands. They just don’t.” Keep those endorphins up to keep you happy in life whether you have a husband or not.
Decompress
Take a nap. Read a book. Do whatever it is that relaxes you. Time alone can be a great thing on the weekend as well. I know for me that Saturday morning time when my husband and minion are both still asleep where I can simply sit on the couch with my Kindle, read, and listen to the sweet sound of nothing is one of my favorite times of the week.
Dedicate time to your home life
Weekends are a great time to finally get that bookshelf put together, get the groceries, or paint the deck. Most of the time after the eight hours of work are done, the last thing we want to do is cook, clean, or take on a home project. Make the home “work” your weekend work. Plus dedicating the housework to weekends, gives you more time on the weekday evenings to spend with your family.
Start or do a hobby
Maybe you have always wanted to paint. It could be that you enjoy photography. On the weekends, do what makes you happy. One thing about the hobby to keep in mind though is make for it is for fun. Once a hobby becomes something that is demanding or a strain then it is time to stop.
Have an adventure
Okay right now may not be the best of times to plan or go on an adventure. However you can still have “adventures” in your back yard. If your parks are open, go on a hike, take a drive while the gas prices are down to a new place and find some cool local restaurant to pick up lunch from.
Plan for the next week
Make sure you hit Monday morning off on the right foot. Get your planner set for your goals, appointments, and to-dos. If you are a meal planner, ensure that you have all the food for your meals or that your meal prep is done by the time you go to bed Sunday night. Starting the week off prepared will set you up for success.
No matter what you choose to do on the weekends, make it fun and remember that your work will be there for you come Monday morning.
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