I’d be a total liar if I said that I used Define My Day every weekend.
I don’t.
But… my weekends are better when I do.
Over the past few years, I’ve found that when I stick to my routine, I feel better throughout the day.
It’s always a struggle to maintain my discipline on vacations, during holidays, when company is staying at the house, and even on weekends.
That little bit of extra effort makes those times so much more enjoyable.
It doesn’t need to be the same as the weekdays.
Unless I have a lot of work to do, my weekend priorities are much more about enjoying my time off.
Here are some ways to use Define My Day during your weekend…
Focus on Being Present
One of my favorite priorities is “Be Present”
I don’t want to let my mind wander toward unfinished work, worries, or things that take away from my enjoyment the present moment.
In my example here, I pick specific moments when I may be tempted to mentally check out.
We all get lost in thought while in the presence of others, usually for frivolous reasons. We can avoid that with a bit of mindfulness.
These times pass fast, we need to enjoy them.
Be Healthy
There’s a lot of temptation to give up on our healthy habits over the weekend.
We drink more, eat food we don’t normally eat, and our routines like exercise, meditation, and reading go out the window.
And when I say “we” I mean “me”.
Who doesn’t like a few wings, beer. and pizza during the football game on Saturday? And Sunday. 🤦♂️
And who wants to workout after a day of pizza, beer, and wings? 🙅
It’s not about denying yourself anything like this. It’s more about being mindful of the decisions you make and how if impacts your health and how you feel.
My Saturday priority may look like this:
Priority: Be Healthy
Task 1: Exercise
Task 2: Keep my routine
Task 3: Don’t overdo it
I can still have fun while being mindful of my overall goals.
Weekend Work
It happens. We get stuck working during the weekend. It’s during these times I try my most strict boundaries.
I set hard start and stop times so work doesn’t bleed into the rest of the weekend.
I also set “sprint goals” during my work hours to help keep me focused. As in, “for 30 minutes, I will do…” or “I will not take a break until I’m done…” These keep me productive and on time.
Finally, I often remind myself to not get sucked into distractions like:
- Other co-worker’s drama
- extra work ie “Hey, while you’re here…”
- email, unnecessary phone calls, browsing, etc.
I want to get in and get out and on with my weekend!
I hope you enjoy this weekend no matter how you’re spending your time.
