How to Stop ‘Living For the Weekend’ and Enjoy Your Life More
Inside: Use these tips to stop living for the weekend and enjoy every day of your life more!
When we start our weeks, many of us have a singular goal in mind – make it to Friday.
We’re ready for the week to be over before it’s actually begun. We keep a running clock in our mind, a countdown toward the weekend – the time that most of us get to put work on the back burner and focus on fun or relaxation.
Living for the weekend has become such a norm that we don’t think twice when others complain about having to navigate the other five days of the week. Most of us willingly join in the conversation.
But living for the weekend is essentially wishing away your life – something that we’ll inevitably regret.
Instead of living for the weekend, it’s time to shift your mindset and live for each and every day.
Sure, work is inevitable for most of us. But there are ways you can shake up your routine and infuse a little more joy, excitement, and passion into your work week so you aren’t just watching the clock and counting down the hours until five o’clock on Friday.
5 Tips on How to Stop Living for the Weekend
Use these tips to stop living for the weekend and get the most out of each day!
1. Reconsider your current job.
If you find yourself waking up every day filled with dread instead of excitement and energy, there’s one constant that you might want to evaluate – your job.
We spend too much of our lives working to find ourselves stuck in a job that we hate, surrounded by people that leave us exhausted, doing tasks that aren’t challenging or remotely enjoyable.
But leaving our job is often easier said than done. There’s a sense of security that comes with knowing what you’re getting into each day – and taking the plunge to shift companies or even careers, is an uncomfortable choice for most of us to make.
If you think your job might be a major source of unhappiness in your life, consider a change. And not just a company change – a career shift might be in order to find a job that aligns with your priorities and values, lets you put your skills to use, and leaves you feeling fulfilled.
Meeting with a career coach can be a great way to identify what elements of your job are bringing you down and find potential careers that you’re better suited for.
But if you don’t have that in your budget, that’s OK – a pencil, a piece of paper, and some thought-provoking questions will go a long way in helping you work out what you really want to do. Talking with a couple of people who are close to you can also provide helpful feedback and direction.
Remember that you get to decide what success looks like in your life.
2. Switch up your routine.
It’s easy to fall into a rut when it comes to life outside of work – but that doesn’t have to be your reality.
Shaking up your routine is an easy and effective way to bring a little more joy into your life on a daily basis. Simply take a look at your day and the things you do before and after work and think about how you can do something different.
If you always drink your morning coffee at your dining room table, consider taking it outside and sipping it in the backyard while you get some fresh air – or treating yourself to a latte at a local cafe on your way to the office once in a while.
If you go for a run every day after work, pick a new path to explore, or switch it up by dropping into a yoga class instead for a new challenge.
Switching up your routine can be as simple as bringing something different to work for lunch, incorporating a few self-care habits into your day, or starting a new book that you’ve been wanting to read.
3. Find ways to have fun during the week.
Believe it or not, you can absolutely have fun on days other than Saturday and Sunday. Sure, it might take a little more effort – but it’s well worth it.
Think about the things that bring you joy. Does spending time with your friends fill your cup? Live music at local concerts? Intentionally moving your body – or a relaxing afternoon at the spa?
You can do all of those things before or after work, if you’re willing to shift your schedule and put a little effort into the process. Grab dinner or a drink with a different friend each Wednesday.
Schedule a facial at your favorite spa for a Thursday afternoon. Instead of waiting until the weekend to hike a new trail, wake up early and make it happen on a Monday.
Sign up for a class to learn something new or practice a well-loved hobby – a dance class, a pottery class, a photography class, a pilates class. Head to a local brewery for trivia night or bingo.
Sure, each of these things require time – but you’ve got to spend that time doing something. Might as well make it fun!
4. Automate the mundane.
Not sure how you’ll have the time to squeeze in more fun and spontaneity during the week? It’s time to look at your schedule and find ways to streamline the stuff that you have to do that isn’t actually bringing you joy.
There are lots of things we have to do every day to function. We have to get ready in the morning. We have to eat dinner and prep for bed in the evening.
Maybe you’ve got kids, a husband, a pet – someone or something that requires additional effort and time from you. You can’t always get rid of those things, but you can find ways to make those obligations a little less painful.
Hate cooking dinner every night or prepping lunches each morning? Learn about meal planning and see how you can tackle a week’s worth of cooking in an hour or two on Sunday.
Feel like you spend way too much time picking out your outfit each morning? Plan them in advance and hang them in your closet, day by day, so you can just grab and go.
Loathe chores and cleaning the house? See if you can splurge on a bi-weekly housekeeping service – or just get a Roomba to tackle some of the work.
By implementing time management strategies you can be more efficient with the time you have to free up additional time for fun!
5. Shift your perspective
Another way to stop living for the weekend is by intentionally shifting your focus on the things that you’re grateful for throughout the week.
Creating an ongoing gratitude practice will improve your life and your perspective.
While not always easy to do initially, when you think in terms of get to vs have to it helps you to see the good things in your life.
It’s easy to get caught up in our own thoughts and sabotage the good by focusing on what’s lacking rather than what’s already there.
To stop living for the weekend, be present in the moment, and appreciate the good things to find more joy in your life each day.
Final Thoughts on How to Stop Living for the Weekend
Similar to the idea in the quote above about building a life you don’t need a vacation from, design your days so that you stop living for the weekend.
When you focus on what’s most important to you, look for ways to add more fun and enjoyment to your week, and shift your perspective to one of gratitude you can more fully appreciate each day that you have.
What will you do to enjoy your life more and stop living for the weekend? Leave a comment and let me know!
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I started doing this more intentionally as my kids were less dependent on me. We live in the country so sitting on my front porch sipping tea is a favorite past time. Going on a sunset drive down to river with my honey is so calming especially since we are both at an age where we can be in each other’s presence without feeling the need for conversation. Don’t get me wrong, we do talk, it’s just we are with each other so much we both already know what the other knows and so I guess it just doesn’t require much conversation about it. Sitting in an Epsom salt bath is rejuvenating and taking the time to pamper myself with home facials and mani/pedis is also nice. But you do have to be very disciplined to do it. I also try to allot myself time in the morning to journal and reflect and practice gratitude, all the while my calming piano music or water fall sounds play from my phone. I think if I didn’t my sanity couldn’t have made it this far with the long list of “needs” from others. Through the summer we try to schedule a 3-4 day camping trip at least once a month from April to October. We’ve found that if we don’t find things to do that take up our time, other people will fill that time for us. I still work but my husband is technically retired but I don’t think there is a day that goes by that someone doesn’t ask something of him. It’s good to stay busy but I just wish he could do more of what he chooses to plan himself as opposed to what others basically plan for him because they know he won’t say no. He’s a very giving person and genuinely doesn’t mind but it does wear him out. He feels he needs to have a real reason he can’t be there when saying no. Our children though grown, seem to still need us quite frequently, which is a blessing and apparently we’re still cool enough to hang around cause they are at our house multiple times a week which is great but still is quite expensive on the grocery bill. Selfishly though, I’d sometimes just like to go home after work and have a quick sandwich or bowl of cereal for supper without having to make an actual meal and feel the need to cater to likes and dislikes. I may start delegating supper duty when they inform me they are coming for supper…. LOL Might slow them down… and the babysitting happens about twice a week, mainly my husband having to do cause I’m at work but then if we aren’t gone on the weekend, it becomes most Saturdays too… I haven’t decided if it truly keeps me young as the old saying goes or I’m just too tired at the end of the day to even really think about it. But once again a huge blessing it’s just we only have 1 grandchild at the moment so I’m not sure how this is going to go down when more come along, the next being due in January 2025. Of course, still a huge blessing and we’re very excited just not sure where my next jolt of energy is going to come from! LOL Then we both have aging mothers, our dad’s are both gone but our mom’s need help occasionally, his mom more than mine right now but then, she IS 82, though he has more siblings that you’d think could help than I, funny how things like that workout. The family farm consists of pretty much everyone in the family, but he keeps up with our part and his mother’s part and helps his brother who runs a cattle company. So just the farm stuff alone keeps him very busy. He also works 2 days a week managing disabled kids at our county sheltered workshop, where they find various types work for the kids to do that, they can do, to help them earn a supplemental wage of extra money and help teach them some fundamental life skills. Which, I might add, was only supposed to be temporary when their manager had to go through open heart surgery and then recovery… He’s back now but the board doesn’t want to let my husband go either because they recognize he’s so good with the kids. Maybe I need tips on how to help my husband see that he needs to slow down and implement ways to “enjoy his life more”…. LOL
We converted our living room into our own ultimate relaxing lounge with moody colors, our favorite nerdy books and posters on full display, a full bar, several deep recliners, a big tv, games, and a massage station, pedicure tub, plus of course a large tv for screen time.
My husband and I give each other pampering days and play with our light sabers and make cocktails in specialty glasses on otherwise ordinary days after work. 100% recommend!
im still stuck at overwhelm and exhaustion, ive attempted many times to do journalling, gratitude saying, etc but something always comes up that its easier to cut out those things to get the other things done. i forgot how much i miss my tv shows, i think they were the time i got to switch off my brain and just enjoy sitting still. im practicing saying no a lot more which i think will help.
I, too, am in a state of exhaustion, more mental and emotional. After being dumped 4 years ago in a very unexpected divorce, I pretty much wrapped myself in a cocoon. It was at the beginning of Covid. I couldn’t afford to keep our house, so I had to move into the only place available at the time. It has caused me so much heartache. I need to keep my job until I retire due to pension benefits, insurance, and a salary that I wouldn’t find somewhere else. And no one wants to hire an older person like me. Very few friends to hang out with as they have their own families and spouses. I have no family in town. It’s like I work, eat, sleep, and repeat. I have several craft hobbies, but I don’t get any enjoyment out of those anymore because there’s no one to share them with. I’m afraid to spend money on myself because I might need it for something more important. Three years until I can retire, and the time isn’t going by fast enough.