Smart people know how to get things done so they have more time to enjoy their life. The key to maintaining that work life balance is simple – work less and produce more. Stanford University ran a study concluding that productivity per hour declines quite drastically after a 50 hour work week and that people who work 70 hours actually get the same amount of work completed as someone who worked 15 hours less. That’s 15 hours that could be spent with friends and family or practicing your passion.
Smart people work hard and play hard. They plan their weeks, cross things off their list, and fully disconnect and engage in their weekends. Here are 10 tips to help you make the most of your weekends to fully recharge for your work week.
- Systemise – If you are lucky enough to have a team then trust them to take care of some things that may come up on the weekends. By delegating your operational duties to others, you remove the need for your continued operational involvement and it gives you even more leverage by allowing you to function at a strategic level rather than the operational level.
- Unplug – Allow yourself to disconnect and detox digitally. Being available 24/7 opens your weekend up to unnecessary stress that just takes your mind away from relaxing. If the thought of this is already unnerving then take it in steps – start by allocating a certain time to check your devices and only during that time.
- Reschedule Chores – While it’s easy and makes sense to clean your house and grocery shop on the weekend, it’s still considered work. Find time during the week to squeeze this in…perhaps, swap out an hour of couch time or wake up 30 minutes earlier? Remember, with your weekends being more relaxed and enjoyable, you will have more energy during the week.
- Exercise – Now exercise is definitely not work, not matter how challenging it may be. Working out just 30 minutes will release happy chemicals to uplift your mood and reduce stress. Certain activities such as hiking or jogging outdoors, may also help stimulate innovative ideas that you can utilise during the week!
- Don’t Sleep In – Everyone loves a good lie in, but it’s best to wake up at the same time every day Sunday to Sunday. By breaking your sleep routine, you disrupt your circadian rhythm and sleeping late will only cause grogginess & make things harder on Monday.
- Pursue Passions – The key is to enjoy life, right? So never lose sight of the things you love. Whether it be painting, reading, writing, or traveling, add it to your downtime to feel joy and clear your mind. This may also be a good opportunity to allow ‘me time’ to focus solely on yourself and your passion.
- Reflect – Without any distractions, the weekend is a great time to reflect on your business and see things in a different light. This may sound like work, but don’t allow it to be. Hold your reflections until Monday when you can utilise them to work more efficiently, to problem solve, and to strategise.
- Spend Quality Time – Family is important, and spending quality time with them will remind you just how beautiful life is. It’s hard to be fully present with your family during busy weeks so make sure to take advantage of every moment that can be shared. Remember, it’s about the time together so even the simplest things like a walk in the park will create smiles all around.
- Pre Book Activities – Time passes so fast when we have things to look forward to. At the start of your week, plan some weekend adventures to make your week fly by and force you to get everything done by Friday. Concerts, road trips, dinners – anything that gets you excited will do!
- Prepare – Allocating at least 30 minutes on a Sunday evening to prep for the week ahead will help you get a head’s start so that no minute is wasted once back at work. This will make your week more manageable as you can solely focus on execution.