Career and Kids

5 Ways to Make Your Weekend Longer

by elizabeth on March 17th, 2007

The weekend is here at last! So, why does it seem like Sunday evening rolls around in the blink of an eye?

Going to a ballgame, or, playing outside, suddenly gives way to a frenzy of homework, laundry, and, getting ready for the week ahead.

How’d that happen?

Unless you have a day extender, or, a lot of vacation time accrued, there’s really no way to make your weekend longer, but, here are some hints to make it seem that way:

1. Do some of your routine chores on Thursday night - Pick a few routine tasks that normally take up your valuable weekend time, and, get them done on Thursday. I try to make the den and the kitchen presentable, and, get a handle on the laundry on Thursday night. Even if you don’t finish, it’s nice to have made a dent in the task.

2. Get ready for the week ahead on Friday - Many of the things we put off until Sunday evening can be done earlier. Why not take a few minutes to gather lunch money, sports uniforms, and, throw a load of school clothes in the washer while you’re still in “weekday mode”?

3. Do something on Friday, night, too - After a long week at work or school, it’s tempting to just sit at home and stare, but, getting out of the house on both weekend evenings, even if it’s just a quick trip to the mall to check out a new store, can make the weekend seem more fulfilling.

4. Get out of bed - While weekends are about rest and leisure, it’s easy for an entire day to slip away if you have no real plan for doing what you want to do. Even if your activity isn’t time dependent, it’s good to set a start time, and stick to it, so that you feel you’ve accomplished what you want to do.

5. Have something to look forward to on Sunday evening - It can be hard to wind down after an enjoyable weekend. Create a simple ritual that everyone can look forward to doing on Sunday evening. It might even be something as simple as making cookies, or, watching a favorite TV show as a family after everyone is ready for the week.

Sometimes, it just feels like the weekend is never long enough, no matter what you do. But, with a little planning, you can feel like you’ve made the most of it, and, aren’t left Sunday evening wondering where the time went.

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POSTED IN: Time off