30 Tips for a Productive Weekend
We all love weekends, it is our time to relax from the busy week. However, relaxing too much means lack of preparedness for the week ahead which can be stressful. On the other hand, if you over work, your weekend might just feel like a Monday. Therefore, it is crucial to have a balance where you relax and get some work done. I have created a list of all the tips and strategies you will need to increase your productivity significantly, allowing you to achieve that balance and also a peaceful weekend.
- Plan Your Weekend on Friday Night
Plan ahead, make a “weekend task list” including important tasks you must complete over the weekend. This will avoid wasting your weekends trying to decide what to do. Make sure your days off are a good mix of productive tasks and relaxation, so that you feel prepared to take on Monday.
- Wake Up at a Consistent Time
Waking up early on weekends means getting things done leading to easier Mondays. I like to wake up at 8AM, have a healthy breakfast while listening to my favourite classic music, and then going through the “weekend to do list”. This also means once the tasks are done, I have the evening to myself to relax. Having a consistent routine boosts your productivity and mental health.
- Use a ‘Weekend Power Hour’
Have a set time to do tasks such as deep cleaning, meal prep or other small house chores. On working days, it can be hard to do these tasks due to all the tiredness and stress from work, which is understandable.
- Plan Errands in One Efficient Trip
Write down all the errands you need to do before going out and complete them in a single trip, this will make your trip more time and fuel efficient. Such as going to the bank after grocery shopping in one outing. This tip has saved me a lot of time, I always try to do it.
- Declutter One Small Area
Sometimes knowing that a task will take a lot of your time makes you procrastinate. To tackle that feeling set a much smaller and easier aim, such as organising your closet instead of your entire home. This will motivate you to get the small task done and prevent procrastination. Once you get into the zone you may even decide to move onto organising more closets. Tricking your brain always works!
- Meal Prep in Batches
Do a lot of cooking over the weekend and freeze it for weekdays. Bulk cooking will ensure you have one less thing to worry about during workdays.
- Use Timed Cleaning Sessions
I used to do this when I lived in my college accommodation, and it worked. Set a timer for 30 minutes or up to an hour, try to clean your space as much as possible within this time. I would get a significant number of things done and would still have my entire day left. It is a good feeling, you should try this one!
- Create a ‘No Work’ Zone
Now finally let’s talk about what weekends are meant for, relaxing and chilling. Allocate enough time to relax and enjoy your favourite activities. Watch a movie with friends, go out and socialise over attending to work emails, leave that for later.
- Set Up Your Outfits for the Week
An effective productivity tip especially for us girls is to plan our work outfits in advance. I spend a good 15-minutes picking matching outfits to wear at work, I’m sure you would know the struggle! Planning outfits ahead saves you time every morning allowing you to focus on important things.
- Automate Repetitive Tasks
Technology was created to make our lives easier, use it. There are numerous finance apps such as Emma and Budget planner to keep a track of your finances automatically. You could even set-up auto-billing for different services you use, or create formal email templates etc, which is more time efficient and enhances productivity.
- Schedule a Self-Care Block
Self-care is important regardless of whether it is a weekday or weekend. But understandably it can be hard to perform self-care on working days due to lack of time. Take advantage of weekends to compensate for it, have time for activities which are good for your mental well-being such as reading your favourite book, long candle-scent baths, other things to make you feel special.
- Have a Digital Decluttering Session
These days where there are so many apps, some useful and the rest not so much, it is easy to have many things installed on our devices. Being organised also includes the digital world, your phones, tabs and computers. Getting rid of apps that you might not find useful, or deleting unimportant emails will improve efficiency and save you time by spending less time on apps which are not productive.
- Use a Sunday Night Reset Routine
I think Sunday is the best day to plan for the week ahead, as you are mentally preparing for Monday. Update your to-do list for the coming week, plan meals and tidy up on Sundays, it gives a sense of readiness.
- Knock Out Small Tasks Immediately
My personal favourite! If you think a task will take 5 minutes, just get up and do it. Small tasks can compile and become a lot of work later if they are delayed.
- Create a Fun-To-Do List
To motivate yourself, include fun tasks in your to-do list such as going to the new café in town etc, in addition to other important tasks. This will motivate you to complete the tasks in the list.
- Listen to Podcasts While Doing Chores
Are you good at multi-tasking? This one is for you. Listen to podcasts or self-improvement audio books while cooking, exercise or doing other chores during the weekend. This will give you the opportunity to expand your knowledge without spending extra time on it.
- Batch Laundry & Folding
Fold all your laundry in one session while watching your favourite show on listening to your favourite playlist, it will make it fun and productive.
- Try the ‘Two-Day Rule’
If you skip a habit (activity) which you like to do every day, make sure to not skip it twice in a row. This ensures consistency and prevents you from breaking good habits.
- Keep a ‘Brain Dump’ Notebook
Keep a private diary to write your thoughts over the weekend. It could be your plans or negative thoughts if you are feeling frustrated about something, letting all the negative energy out using a pen and paper brings relief and makes you feel better. Work life could be roller coaster ride of good and bad emotions.
- Review Your Weekly Finances
Spend 10 minutes checking your budget, bills, and spending to stay on top of your finances.
Allocate 10-15 minutes to have a look over your finances and budget for the month to make sure if everything is going well and according to you.
- Create a ‘Done’ List
In addition to the “to-do” list have a “done” list, to remind yourself of all your hard work leading to completed tasks. This will definitely boost your motivation and confidence to complete your “to-do” list.
- Try a 24-Hour Social Media Detox
Overusing devices can affect our health. Excessive screen use can strain our eyes, cause headaches, and kill time due to brainless scrolling on social media for hours. This can be reduced by limiting phone use to a few hours over the weekend to allow you to enjoy your day off to fullest.
- Set Up a Morning Success Ritual
Start your day with a good habit whether it is a brief stretching session, hydration or reading your book. Small productive habits accumulate and take you towards bigger wins.
- Plan a ‘Just Because’ Hangout
Have enough hangout sessions in your busy schedule to spend quality time with your loved ones. Don’t forget about your valuable bonds.
- Schedule One Hour of Learning
Learning continues until we are no more. Learn new skills or information from a podcast, online courses, books or any other platform. Always seek personal growth.
- Organize One Small Work Task for Monday
Everybody hates Mondays as it is the beginning of a long tiring week ahead but doesn’t always have to be that hard. Set-up easy tasks for Monday to make it less stressful and smoother.
- Reflect on the Weekend
Have a session on the weekend where you reflect on all the tasks you completed over the past week, anything that did not go so well, and how you could improve things. This will ensure you remain on track to achieving your goals and address any barriers on the way.
- Reward Yourself for Productivity
Treat yourself to dinner, or something you enjoy. It is very important for mental health.
- End the Weekend with Gratitude
Another task which I love to do is writing down 5 things I am grateful for before weekend ends. This may not have immediate effect but overtime you become more aware of all the blessings you have and gives you a positive mindset.
incorporating some of these strategies, and you’ll start Mondays feeling energized and prepared!
I hope these strategies will help you to organise your weekend more effectively so that you can enjoy your time off and get some work done. Goodluck.
