How To Turn The Weekend Into Quality Time

The weekend always starts with so much promise, doesn’t it? Friday afternoon comes around, and there are so many possibilities and fun things that could be done – long walks, brunches with friends, shopping for clothes, deep cleans, beauty treatments, movie nights, general admin… you name it! Anything is possible because it’s the weekend and work can wait.

But somehow, by Sunday evening, you’re often left wondering where the time went – especially when you look around and see all the things you were definitely going to do but never actually got round to.

The fact is, it happens, and it happens to everyone. Life is full on, and weekends often just end up being the overflow time when you finish things off from one week and start getting ready for the next. However, if you want a bit more balance in life, you’ve got to remember it’s not about squeezing more in, it’s about making sure you do the stuff that matters. With that in mind, keep reading to find out more about how to turn the weekend into quality time.

Don’t Have A Schedule

It’s very tempting to plan your weekend down to the last minute to ensure you get everything done, but what if you didn’t do that? What if, instead, you thought about how you want to feel by the time you get to Sunday night? In other words, do you want to be rested? Do you want to connect with people? Do you want to feel as though you’ve achieved something? Or perhaps you just want to have caught up?

That’s your intention, and if you start with that, it’s going to help shift the focus from being busy to being present, and there’s a big difference there. And I don’t mean you don’t have to do anything at all, but I do mean that it makes sense to choose things a bit more wisely – pick a couple of things you want to do, a couple of things you need to do, and make sure there’s some time to rest as well. That way, you’ll feel so much better by the end of the weekend, and you’ll have given yourself the quality time you’re looking for.

Make The Boring Tasks More Meaningful

Weekends do tend to come with their fair share of chores – there’s always something to do, and that’s especially true if you work during the week and just don’t have time to do these things at any time other than the weekend. But the truth is that even the practical stuff can feel like quality time if you look at it the right way.

You could do the food shopping but stop for a coffee and a break as well, for example (I love stopping at my favourite place for a hot chocolate or a cold fruit slushy), or you could clean the house while you listen to some music or a useful podcast – you could relax or learn something as you go. I love cleaning with music. Mowing the lawn while the kids play outside can be extremely satisfying, as long as you’ve got a good lawnmower to make the job a little bit easier. If you love gardening, you could even tend to or plant some flowers at the same time. When you think about it, it’s less about the task you’ve got to do, and more about the joy you can get out of it, or the people you’re doing it with. Change your perspective, and suddenly things get a lot better.

Build In Time To Do Nothing

Nothing can feel a little bit tricky – impossible even. And when was the last time you actually did nothing? I mean you didn’t scroll, you didn’t try to multitask, you didn’t catch up on admin when you were meant to be resting. What I mean is nothing, as in you can just sit and breathe. Stare out of the window. Relax. These are such tiny moments, but they can make you feel amazing, and actually give you some quality time. Try deep breathing as well, this really helps.

We’re so used to being productive all the time that when we stop, even for a short time, it can feel like we’re doing something we’re not meant to be doing, but the more you do it, the better you’ll get at it, and the more you’ll see it’s actually helping you enjoy your downtime a lot more. It’s also good to allow your body time to rest, it helps you regenerate.

End With Something That Feels Good

Sunday evenings have a bit of a reputation – there’s that creeping sense that the fun times are over, and you’ve got to get back to doing things you don’t want to do. But if you’re able to end the weekend well, that can soften the blow and give you something to feel good about.

Maybe you’ll have a nice dinner, watch your favourite show, have a lovely soak in the bath before bed, or maybe you change the sheets so you can climb into bed and rest comfortably for the week ahead. Whatever it is, it’ll set the tone and you’ll feel good about the weekend you just had.