—
Many men often feel the pressure to work hard, provide, and be successful – I know I have. Some of us live for the weekends. Others work right through them. And it’s possible that, depending on your job or business, the days you have off during the week aren’t traditional weekend days.
For myself, I run my own business online from my home. So though I am fortunate that I create my own schedule, it can be all too easy to keep working, tell my fiance I’ll be right with her and get caught up in something, or to miss out on something my son is doing, just like I would with a 9-5.
Which is why I’ve sworn off work on the weekends, and have found 4 things that have given me more fulfillment than ever before:
1. Give yourself permission to break from context
No matter what you do, you need space to get new ideas.
If something at work is frustrating me, or I can’t seem to break through on a creative project – it’s amazing how when I return to the computer at the start of the week I feel fresh and ready to take it on again.
Problem-solving skills are fine-tuned when we give ourselves time to shift our minds!
2. Get to the countryside (Nature!)
I live in Bogota, Colombia where we are lucky enough to be surrounded by a lot of nature and a city with lots of noise. There are definitely places here where you can engage the senses and relax.
The greats have used nature for centuries to hear themselves think, meditate, and even talk to God if that felt good to them. For me, I come out of the Countryside feeling refreshed and lighter – simply by taking in the surroundings.
If you choose instead to start back into hard work after a weekend of watching TV, I guarantee you won’t feel as refreshed as you will after some good old fashioned fresh air.
3. Connect more deeply to family
I’ve got a two-year-old son, and a daughter on the way. And, don’t get me wrong I work from home, so I likely have more time than some – but the weekends are when I really prioritize family time.
These hours are the ideal opportunity to spend time with your kids. And if you don’t have any. You can ideally use the opportunity to reach out to those people in your life you miss or would like to forge deeper connections with.
Connection and community are important for feeling fulfilled, and weekends are a great way to get a refill.
4. Extend your Exercise
Using the weekend mornings to really spend my time with myself and my workout sets me up not only for a great rest of the day, but the week that follows.
Even if you exercise during the week, I love to take Saturday to try something new, try a spin class, or stay in the Sauna a little bit longer.
The truth is, after you’ve given time for yourself, you can enjoy the things you love with an even greater set of awareness of the good things in your life.
We hear it all the time –
If we only jump from work to each activity on the weekend without connecting with ourselves and the ones we care about, the tone of our weeks will repeat themselves until we’ve built months (and even years) that way.
Set the tone for how you want your weekends to be now, and your work will find a way to fit in around it – even if you only start with one of the tools mentioned here.
Resist the urge to put break time off for once you hit a major milestone in your work – because let’s be honest, there will always be another milestone. When you swear off working weekends, you’ll return to duty with a clear head and reach those milestones even sooner.
—
What’s your take on what you just read? Comment below or write a response and submit to us your own point of view or reaction here at the red box, below, which links to our submissions portal.
◊♦◊
Sign up for our Writing Prompts email to receive writing inspiration in your inbox twice per week.
Photo: Shutterstock
Love these 4 points Mark. I personally connected very strongly with #1 & 2. Even going for a short walk can make all of the difference. I work at home too, and in some ways this is harder than when I had a corporate job. Being able to be at home but still have work boundaries is tough. Getting away from the work can be even tougher.