4 Spontaneous Ways To Have The Best Weekend Ever

It’s Friday afternoon at the office, and those pre-weekend jitters are hitting you like a tidal wave. The real question is: What are you actually doing this weekend?

Will you wake up Sunday morning to find a horrifying Snapchat video of you screaming “Turn up!” with your eyes half-closed in the backseat of an Uber? Or will you put a permanent indent with your butt on the couch, as you live vicariously through Blair Waldorf on Gossip Girl?

Regardless of how you typically choose to spend your time, there are several ways to make the most your weekend after a long week of work. Here are 4 of them.

1. Avoid routine.

Work weeks are typically encompassed of a monotonous daily schedule. Wake up, drink coffee (on Mondays we chug), sit at the cubicle for 8 hours, repeat. Sometimes the tediousness can cause us to feel as if we’re on autopilot, or even worse – that we are trapped in a rut.

Therefore, it can be beneficial to avoid mundane behaviors once you are granted the ability to do as you please. Weekends give us the opportunity to break free from our typical routines, and instead switch things up a bit.

So make a conscious effort to do something out of the ordinary every weekend. Try a brand new activity. Say yes to an invitation that you normally wouldn’t accept.

By forcing yourself into a new mindset throughout your down time, you might be surprised by how much more worthwhile those two days off truly felt.

2. Schedule plans.

Often times after a hectic and stressful work week, it can be tempting to want to do just do… well, absolutely nothing. Of course, this is completely acceptable – but it can become a toxic habit if we notice ourselves doing it consecutively.

Excessively lounging around can also cause us to feel like we’ve wasted our time. As a result, our standard Monday dread can transgress into full-fledged frustration toward our upcoming responsibilities.

Instead, try to schedule specific plans as often as you can prior to the weekend. While a little spontaneity now and then is never a bad thing, having a set event to look forward to will help the week go by faster.

Whether it’s catching up with an old friend or taking a family trip to the beach, truly focus on what you want to get out of the upcoming weekend – and go from there.

3. Pursue your passion.

It’s common for people to get swept up in their careers, and to allocate less time for their hobbies as a result.

Plus, that burnout that we’ve all felt at work from time to time? It has a negative effect on our mood, and can prevent us from obtaining the motivation to pursue our passions.

Our hobbies can disguise themselves as just another duty or chore, and we are less than thrilled with the idea of having to “work” at anything else.

Don’t let this way of thinking overpower you. Remind yourself of the encouragement that your hobby provides to your life. Maybe drawing helps you express yourself and unwind simultaneously, or writing helps you organize your jumbled thoughts, while also escaping the world for a bit.

Continuing our favorite hobbies remind us that we have purpose outside of the office. The weekend is the perfect time for that.

4. Recharge.

At work, we are constantly faced with new information. The steady flow of deadlines, numbers, and event reminders are sometimes enough to make our brains feel like they might explode.

Use the weekend as a time to take a break from it all. That means resisting the urge to check your work email on your days off, which will prematurely stress you out for the week ahead.

Read a trashy magazine – and don’t feel bad about it. (You might despise the Kardashians, but reading about their antics is somehow wildly addictive.)

Allow yourself to watch that raunchy comedy movie, and ignore the fact that you may or may not be losing brain cells throughout it.

In short, fill your mind with knowledge that isn’t associated with your job. This will prevent potentially dangerous feelings of overcapacity, and you will be more likely to perform your best next week.

Weekends are an opportune time to engage in the things that you truly wish you had more time for. So take advantage of this free time when you do have it.

Whether you are participating in something new or taking part in a favorite activity of yours, you will be able to reflect on the weekend in a positive way. (“Turning up” optional.)