Contrary to popular belief, successful people do not work 24/7. Successful people rest and relax during their weekends. The difference between them and others is that they are intentional about how they spend all of their time, even that reserved for relaxation.
There are 60 hours between 6 p.m. Friday and 6 a.m. Monday. If you sleep for 24 hours of that time, you still have 36 hours for activities.
“Successful people know that weekends deserve even more care than you bestow on your working days,” wrote Laura Vanderkam, author of the book What the Most Successful People Do on the Weekend: A Short Guide to Making the Most of Your Days Off.
Vanderkam advises readers to recognize that weekend time will be filled with something, so they should fill it consciously and not let it wither away.
“Planning a few anchor events for a weekend guarantees you pleasure because—even if all goes wrong in the moment—you still have derived some pleasure from the anticipation,” she wrote.
Most people don’t plan their weekends because they dislike the idea of scheduling their leisure time or they associate planning with doing things they don’t want to do.
“When you plan enjoyable things ahead of time, you magnify the pleasure,” according to Vanderkam. “Successful people know that the best weekends feature activities you love and a minimal amount of anything else.”
Weekends shouldn’t just be used as a time to catch up on chores because the chores will expand to fill all of the time, the author wrote. Her advice is that if you must do chores on the weekend, designate a small window of time to do them so you will get them done quickly. She suggests readers do the same with work.
What the most successful people know about weekends is that life cannot happen only in the future. It cannot wait for some day when we are less tired or less busy. If you work long hours, then weekends are key to feeling like you have a life that is broader than your professional identity—even if, and probably because, you take that identity very seriously.”
By being intentional about how you spend your weekends, you start off the week organized, fresh and ready to go.
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