I’m writing this post on Saturday (yeah, I tend to schedule these posts in advance, EPIC SHOCK), where I woke up at my usual time, made breakfast, wrote out a to-do list, and sat down to finish a lot of things I didn’t quite have time for this week, including drafting this post.
Now, just to be clear, I don’t normally work a standard day on the weekend. Usually I use my weekends for seeing friends, reading, doing physical chores, and in general, relaxing and de-stressing from my creative and editing work to put me in a refreshed state of mind for the week.
The problem is, though, that some weeks things get really busy, and taking an entire two days off for a weekend can be incredibly refreshing…but also leave me scrambling with a SUPER busy week where I’m rushing to not only finish the usual things I have to do, but all the things I wanted to do the previous week but didn’t.
And that SUCKS.
Which leaves me wondering: when is it better to spend the weekend getting caught up, and when is it better to use the weekend for de-stressing?
The Case for Catchup
I won’t lie: I get pretty behind on things sometimes, which can leave me scrambling for deadlines and lead to late nights. It also takes a toll on my mental state, where I’m constantly dwelling on things I have to do, things I’m afraid I’ll forget, or things I’m worried I won’t get done.
When I feel like this, it’s usually a sign that I should to spend the weekend settling the things I’m most worried about: finishing the most immediate deadlines, making progress on the biggest projects, or reducing the sheer number of items on my to-do list.
Deciding to take a well-spent workday on a Saturday or Sunday (depending on what else I have going on) can be the key to not only settling my frenzied brain, but maintaining a sounder state of mind going into the following week, when I’ll be less stressed and (hopefully) won’t have to worry about late workdays.
When I do decide to take a catchup weekend day, I usually make the decision a few days in advance (by Thursday at the latest) so I can mentally prepare and pace myself accordingly. Projects that seemingly HAD to get done on Friday might be OK to finish on Saturday if I’m taking the extra day, leaving me freer to focus on other things I have on my plate (i.e., other things that had to get done on Friday).
If I’m working on a Saturday, I’ll also make sure not to work too late on Friday (which I don’t like doing anyway), thus ensuring that I can start the following workday in a clear state of mind.
The Case for De-Stressing
Other times, though, I just need some fucking rest.
I know what this situation looks like: I’ll find myself having trouble concentrating, making mistakes, or desperately awaiting the weekend like an eight-year-old counting down to Christmas.
If I find myself in this frame of mind, it’s hands-down better for me to put my work aside and take a weekend to relax, since refreshing my mental state will definitely be more effective than catching up on work.
To be clear: sometimes, taking a weekend off can be difficult. It might involve scrambling on Thursday and Friday, or (more typically) cramming a lot of things I haven’t finished into the following week, thus pushing the overload problem further down the road.
If I’m really in a bad frame of mind, though, this is all 100% worth it, and I’ll find myself entering the following week’s rush with a clearer head.
Final Thoughts: Make a Decision, and Stick to It!
I used to be a lot wishy-washier about working on the weekends, and would spontaneously decide to work or not work depending on my mood. After a while, this had the unfortunate side effect of causing me to think about my work all the damned time with no way to unplug and enjoy my rest time, but also never catch up because I couldn’t actually get work done.
For me, distinguishing between weekends when I’m working and weekends when I’m not working has helped me draw a clearer distinction between work time and free time. This means that I can get more done on a working weekend, and rest more easily on a de-stressing weekend.
Of course, the distinction isn’t always as cut and dry as that: some weekends I’ll spend a few hours at the computer catching up on writing or editing work, and a lot of the physical chores I do on weekends (yard work, cleaning, home repairs, etc.) can be pretty big tasks themselves. The difference with these tasks, though, is that I’ll start them later in the day, and won’t necessarily write them in my to-do list like I would on a regular workday, thus leaving me more mentally free and able to work with less intensity for a few hours.
If you’re like me, you might consider your own weekends and how you use them, and whether you find yourself desperately needing a de-stress break or fired up to do your creative work. If you’re constantly working, then a break might well be in order, though if you find yourself goofing off and not really enjoying your time off, maybe a few extra workdays could put you on track to accomplishing your goals.
Of course, if you’re absolutely burned out and exhausted every weekend no matter what you do, it’s probably a sign you need to fix whatever it is that’s causing you stress during the week—but that’s a whole other post ;-)
In a sort-of reference to this post’s title, this week’s cover image is an 18th century engraving from Shakespeare’s Hamlet (though not the To Be or Not to Be scene!).