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The end of the week, but also the beginning
By Douglas E. Welch
Listen: The end of the week, but also the beginning
Ahhhhh, Another Friday. Another end to another long week. Now we can all stop thinking about work for 2 days. Right? Well, while I’m as fond of “kicking back” on the weekend as anyone, I also realize that the weekends are when we can, and should, make things happen in our own lives and our own long term careers. The weekend is when we can place a little focus on those projects that mean the most to us. In fact, it might be the only time available to us, if our jobs encompass our entire week.
I am not suggesting your abandon relaxation, fun and family to pursue your great career endeavors each weekend – surely family comes first. That said, there are times when we move from relaxation into complete shut down. I enjoy my cold brew on the weekends, but if you are moving from your 3rd beer to your 4th, you might find better ways of engaging your time and your mind. Your weekend is time to explore new worlds, and old relationships, and not simply shut down. Instead of just tuning out, look for opportunities to engage.
I enjoy my cold brew on the weekends, but if you are moving from your 3rd beer to your 4th, you might find better ways of engaging your time and your mind.
Engagement in your weekend can take a myriad of forms. Maybe you have a pet project you want to move forward. Perhaps you like to work in the garden. Engaging your weekend can even be simply sitting on your patio, sipping the aforementioned beverage and actively thinking or planning. No one says you can work only with your hands. Your mind needs time to think, too. It matters little how you decide to engage your weekend. It is much more important to just do it.
The fact is, working on your own projects and ideas on the weekend can greatly improve your work during the week. Your new thinking and new discoveries on the weekend can often help you solve issues at work – and vice versa. You might think it odd, but building a robot with your son can often open your mind to new solutions at the office. Even if there is no direct correlation between your weekend and weekday work, though, engaging in your own fun activities on the weekend can help to reenergize you for the week ahead. Doing something unusual for yourself can make your day job seem just a bit more interesting.
Even more, engaging in your weekend can help to fight the “Sunday Night Blues” that some of us experience each week. We start to think about all the problems we will face come Monday morning, instead of enjoying the last few hours of our weekend. I know that when I worked at a corporate job I often suffered from this problem myself.
So, in what ways can you engage your weekend? They are almost as varied as life itself, but here are a few to get your started.
• Have a face-to-face meeting with someone you don’t see that often.
• Take your child out for an activity, alone.
• Get loud!
• Get quiet.
• Eat out or stay in and cook from scratch
• Play an instrument – or learn to!
• Learn something new (programming language, foreign language, dancing, cooking, drawing – anything)
• Visit a museum or art gallery
• Go hiking
Whatever you do, don’t just sit around doing nothing. Do something for yourself and your life and your career can only benefit. It might not seem like work, but it can help to build the career you deserve.
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Well put Mr. Welch!
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