10 things to do on the weekend for self-care and productivity

What do you do on the weekends? Do you spend the whole weekend being a couch potato and binge-watching a whole series on Netflix? We have all done that sometimes, but how does it make you feel on Sunday evening? Not so proud of yourself, right?

How you spend your weekend is a huge contributor to how your week turns out. If you work all day on weekdays, chances are that you hardly have time for yourself. You hardly indulge in some self-care. Chances are that you spend your weekday working on hectic schedules, getting things done and don’t get time to focus on your important projects or deep work.

How should you spend your weekend that will get you some self-care, make you well-rested and more productive in the coming week?

10 things to do on the weekend for self-care and productivity

Get some rest

Research has shown that the more rested you are, the more productive you become. Further, the more rested you are, the more your willpower improves.

As a result, you are in better control of yourself, you are more likely to stick to your diet, avoid bad habits and focus better on your goals. During the weekend, you can get a chance to sleep in.

Fight the urge to binge on a series all night or party all night. Instead, take this time to get some time for yourself. Depending on your family structure, the weekend offers different opportunities for rest.

Rest not only involves getting sufficient sleep but taking a break from your routine in work and exercise. This weekend, ensure you are well-rested and you’ll see some change in the coming week.

Read

I am at my most restful place when sleeping, and reading. If you are a reader, the weekend is a perfect time to catch up with your reading. Don’t feel guilty about curling up in bed and reading as you sip your cup of green tea.

Reading fiction for rest is relaxing and entertaining. It also helps you shut your mind off from work stresses. Rather than carrying them with you all weekend, you push them somewhere at the back of your mind, enjoy your book, and pick up where you left off the following Monday.

Connect with nature

Have you heard of green therapy? Research has shown that spending time with nature, otherwise known as green time, can make you calmer and release you of stresses. You can connect with nature through hiking, gardening, taking a walk in your local park, or cycling.

Getting outside on the weekend, especially if your work involves being cooped in an office all day can be good for you. Get some sun and some fresh air and you will feel rejuvenated enough to face the coming week.

Tidy up and declutter

Most mornings, we are in a hurry and selecting our outfit for the day isn’t such a glamorous affair. Some (most) of us throw things about before we find the perfect outfit and leave the house looking as if we have been trashed.

At the end of the day, we are likely too tired to tidy up and we let the trashed look run throughout the week. Why not spend just about an hour on the weekend tidying up and decluttering.

Even better, plan your outfits for the next week to avoid a hassle in the morning. Planning your outfits for the week saves you time, decision-making stress and anxiety and makes your life run a bit smoother.

Recommended: Tidying up Marie Kondo

Connect with your loved ones

Family and friends are important to us. Unfortunately, sometimes we are so busy we hardly have the time to connect with then. The weekend is the perfect time to connect with family.

If your parents or siblings live close by, and you have a good relationship with them, plan for a lunch or dinner to connect them. if you have a spouse, use the weekend to connect with them.

Talk, take a drive, watch a movie, go out for a meal, and simply spend time with each other. I dedicate my Sundays to my partner. We take up an activity we enjoy and do it together. I’ve found this helps me connect with them since, on weekdays, we only see each other for just a few hours a day.

Plan your meals

If you are working on your personal development, I am sure one of your goals is to eat better. You can eat much better if you plan your meals. Sometimes, we eat the wrong kind of food simply because we have not planned on what to eat and we reach for the available and convenient option, a take out.

When you plan your meals, you buy and stock the ingredients you need to make a home-cooked meal. You don’t spend too much time debating what to eat and end up ordering a pizza.

Planning meals can help you eat healthily for about 4 days a fairly healthy week. Use the weekend to plan what to eat during the week. Buy what you need and have it stocked in the house. This way, you will not resort to the easy way out, fast foods.

Take care of your skin

Don’t we all dread the face-care routine at the end of the day? Sometimes we are so tired we hit the pillow without cleansing. You can use the weekend to rejuvenate your skin.

Depending on your skin-care regimen, don’t forget to give your skin some tender loving care. If you spend the weekend indoors, no one will judge you for walking around with an avocado mask or a blackhead charcoal mask on your face. Do this every weekend, and your face will thank you for it.

Hydrate

How many of you achieve the recommended 8 glasses a day? How many avoid taking too much water during the day because they dread a million trips to the bathroom? How many are too busy and only remember at the end of the day that they haven’t taken any water, just coffee? This is you and I.

While you cannot compensate for all the hydration you lack during the week, you can at least ensure that you meet your water intake target during the weekend. You don’t have to take plain water, which can be boring sometimes.

Accentuate your water taking with some herbal teas. I love my teas. Depending on the time of day or mood, I take green tea, ginger tea, chamomile tea, among other teas. Herbal teas are a significant part of self-care.

Play a game

Not into sports? Don’t worry about that. There are numerous indoor games that you can play for recreation during the weekend. I love board games. Relax on the weekend by playing board games such as chess, scrabble or monopoly.

Play a dart game with friends over a drink. I am also super into code words and you’ll catch me holding a glass of wine frowning over a code word. Playing games can both be relaxing and improve your brain functions.

Plan for the week

I have come to appreciate the importance of goal setting. However, I sometimes get so caught up with work that I don’t have time to plan. I think of all the things I want to do but I don’t write them down and soon enough, they are replaced by other things that seem more important.

Use your weekend to plan for the coming week and set your goals. This exercise can take you as little as 5 minutes and steer you in the right direction to achieve your goals.