It’s Monday morning, and Sarah drags herself out of bed, already longing for Friday. As she sips her coffee, she scrolls through social media, liking friends’ weekend photos and thinking ahead to her own upcoming weekend activities.
She lets out a long sigh. The workweek stretches before her like an endless desert, with the weekend oasis shimmering in a far-off distance.
This scenario is all too familiar for many of us who find ourselves living for the weekend. We trudge through our weekdays, counting down the hours until we can finally enjoy our lives during those precious 48 hours of freedom.
But what if we could break free from this cycle and find joy in every day, not just Saturdays and Sundays?
The “weekend warrior” mentality is a common trap many of us fall into. We view our weekdays as something to be endured, a necessary evil to get through before we can truly start letting our hair down.
This mindset kind of robs us of the opportunity to find happiness and fulfilment in our daily lives.
By constantly looking forward to the weekend, we’re missing out on the small moments of joy that occur throughout the week. How does one shift their perspective though?
Do You Live for the Weekend? The Tell-Tale Signs
You probably already know whether you’re caught in a cycle of living for the weekend, but if not, there are several signs to look out for.
Like Sarah, maybe you find yourself planning your weekend activities as early as Monday morning, eagerly anticipating quitting time on Friday. “TGIF” is a regular part of your vocabulary.
When Sunday evening approaches, does a sense of dread settle in as you anticipate the upcoming week?
When you’re stuck in this mode, it’s also often a struggle to summon up much motivation or enthusiasm for your daily tasks throughout the week.
Your mood usually noticeably improves as the weekend approaches. Some folks even tend to overbook their weekends to make up for the lack of enjoyment during the week.
“Weekend warriors” often use their time off as an excuse to overindulge in food, drink, or spending, leading to a sense of letdown or disappointment when weekend plans didn’t pan out to meet their lofty expectations.
Do you recognise yourself in any of the above? Of course, it’s perfectly normal to have phases like this here and there. Those weeks or months when work or school just lacks any sort of happy vibe – we all go through them.
When you continually find it really hard to enjoy any simple pleasures at all during the workweek though, it might be time to take a closer look at what’s going on.
It’s okay to take on a job to survive – most of us have been there. But constantly checking the clock at work for years on end, counting down the hours until you can leave likely isn’t going to make you happy over the long term.
The Hidden Costs of Living for the Weekend
It may seem harmless to look forward to the weekend, but I think constantly focusing on those two days can have consequences on your overall quality of life.
The emotional toll of wishing away five days of the week can lead to chronic dissatisfaction, maybe even depression. I’ve written previously about how happiness is a conscious choice we make each day, and I have come to really believe that we are unhappy indeed when we spend time in the past, or are consistently wrapped up in a future that has yet to happen.
When you’re solely focused on the weekend, you’re not in the present. That makes it easier to overlook chances for growth, connection, and enjoyment all throughout the week. Life is happening every day, not just on Saturdays and Sundays. By living for the weekend, you’re potentially missing out on valuable experiences and relationships.
I’ve been through this myself a number of times, and I know that a work-life imbalance that can too easily result in burnout, decreased job satisfaction, and strained – or even thoroughly broken – relationships.
The pressure to make every weekend perfect will even contribute more stress. Trying to cram all your enjoyment and relaxation into two days is a sure-fire path to overcommitment and exhaustion. Come Monday morning, it’s likely you’re feeling drained rather than refreshed.
I won’t get into career prospects here. Suffice to say that when you’re constantly working for the weekend, your focus, productivity and motivation during the week might not be all that impressive. If it’s just a hustle to pay the bills until something better comes along, so be it. But even then, I personally always think there is something to be learnt on the job, some takeaways you can glean. If not for your career development, then for your personal development.
From Weekend Warrior to Everyday Enthusiast: 5 Ways to Break the Cycle
So how do you get out of the kerfuffle?
Breaking free from the ‘living for the weekend’ mentality takes a certain shift in perspective, and ideally a couple of practical changes.
I’d start by recognising that every day is an opportunity for enjoyment and growth. Somebody might say something funny that makes you laugh. The sun might come out just as you’re leaving the house to walk to the bus stop. Your dinner could turn out delicious. These sound like little things, but they’re actually huge wins.
A lot of people will tell you to practise gratitude by noting one positive aspect of each day, no matter how small. If that works for you, or if you’d rather meditate or pray, make it a little mini-habit for yourself each day.
Before I fall asleep at night, I like to think of three things from that day for which I’m thankful. I started doing this when things were really really bad all around me. It felt absolutely corny at first. But it did help me shift my perspective so much so that I was slowly able to come to appreciate the little things every day.
I also realised that even when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, that they could, and they can. That made me start placing much greater value on life right now.
Creating a special midweek ritual might help break the cycle of pining away for the weekend. Introduce an enjoyable activity into your routine, maybe a Wednesday night film club with friends, a lunchtime call with your sister every Thursday, or a Tuesday evening yoga class. Injecting something nice into each week definitely helps with the work-life balance.
Finding purpose in daily tasks is another key to breaking the cycle. Look for ways to attribute more meaning to them. If you’re struggling to find purpose in your work, think for a minute about how it contributes to the bigger picture (because it does!) and remember how you’re using your skills to help others (because you are!).
Life Is Now
Life is happening right now, today – no matter what day it is. By shifting your mindset and making a few tweaks to your daily routine, there’s more happiness to be found in the daily trot.
I mean, why should weekends have all the fun?
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