Top 5 ways to stop working on the weekend

Top 5 ways to stop working on the weekend

Enjoying the weekend and taking time for yourself is important for your well-being. Tom Merritt suggests five ways to stop working weekends.

In the 1980s, everyone was working for the weekend; now it seems everyone is working on the weekend. It’s hard to avoid, especially if you’re working from home, but your productivity will suffer if you don’t take a break. That’s why I’ve got five tips to stop yourself from working on the weekend.

  1. Close the office. Whether it’s just your work laptop or your home office, keep it shut. Use non-work devices, if you can. If you have a dedicated workspace at home, just try to stay out of it.
  2. Do something different than you’d do on a break. You’d never binge Hulu during work time, so do that! Or garden, bake bread, make kimchi–whatever it is that’s fun for you and not work.
  3. Communicate. Make sure people understand you’re not available for the weekend, but you’ll get back to them Monday. You need to lay the groundwork for this during the week.
  4. Turn off your work apps. Slack, email, and to-do lists all should be checked if you need them, but try to avoid them. Even if you need to check in–do that, then check out–don’t keep checking constantly. That’s work! Just close them down or turn off notifications if you’re stuck using your work device.
  5. Meditate. If that’s not for you, take a moment and stare at a blank wall maybe. Take the time to luxuriate in not having to do anything. If you start feeling a little bored, that means it’s working.

All these are easier said than done, I know. Think of them as goals to get closer to all the time. Don’t forget that the payoff to taking time for yourself is actually that you get to be fresher, smarter, and more productive.

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