Magazine : 
Rescue the Weekends
A few months back, an idea of contracting the working week from a standard of five days to four days was in the air. The Union Ministry of Labour and Employment discussed new labour codes to keep the working hours at 48 hours a week. It would automatically be welcoming a long relaxing weekend, and it seemed of having high hopes. And unfortunately, the idea has been disdained. Well, many of us have accepted the sad truth and somehow got settled with the usual two-day weekend.
Interestingly, as per a historian of leisure, there are multiple parallels between debates today and those that happened in the 19th century when the weekend was begun. The concept of Saturdays and Sundays as off work is, in fact, a pretty modern phenomenon. It all started with a reduction of working hours in factories and approved regular breaks. But the weekend came in practice after several campaigns directed by half-day holiday movements, trade unions, commercial leisure companies, and employers themselves. The formation of the weekend in Britain was a gradual process and jagged affair that had to triumph over unofficial but famous traditions. It had affected the working week during the 19th century.
However, the concept of two days weekend is in practice and precious. We all always desire to make it as a booster and memorable for the coming working days. But sometimes, it tends to fizzle out and not meet our expectations. And the most heard complaint about the weekend is that it comes after a long wait but goes by too fast.
As per a study published in the Harvard Business Review by Cassie Mogilner Holmes and her colleagues, the difference in activities across the weekend is not responsible for increased happiness. Instead, treating the time as a vacation makes the "vacationers" more alive and attentive to the present during their weekend activities. In other words, the vacation-minded people weren't happier because they did more sporadic tasks; they were more pleased because of their complete involvement in the present.
Hence, the research suggests that practicing a vacation mindset to your weekends just by slowing down and noticing the present environment can cherish your days. Our perspective is more influential than the amount of money we spend or the activities ourselves. So, to embrace our weekend that makes us feel refreshed and energized, here are a few ways.
Plan your weekends
As we plan our weekdays, we should plan our weekends too. Figuring out the plan well in advance will help us to end up doing something productive instead of wondering where the time went once the weekend is over. The outlook will enhance not only your weekend but also your week.
Duck the daily drill
We follow a standard routine from Monday through Friday. If we're not concerned, though, the familiarity of our models can surely lead us to become stuck in a rut of only doing the repetitive things over and over again. The weekend, therefore, is to challenge our comfort zone and get novel experiences, such as joining a new club, crossing an item off our bucket list, or revisiting a hobby that we used to enjoy.
Support some witty interruption
Engaging yourself with various activities can be fun, but to the farthest, it can also take its casualties both mentally and physically. Alternatively, we should set aside some time as "me-time" to ease ourselves. Preferably activities for the time is reading a favourite book or listening to your favourite playlist. We should be careful not to fill up our empty time with things that are stressful, like constantly checking email or attending phone calls.
Catch up on some workouts
Getting outdoor for a walk, run, bike ride, or anything else will encourage you to get some activity and enjoy the fresh air. It will leave you energized while you also reap the health advantages. Since we usually don’t get enough exercise or work out throughout the weekdays, the weekend is a precise time to catch up.
Rescue Sunday
A significant mistake we often permit to make on weekends is allowing thoughts of Monday morning. It also includes awaiting work to take over our capability to enjoy our Sunday fully. We can repel the Sunday blues by reminding ourselves that the weekend includes the day and enjoy brunch or dinner with others.
Sunday night needs to spend for planning the upcoming week. So that you know what you want to achieve across the week, includes work and personal life. By spending some time on Sunday night planning another fun activity for the week and thinking onward to the following weekend, you can stretch the weekend feeling you’ve just invested into your week instead of ending it so abruptly on Sunday.
Happy Weekend!
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