Do You Take Weekends Off?

Hey there! 

I am curious, do you take the weekends off? 

And by off I mean, do you take the weekends off from exercise? your reading? walking? personal development? Do you eat differently? sleep in? have different habits altogether?

I noticed recently that my morning routine is pretty much the same regardless of day. The same with my eating and exercise habits. Whether it is Monday or Saturday, things stay pretty much the same. In fact, I'd say I usually "work" 7 days a week in some form or fashion.

As I pondered it I thought to myself, why would I change them? I have them during the week for a reason and they work for me. I generally look forward to them ( I didn't always look forward to ALL of them ex. cold shower every morning) but I saw enough benefit and value that I generally stay the course.

I've created an identity and life around my daily habits. 

And as I thought about it more I thought back on the times where my weekend habits were different I kept coming back to one main reason...

I wanted a break. Being discipline and motivated takes a lot of energy and work. When the weekends come ALL I wanted was to detach myself from the things I "had" to do during the week. That little mental and physical vacation was sometimes what got me through the week.

Seems so weird to think of it that way now...why would I do those things if I needed to take a break from them? lol

The biggest reason I 'needed a break' was in part because I hadn't yet created and identity around these things. They still seemed separate of me. 

I lifted weights and ate a certain way because I wanted to look a certain way and wanted people to see me a certain way. Nothing wrong with that but it was hardly because it was just who I was and it was important to me. 

Do you see the difference there? 

I used to do those things out of obligation whereas now I do these things because that's just who I am. 

So If you find that you feel like you are living two different lives at times (Monday thru Thursday AND Friday-Sunday) 

Ask yourself why that seems to be the case. Just bring awareness to it.

You may find that the habits during the week are not aligned or sustainable in which case it may be worth examining. You may find your weekends are actually sabotaging ALL the work you are doing during the week. This may leave you playing catch up Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and then regressing through the weekend only to start all over again next week. 

If you feel you need a break from your life on the weekends its probably a good idea to ask yourself if you are really living the life you want during the week. At the very least ask why you are living them differently. 

I get it, the weekends will bring about different obligations and responsibilities. That is life. 

But the main idea of this today is to examine what's working and what's not in life, and if you are living for the weekend  it might be worth looking into further. 

Finding a happy medium will keep you from ever feeling like you've "fallen off the wagon" or "starting over". 

Consider sprinkling in some of the things you look forward to on the weekends into your weekday. Maybe its a weekday date night, or weekday visit to your favorite favorite brewery after work, or maybe even a midday hike/walk at lunch time. 

This will help you to feel a little more balance. 

When you can wake up go about your day and not know if it is Wednesday or Saturday, that's the kind of peace of mind I think we all crave and enjoy.

Here's to a great week!