We haven’t had a nice, long coffee break in awhile here.
I wanted to tell you about last weekend.
My husband left on Thursday night to hang with some old college friends for a few days. He wasn’t slated to come back until Sunday. I decided to use this time as a vacation for myself, and it ended up being the first time in awhile that I didn’t spend my weekend working.
On Thursday evening, I took advantage of my sudden solitude to indulge myself in cooking. I took special pleasure in cooking up a pan of roasted Brussels sprouts, and capped off my evening by sitting in bed, surrounded by cats, reading a book and snacking on the sprouts.
On Friday, I quit work early to go shopping with my mom and visit my grandfather and, later that evening, I went to my friend Nicole’s house (her husband was also gone for the weekend), for wine, good Italian food, and a movie.
On Saturday, I woke up at 7:30 a.m. sans alarm, feeling well-rested and refreshed. I tried out a new belly dancing class in the early afternoon and did dinner with my family. I spent the evening reading and, once again, I woke up the next morning at 7:30 a.m. feeling well-rested and refreshed.
I finally allowed myself to attend to some work on Sunday, as I had a piece due the next day. I worked on whittling four hours’ worth of interviews into 300 words. But when my husband finally arrived home and suggested we go for a drive…do a wine tasting nearby…I easily stepped away from my work and allowed myself to appreciate the beautiful day.
Why don’t I spend every weekend this way? Am I not managing my time wisely during the week? Am I too focused on my work?
I find that, usually, I burn out on my daily blogging responsibilities during the week, and then end up saving other projects for the weekend. Does anyone else have this problem too?
How many of you are working through the weekend, and how many have achieved that work/life balance? Please! Share your tips with me! I want every weekend to be like last weekend!
Sounds like you had an action-packed weekend! I ended up taking it easy last Saturday too — and it was much needed. I spent the day down at the beach with my husband, checking out my favorite chocolate and culinary shops, art galleries and the lovely view. Oh, and yummy Mexican food!
It was nice getting my mind off the fact that I didn’t get the f/t writing gig I thought I was sure to get. Normally I work long days during the week (sometimes 12 hours or more) as well as the weekends, but it’s something I never did — or enjoyed — when I worked for someone else. As a freelancer working for myself though, I don’t mind it at all! I actually look forward to waking up in the morning and wondering what new opportunities I’m going to find next.
As far as having a balance, I don’t know if I’ve found it yet. I really need to give myself more of a set schedule so I can stop work at a certain time every day, then enjoy the rest of the day for myself. I’m still learning!
@margie: Your schedule sounds a lot like mine. 🙂 But it sounds like you has a fabulous weekend! If only there were more like that…is it odd that we have to work hard at relaxing?