How to Maximize Your Family’s Weekend

The key to the perfect family weekend is finding balance. Enough time spent doing ‘things’ with family and friends, but not so many activities and experiences that it all feels rushed and hectic.

There are 60 hours between that Friday 6 pm start to the kid’s bedtime routine and that Monday morning 6 am ‘alarm’ (an actual alarm or your children, depending on your luck and circumstances!). 24 of those hours might be sleeping (ok, some parents are laughing already) but that still leaves 36 waking ones. For many of us, the weekend means having a co-parent around, for the entire day.

If the perfect weekend is fun and filled with meaningful experiences, but not stressed and hectic; how do you make the most of it?

Make a plan. We are busy. Often we find that we make it to the weekend and all we want to do is ‘nothing’. Yet, we all know we never actually do 'nothing'. More likely we end up picking away at have chosen something to do here and there. This is when we hit Sunday and feel a bit depleted, and disappointed we missed out. The anticipation of an event is a large part of the pleasure. Often, it can be more pleasurable than the activity itself! Having a plan gives you something to look forward to, and it will enhance your enjoyment at the same time.

Don’t over schedule. The weekend does not need the military like precision required of your workweek, or weekdays home with the kids. Before having kids, I would work on the 3-5 main events in a weekend. I have found since having kids one a day is usually the best way to ensure success. Two possible, but three and we all fall! What is critical here is the tendency to want to ‘fill’ days. But if there is something important we want to attend in the late afternoon or evening, it might be tempting to other plans to backfill the day. Stop! Don’t do it! If you have something you are looking forward to, and the kids are involved in any way, it might mean planning to be at home and doing ‘nothing’ until 3 pm, to ensure you can focus on that event.

Have a bucket list. A list of special weekend events you would like to do as a family. These are the times of adventure and explore. Visit the aquarium. Or the zoo.  These can be activities to look forward to, as well as being backups for when plan change and you find yourself with a day to fill.   For plans that are further afield, see if you can plan the travel around nap time. For us, we always tried hard to make sure our kids could sleep well in both the car, the stroller, and in their bed. Often, this is something that needs to be learned, and not all babies and children sleep well in transport.

Exercise. If you are tired and stressed from a long week at work, or a long week with your kids, it is essential to make sure you get that exercise in on the weekends. The endorphins you get from exercising make you happier, less stressed, a better parent, and more focused on your work. If you are struggling to get out of the house and needs some exercise you can do from home, follow the link below for more information.

 

If you can, get outside. The fresh air will energize you, and it is an excellent opportunity to do something fun as a family.

Schedule downtime. As mentioned above, downtime might be necessary to make sure you can make those plans you have made. If you are overtired and feel you need some more rest or sleep, you can’t assume you will get it because it’s the weekend. Plan it, schedule it in. Planning downtime might be a place to schedule some ‘you’ time if that is an option. For busy parents, this might not always be realistic. I know I find if my husband takes the kids out for a short trip to the shops, I feel compelled to get ‘things’ done. But even 30 minutes of time to yourself can help recharge the batteries.

Avoid the Sunday Night Blues.  All too often Sunday afternoon rolls around, and we start thinking about the week to come. Getting a jump start on our emails, thinking about that meeting Monday morning, daycare drop or school drop off. Sometimes the sheer enormity of what the week has to bring can get us into a funk come 3 pm Sunday. How to avoid the blues? Have Sunday night plans to look forward to; a bbq with friends, or even a nice glass of wine and Netflix.  This next part might sound like a stretch, but can you prepare for Monday on Friday? That last hour at work, instead of rushing out the door, stick to the tasks that you tend to slide into on Sunday afternoon.

Make the most of your family's schedules. Not all activities on the weekend are family activities. Someone has a class or a lesson. You are the driver. If you find yourself with ‘waiting’ as part of your weekend routine, make the most of it! Bring a book, have your favourite podcasts loaded, Spotify playlist only your love and headphones ready, or even a sneaky episode of that show you are embarrassed to admit you are hooked on ready to go on your Netflix app!  Social media has its place; it does not have to be how you kill time waiting. If attending the sport, activity, or hobby of a family member is going to take up the majority of the day, consider working in something fun on the way to or after that everyone can enjoy, like a meal out or a visit to the beach.

Don’t do too many chores. As mentioned above on making a plan, don’t let chores become your complete weekend activities. If you allow them,  they will fill every bit of space that is available. To avoid this, try doing as much as you can during the week and let your weekends to be chore free. But, and this is a big old ‘but,’ for some people, specific activities that might be considered tasks are also relaxing hobbies. Examples include gardening, DIY projects, vehicle maintenance, home decor… the list is endless of activities someone else might find relaxing, and you consider work. Make sure you are clear on this list with members of your household to keep them categorized!

Consider meal planning for the week.  Getting this done on the weekend will make your week more stress-free. It could also well as lessening the chores you need to do during the week. If the kitchen is messy only once due to a big cook up, you will not be cleaning it (as much) all week long. How you approach this is connected to how you feel about cooking. If preparing healthy family meals is the highlight of your day, then cramming it into one session weekly might not hold the same level of benefit to you. But if you value healthy family meals but are poor on time during the week, this is a game changer that will lessen your stress and make you happier about the food your family is eating.

 

Don’t work all weekend. If you follow the before mentioned points, you will not be doing this anyway. But it happens for everyone, either you want to get ready for a busy week ahead, or you are a work from home parent trying to take advantage of having the co-parent support. It’s all about balance - and what you as an individual find relaxing and rejuvenating. Your brain needs to unwind, and the weekends are the time for this; the trick is figuring out what works for you.

As a final note, with the understanding that you are reading this online: take a break from technology. Or at least be deliberate about your use of technology and online media. There is a fine line between tools that increase efficiency and distractions that suck away the time. Staying off of social media will stop you from comparing your weekend with the post you see from others. Not engaging in this will make you happier!

If you are a busy time-poor parent looking for a different way - get in touch! We are always looking for passionate people seeking new opportunities.