When we think about success, we often think about what we can be doing during the week at work to move forward, to be noticed, and to be acknowledged. What we don’t often think of is what can we be doing on the weekends to develop more successful habits? What can we be doing with this time to improve upon ourselves, and make ourselves a more well-rounded employee and person? Here is a list to help spark some ideas of things you could be doing on your weekend to become more successful.
1.) You should not sleep the day away.
Get up early and get going. For the best sleep habits, you should actually go to bed and wake up at the same time 7 days per week. However, this serves an added benefit. You want to make sure you are not wasting any valuable hours where you could be working on things that need to be done, or that benefit you and your growth.
2.) Have a “To do” list for every day.
You may so this during the week, but the weekends are no different. In fact, while you may have other responsibilities, you may actually be in the welcome situation of being able to check things off the list without the added distractions of the office, and new things being dropped on your lap.
3.) Keep moving as much as possible.
I am not going to lie and say that I am not guilty of a good Netflix marathon from time to time, but for the most part, you want to keep moving, and you want to keep checking things off your list. If you sit down to do something sedentary and take a break, there is a good chance that you will not get back up and get going again.
4.) Just like you would do at the office, decide what is important.
Family time might take priority for part of the say over other self-improving activities, as it should. However, make sure that you know that you are a priority as well, and that your goals are important.
5.) You have to be certain that you are also scheduling in time for emotional and creative growth.
This means practicing and fostering hobbies. None of us can be all work 24/7, we need to be certain to cultivate emotional and self-growth. Part of that is taking part in activities we enjoy, that give us joy, and that stimulate us in ways that nothing else can.
6.) Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook said to embrace “JOMO. Or, the Joy of Missing Out.”
It is the idea that there is merit and joy in being just where you are at any given moment, doing what you are doing. That it is ok to miss things that outside observers think are important, as they are not you, and maybe what you need to do is exactly what you are doing at this very moment, and it only matters that it matters to you.
7.) A great way to develop your sense of success is to be appreciative and grounded.
There is no better way to do this than to volunteer a little of your time on the weekends. You get to help others who can really benefit from your efforts, and you get to stay grounded in the fact that while you may have great successes, being there in the moment, giving of yourself, makes you successful as well. Some of the most successful people in the world are the great philanthropists: Bill Gates, Richard Branson, and Mark Zuckerberg to name a few.
8.) The weekends is the time to explore and build your passions.
If you want to write a book, say that you can work on it 1 hour each weekend day. If you want to take a college course, or a seminar, if you want to take a pottery class. Whatever your passion might be, this is the perfect time to embrace it, and carve a little time out for it. It does not take much to make progress, and to make growth.
9.) Some of the most successful people give the advice that is the opposite of what you might suspect.
They tell you to disconnect. While you would think they would be glued to their smart phone of tablet, they leave them alone and put them away instead. They try to be truly present in what they are doing, and in what they are hoping to accomplish with their time. They remove the constant distractions that plague them during the week, and most report that it is a major stress reliever once they realize that it is ok, and that things will move forward without them.
10.) Network wherever you go.
This is not saying go to a formal event, but we should look at any social activity as a chance to network. You never know who you are going to meet, or what they might need. So not do this to the detriment of not enjoying the activity, but keep your eyes and ears open for brief, but productive opportunities.