Living for the Weekend

All, Navigating Life

by Tori Roalef
March 4, 2025

Monday through Thursday is slow and boring, or filled with stressful events and projects to get done. You think, just hold out to the weekend. We’ve got 4 days…3 days…2 days until Friday. There’s a movie releasing this week, or a fun project that’s sitting in your mind, but during the week there’s no time for it. It’ll have to wait for the weekend.

Then finally, when Friday hits, we're so close to being released from the entrapment of work—TGIF, Thank God it’s Friday, as some people say. Time to let yourself relax and finally do the things you were looking forward to all week.

Saturday whirls by—maybe you see that new movie, get started on a project, or relax a bit, but the day blurs by all too fast. Sunday rises and the dread sits in, Tomorrow is Monday and this whole cycle will start again. Maybe you make a little bit more headway on your project, but you carry the dread Monday with you all day. Sunday ends, Monday begins, and the cycle restarts.

The Idea of the Week

It’s not always an option to quit a job you don’t like—we still need the income. So much of the weekday goes towards work, so how can we stop living in this dreadful cycle and stop living only on the weekends? How do we stop waiting for the next big exciting thing, and start enjoying now?

Sometimes, we create barriers to own happiness: “I can’t be content right now because I am working. Once I finish this work today, I’ll be able to wind down at home” or

“Once I get my degree, I’ll be able to do the things I want” or

“Once the children are off to college or move out, I can finally focus on the projects I want to do.”

Your mind can always come up with new things to distract you from this moment.

There is always a next big thing to look forward to, a reason you can’t be content right now because somehow it’s all reserved for that next big thing. Note these thoughts, become aware of them, and learn to direct your thoughts from the future to this present moment.

The Practice of the Week

How do we stop surviving, living only for 2 days out of the week and letting the other 5 days drag by? How do we start living during the week, too?

A practice that is helpful is to build mindfulness into each day so it becomes possible to be joyous or content on this random Tuesday. Below are some practices you can try so you claim each day as your own.

1. Build a strong morning routine.

Your morning routine can be a great way to incorporate mindfulness practices that help you focus on the present, not anticipating the work waiting for you on your desk.

For a couple of days, try waking up earlier and doing something you enjoy before you go to work. Shift your mindset: You are not “waking up for work”; you are waking up to a new day, to start your day without rushing, to enjoy your morning, and start the day feeling grounded.

2. Make your weekdays special.

What small rituals can you build into each weekday? Stop saving all your joy and contentment for Saturday. It’s possible to have joy today, even on this random Tuesday.

3. Stop putting off your passions for the weekend.

What can you do with your passions during your week? Be realistic and set small achievements. If your passion is painting, spend 15 minutes on one of your weekdays drawing or mixing colors.

4. Audit your evening time after you get off work.

How much time are you spending on draining activities vs. energy-giving activities? Do you spend your time on social media? How does it make you feel afterwards? Do you go for a walk? How does that make you feel? Find your energy-giving activities, and begin building them into your everyday life.

5. Pursue things you enjoy in your work.

Are there things you do like about your job? If so, what are those things you love the most about your job? Are you pursuing those opportunities enough?

6. Create something to look forward to each day.

Find small things you enjoy and sprinkle them in throughout the week.

Enjoy reading? Try sprinkling in a few chapters of a book or listening to an audiobook on your commute.

Enjoy sports activities? Unwind with a light sports session with a friend or try a solo practice session.

Like to play games? Play one session.

Love going to cafes for a coffee or tea? Choose a day in the week to visit a cafe for lunch or to do some administrative work for an hour.

7. Build systems and streamline the mundane processes.

The mundane tasks can take up quite a bit of time and drain you, so what are ways you can streamline the process?

Can you pair it with a fun activity? Can you offload the weight of the task to share the responsibility with someone else? Where can you swap out a task with something else?

For instance, if making coffee in the morning takes a lot of energy, does it work for you to buy coffee?

Or maybe, prep a coffee station in your home so the steps become quicker.

Plan your outfit the day before, or prep your meals one day a week.

8. Write down your gratitude or happiness moments.

Journal highlights of your good experiences in the previous week. You do not need to worry about grammar or punctuation. Maybe this works better as a list for you. Or you can try writing the items on a physical calendar.

Use a daily tracker to track your satisfaction or mood each day (or as regularly as you’d like).

Create a “smile box” filled with journal entries about your good experiences or the notes you receive from others that make you smile.

9. A suggestion from the Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron:

In this book, Julia Cameron outlines a “course” for people to get back in touch and stay connected with their creative selves. Of all the exercises she provides, she suggested two activities that are the backbone of staying in touch with creativity: morning pages and “artist’s dates.”

Morning pages are 3 pages of stream-of-conscious writing. Whatever you’re thinking, write it down on the page. This is only for your own eyes. There is no need to worry about punctuation, grammar, or even neat handwriting.

Artist’s dates are activities that get you in touch with yourself. Take yourself, your artist, out on a date to “pamper” them and listen to them, just as you would with a partner.

Julia suggests committing to a weekly artist date. Commit—then watch a part of yourself try to encroach on this time with yourself. Become aware of these encroachments and learn to guard against them.