What to do with my Saturday mornings?

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Saturday mornings can be heavenly. If you do not have to be somewhere at a certain time and you can control your schedule, then you have control. Control is one of those things I feel like I rarely have, and with this control comes an awesome responsibility. Knowing yourself and what you need from your Saturday mornings is where we are going to start. Once you know what you need personally, you can build your routine. If your profession or work has a weekend shift and your “Saturday” is on another day of the week, feel free to adapt. 

You’ll see over time in reading my advice that I am a big fan of Start with Why by Simon Sinek. Beyond the book and its principles, I’ve tried to bring home the point of being intentional and driving at why I’m doing certain things. Knowing why lets you decide and gives you permission to do things a certain way. 

So why should I spend my Saturdays a certain way? For starters, have you heard this one…. because you’re an adult now and adults do these things. (Isn’t that a terrible reason? Have you gotten on these #adulting crazes only to feel overwhelmed about expectations someone else is trying to assign you?). Here’s something better – because you’re important, smart and it’s important to stay connected with what you need. If you’ve been on an airplane before, you know the flight attendant says that in the event the cabin depressurizes and those yellow masks fall down, make sure you put your mask on first before helping even your children or others around you. Think about this when you think of your Saturdays.

Okay, some other obligatory comments – everyone is different. Your job may require certain things of you, or a project may come up from time to time that derails your Saturday plan. This post should give you some ideas you can use to tailor your Saturday plan. 

It’s also worth mentioning that Sundays are important to be intentional about, but we’ll cover that some other time. Sundays are usually reserved for church, family time, rest, and relaxation. Sunday’s usually mean big breakfasts and quality time with family, like adorable nieces and nephews. 

While Sundays are for God and family, Saturdays are for me. Saturdays I get to focus on taking care of myself. Taking care of myself means that come Monday I can take care of work, home life, friends, and all the demands. When I was in college, Saturdays meant sleeping in, then studying, working and then inevitably hanging out with friends, maybe at a party or out on the town. Now that I’m into my career, Saturdays are special. 

Let’s get to it already! Here’s my favorite ways to get the most from Saturdays. 

1. Have a plan. Even if my plan is to do nothing and intentionally not leave my house, it’s still a plan. Don’t let plans overwhelm you – especially with this coronavirus world we’re in today, the best feeling is when you cancel plans. However, Saturday plans are a bit different. Set plans you can keep – earlier in the day plans are the best, because you tend to keep them. Especially plans for yourself.    
2. Intentionally find inspiration. Your work every day may be something inspiring and that you absolutely love. Not likely but it is possible. I find the best thing I can do on a weekend (and during the week) is to find something I love to do that inspires me. A few of my go tos: “The Happy Secret to Better Work” TED Talk by Shawn Achor; “My Wish” by JR TED Talk. You may find your own favorite thing. If, for instance, I am feeling a certain way due to a certain time of the month, I may make it a point to watch something like The Devil Wears Prada or Princess Diaries. This probably looks different for each person – get to know what helps you recharge through inspiration. 
3. Consider a self-care routine for Saturday mornings. We’ll talk more about self-care in other blog posts, but here is the really easy answer: self-care can be simple or complex. It doesn’t have to cost much, if anything at all. Think of self-care as an intentional plan to take care of yourself. For some it means reading a fiction book, going on a hike, or getting a pedicure or massage. Self-care may also just mean going to your favorite coffee place and indulging in something special and just reading or drawing.    
4. Reading, reading, reading. Reading is a self-care activity for some. It also is deeply connected to your workplace development. The most successful people read voraciously. Trade magazines, business journals, newspaper articles, books, blogs, etc. Why read so much? You not only learn new words and new concepts, but you also become a better writer. With the right kind of practice, a better speaker. Most importantly – you grow faster and can be better at your job. If you’re competing for projects, a promotion, or just growing up the ladder. This is the secret tip I don’t think people understand – especially if you’re young and don’t have experience. The more you read and can apply it at work and in conversation, the more people will listen to you. Just don’t go overboard – you don’t want to be the book worm whose go to line is “…I read it in a book the other day.”  
5. Get your work week out of your head. Fridays are usually great days for closing out your week and planning for Monday. But sometimes Friday is survival of meetings, actual work, and you don’t get the chance to close out. If I am in that spot, I like to take Saturday morning with my coffee, a pad of paper – such as my new favorite Bliss Collections pads to write down to dos, reminders for next weeks to dos, or just reminders about stuff that I thought of. Check out the Bliss Collection items here. A plain piece of paper or an electronic note on your mobile device works great too. I like paper and I really enjoy structure notes like Bliss Collection offers.

6. Workout, stretch, yoga, go for a run or a long walk. The best thing I do on Saturdays is get in a long walk or, my recent favorite focus, a Beachbody on Demand workout. I’ve laid out my year’s plan for workouts. I do workouts during the week but like everything else Monday – Friday, it’s a busy process, so I don’t usually take the time to do extra stretching or explore different workouts or even track progress. Saturdays are great for taking extra time to focus on those things. An important thing I enjoy on Saturdays is foam rolling. A workout to warm up your muscles followed by 15 minutes of foaming rolling and tracking progress will help keep you healthy and relaxed. Want to know more about Beachbodyondemand.com or looking for suggestions for foam rolling check out this foam roller. 

You can search for dozens of articles about how successful people spend their weekends and its almost all the same type of stuff. The truth is you’ve got to decide what you want to do. Do you wake up Saturdays and find joy in going out to the fields and helping your dad? Maybe your favorite is spending two hours at your local Humane Society. Whatever it is just make sure more often than not it’s your choice and it brings you a refreshed feeling overall. Volunteering because you think it’s the right thing to do but it leaves you drained and tired may not be the right thing.

So there you have it – my sisterly advice for your Saturday mornings. Whatever you end up to I hope for you it is fulfilling and brings you joy. Taking care of yourself makes it possible for you to take care of others.

This is Melanie – your big sister signing off.