Many of us spend Monday through to Friday working. Albeit that may have been from home now given the new guidelines and changes we have all been through when it comes to the global pandemic. However, with some of us venturing back out to work we may have to leave the house at a silly time in the morning and not get back till bedtime. We may be working from home and locking ourselves away at a computer for hours on end. Finding it hard to find the balance between working and home life as it now all seems blurred with no structure or routine. Whatever your scenario is the chances are that for a lot of us we countdown to that precious weekend. But are you making the most of it? Those two days where you can spend some quality time with your family and loved ones. 

However, we are facing a new normal. Weekends may not have been like they were in the past. You might feel like you are limited or even struggling to get out of the routine you created in lockdown where you needed to stay at home. We might all be facing this weird blur of the days merging into one. However, we all need that weekend and sometimes, we find they go too quick. With that in mind, here are some of the best ways that you can ensure you start to make the most of your weekends with your family. It is time to bring them back properly and enjoy our lives, even if it does mean embracing this new normal we find ourselves in. 

Try and have a plan

While there is a lot to be said for being spontaneous and off the cuff, not having some plan can mean that time escapes you. Now more than ever we need to plan our weekends to ensure that we know where we are going as sometimes these places will now need tickets to be booked online. We plan our summer vacations after all. On a weekend, you can spend a lot of time working out what you want to with your time. But before you know it, Sunday night has appeared, and that’s it for another week. Having a loose plan means that you should get the most out of your weekend. It doesn’t have to be strict or timed; you could just decide that you are doing certain things on certain days. You will find you get much more packed into those two days, and equally, enjoy yourself more. 

Look into days out and excursions

Going on day’s out every week can be quite costly, this is where planning can help you out. While it’s great to stay local, sometimes it’s nice to get out and about and explore more. This is where you could look into days out and excursions. It might be a trip to a different park or exploring the next local town, obviously taking into account social distancing. Try and mix it up a little. Museums and galleries, cinemas and even bowling alleys are now opening up, so booking these things online and supporting local businesses could help you to ensure that not only are you making the most of your weekend but you are trying to support the economy as well. 

Schedule in some relaxation time

As much as you want to have fun filled weekends, you will have worked all week. So try and schedule in a little down time for you to relax. A weekend should be a time you rest and recuperate for the week ahead. You could mix it up and incorporate the family by having a movie afternoon, or letting the children play in the garden while you sit back and spectate. Relaxation time may seem strange to suggest, Ivan we have all been in a period of life where we couldn’t do much at all other than our daily walk. But it can be a great way to ensure that you separate your weekends from your working time, where you may have felt stressed or a little anxious. Whether working from home or having to venture out to the office or your place of work, scheduling in that relaxation time is good for you. As well it gives your children a chance to learn to occupy themselves and not get bored so easily. 

Enjoy something for you 

As much as it is good to get out and enjoy time with the family, sometimes you need something that you enjoy and this can be a variety of different things. It might be that you want to spend your time watching and following your football team or other sports. Maybe you like the idea of predicting the correct score, watching a horse race and predicting the winner or even having a bet. You could do things like bet on Kentucky Derby online and not have to leave the comfort of your home these days. Maybe you have a hobby that you enjoy, or you want to use your spare time to make some extra money online. Perhaps even starting a business or working on something like a blog or social media account. It is so important for us to have something for ourselves as well as spending time with the family. It gives us a chance to appreciate the little things in life. 

Capture the memories

What many of us forget to do is capture the memories. Our weekends go by so fast. More often than not we don’t think to capture the everyday moments. But these are the ones you will cherish for years to come. So get your camera out, or snap away on your smartphone. Capture some memories of your weekend. Maybe you could share them to an album, print some pictures off and use it as an opportunity for your children to create an ongoing scrapbook. These things will be something they will love to look back on in years to come. You may find that at tough spots in the week those smiles get you through and we all want those memories to look back on when times are tough. Perhaps you want to use this time to collect the memories you captured in lockdown and put them together so you have a record of it, future grandchildren and great grandchildren are going to learn about this in history lessons. 

Why down time is so important

Down time is so important and something we often don’t do enough of. It is so important for us all to take some time to rest as well as enjoy the time with our loved ones. You may have a stressful job that might be taxing on the mind, so it is important that you realise this and ensure you do what you can to feel better mentally. The more you invest in yourself, the more you can invest in the others around you and give them the best version of you. 

Try and not dwell on Monday morning

Finally, as hard as it may seem, try and not dwell on Monday morning. Use your weekend as a chance to be in the moment and not thinking about the future and what lies ahead. This will also help you to differentiate between weekdays and weekends. You will feel much more positive when Monday does come round and feel ready to tackle another week of the daily grind. 

Let’s hope this has inspired you to make more of your weekends with the family.