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When you work a full week, and then spend the entire weekend obsessing over your inbox or uncompleted drafts, you tend to reach a point of almost losing it. I don't only mean your sanity because of exhaustion, but also who you are in your craft. It's easy to get lost in the rustle and bustle of all the work that needs to be done. And after some time, if you don't allow yourself to step back from all the work and reassess, you may forget why you started doing the work you're doing now in the first place.
While your friends will be dining on poached eggs drenched in hollandaise at the café around the corner for brunch tomorrow morning, you might find yourself staring into the black whole that is your laptop screen, with espresso in hand, forgetting all about the sunshine outside.
You, like many other stay-at-home creatives, have a slight complication. You’re what we call a WWW: a Wired Weekend Workaholic. When the work hours of your day are pretty much all day long, work and play is as blurry as your 2 a.m. computer vision. As a workaholic, taking a break and trying to switch your brain off to give it a breather is foreign to you. Here is where we step in and graciously guide you away from your craft for two days to simply detox, and help you realize why you work so hard in the first place.
Switch Off
Come the weekend, if you find yourself glued so tightly to your phone that your family and friends are pulling it away from your grip as you scream, 'Just one more e-mail!' I think it's time. However, I think completely shutting off all your devices for two days may be unnecessary. Considering you may be planning to interact with other humans and need to schedule dates, get directions and snap photos of your adventure, or if you're simply going on a single date around town or out-of-town to sit and think. But vow to yourself to refrain from responding to anything work related, especially if it is distracting you from the people in front of you, or the thoughts that may be formulating in your head.
Make a List
Not a list of work to accomplish, but a list of adventures and memories you'd like to create, a list of thinks to think about and consider, a list of things to be grateful for, a list of how far your work has brought you today, and my personal favorite: where you'd like to see yourself progress. This can almost seem work related, but notice the difference; it's you reflecting on your work, not aimlessly continuing to work.
Relax
Truly relax, and not force yourself to try and unwind. Pacing up and down your hallway and sternly telling yourself to ease into a day of simple stress-free living is about as calming as taking a final you haven't studied for in a class you desperately need to pass in order to graduate. If you stop trying to force yourself into unwinding, it’ll eventually come along and swaddle you in its cushioned, chamomile-scented arms.
Do Things that is not suitable for Technology
There is one amazing, natural element that all technological devices can't go near: water. Draw yourself a long, hot bath, head to your local pool and go out for a swim, take a stroll down the nearest beach and immerse your body into the beautiful salt water, or take a trek out to a nearby lake or waterway for a paddle. Long walks and adventures of the like will simply put some distance between you and your laptop—just don’t 'accidentally' walk into a café with free Wi-Fi. You’re not fooling anyone.
Be Realistic
Planning a beautifully gracious weekend completely with friends, family, or just for yourself may leave you feeling anxious and upset if you fail at the improbable expectations for your workless weekend. Create a beautiful weekend relaxing schedule, but leave some wiggle room.
Reward Yourself
It's Sunday evening, you have maintained some self-control, rejuvenated your brain cells and achieved sweet, sweet nothing workwise this weekend. Congratulations! Good behavior should always be rewarded. Go buy yourself that fancy dinner you have been craving for; take yourself out! Pour yourself a glass of wine, pamper yourself with a mani pedi or a buy new outfit. You surely deserve it.
My newest philosophy I have begun to follow is the phrase 'Work hard, play hard.' You may have heard of this before. You get the best of everything life has to offer: during the week, work incredibly hard to accomplish your dreams. But set at least one or two days aside for enjoying your youth, your successes thus far, and the wonderful people currently in your life today.
Happy weekend. Enjoy it.
First photograph from Tumblr. Second photograph by Sarah Sherman Samuel
While your friends will be dining on poached eggs drenched in hollandaise at the café around the corner for brunch tomorrow morning, you might find yourself staring into the black whole that is your laptop screen, with espresso in hand, forgetting all about the sunshine outside.
You, like many other stay-at-home creatives, have a slight complication. You’re what we call a WWW: a Wired Weekend Workaholic. When the work hours of your day are pretty much all day long, work and play is as blurry as your 2 a.m. computer vision. As a workaholic, taking a break and trying to switch your brain off to give it a breather is foreign to you. Here is where we step in and graciously guide you away from your craft for two days to simply detox, and help you realize why you work so hard in the first place.
Switch Off
Come the weekend, if you find yourself glued so tightly to your phone that your family and friends are pulling it away from your grip as you scream, 'Just one more e-mail!' I think it's time. However, I think completely shutting off all your devices for two days may be unnecessary. Considering you may be planning to interact with other humans and need to schedule dates, get directions and snap photos of your adventure, or if you're simply going on a single date around town or out-of-town to sit and think. But vow to yourself to refrain from responding to anything work related, especially if it is distracting you from the people in front of you, or the thoughts that may be formulating in your head.
Make a List
Not a list of work to accomplish, but a list of adventures and memories you'd like to create, a list of thinks to think about and consider, a list of things to be grateful for, a list of how far your work has brought you today, and my personal favorite: where you'd like to see yourself progress. This can almost seem work related, but notice the difference; it's you reflecting on your work, not aimlessly continuing to work.
Relax
Truly relax, and not force yourself to try and unwind. Pacing up and down your hallway and sternly telling yourself to ease into a day of simple stress-free living is about as calming as taking a final you haven't studied for in a class you desperately need to pass in order to graduate. If you stop trying to force yourself into unwinding, it’ll eventually come along and swaddle you in its cushioned, chamomile-scented arms.
Do Things that is not suitable for Technology
There is one amazing, natural element that all technological devices can't go near: water. Draw yourself a long, hot bath, head to your local pool and go out for a swim, take a stroll down the nearest beach and immerse your body into the beautiful salt water, or take a trek out to a nearby lake or waterway for a paddle. Long walks and adventures of the like will simply put some distance between you and your laptop—just don’t 'accidentally' walk into a café with free Wi-Fi. You’re not fooling anyone.
Be Realistic
Planning a beautifully gracious weekend completely with friends, family, or just for yourself may leave you feeling anxious and upset if you fail at the improbable expectations for your workless weekend. Create a beautiful weekend relaxing schedule, but leave some wiggle room.
Reward Yourself
It's Sunday evening, you have maintained some self-control, rejuvenated your brain cells and achieved sweet, sweet nothing workwise this weekend. Congratulations! Good behavior should always be rewarded. Go buy yourself that fancy dinner you have been craving for; take yourself out! Pour yourself a glass of wine, pamper yourself with a mani pedi or a buy new outfit. You surely deserve it.
My newest philosophy I have begun to follow is the phrase 'Work hard, play hard.' You may have heard of this before. You get the best of everything life has to offer: during the week, work incredibly hard to accomplish your dreams. But set at least one or two days aside for enjoying your youth, your successes thus far, and the wonderful people currently in your life today.
Happy weekend. Enjoy it.
First photograph from Tumblr. Second photograph by Sarah Sherman Samuel