How to Take Back Your Weekends

Peaceful weekends are extinct. Workdays now bleed over onto the weekend, blurring the lines between home and work.

Once upon a time weekends were meant for rest and relaxation. They were a definite change of pace between Friday and Monday. Now the once peaceful weekend has become nothing more than an extension of the week.

Family gatherings, time and activities are the authors of the weekend crunch. What can you do to put more fun and less work in the weekend? Try setting absolutes, erasing lists, getting away, and making the most of real weekend opportunities.

Setting Weekend Absolutes

Set absolutes that are not negotiable. If attending church on Sunday morning is important, make church attendance a role. If family movie time on Saturday night is important, make it an absolute. If time alone on the weekends is important, make it an absolute. Do not fill the weekend with rules. Do determine what weekend activities are important to you or your family and take charge of seeing that those activities aren't corrupted or interrupted.

Erasing the Lists

Map out list free time. Don't fill every waking moment with errands and to-dos. Often people get so caught up in the 'usual' that they forget they are the ones in charge of time. Time is not in charge of you unless you allow it to be.

Taking Back Control

If you've allowed the weekend to keep getting more and more crowded with activities and responsibilities, take a moment to step back and take a fresh look. Your children are not going to suffer if they actually spend time at home on weekends. Survival doesn't ordinarily depend on attending every available activity or doing what everyone else is doing.

Getting Away

Even if you cannot afford to go more than a few miles down the road to a lake or park, get away. Leave the cellphone and other technology gadgets at home. Spend time alone recharging spirit and soul or time alone with immediate family members without distractions and interruptions.

Dating Again


While parents can often benefit from date time away from children, childless couples also benefit from date time. Use the weekend to rekindle and strengthen the romantic bond.