How to Make Fun and Relaxation Your Weekend Priorities

I used to really struggle with the weekends.

I don’t work on Mondays so I have the benefit of a three day weekend, but also the responsibility of three days of parenting once I hit Friday night.

That used to feel like a big weight alongside my regular weekend errands. I realised my weekends needed some more thought put into them. 

Lots of parents find weekends difficult. They spend the whole weekend caring for children, cooking and cleaning, and by Sunday night they’re happy it’s over. 

Or they might cram the weekend full of fun activities and then feel the Sunday blues as the weekend comes to an end.

So how do you balance family and chores and fit in fun and relaxation on the weekend?

Here’s 3 steps to feel less swamped and leave the weekend feeling balanced and fulfilled.

Designate relaxation time

We expect ourselves to have the same energy level all the time and watch the clock for our kids to go to bed so we can “catch up” on things.

Yes, even on the weekends.

I used to struggle with switching off and letting things be, and my coach asked me “When you look back on your life, would you have liked to have spent a significant amount of time relaxing?” My answer was yes. 

Now I make sure I have lots of white space in my calendar and time to myself to relax. That might be in the morning, or on Saturday night with a movie, but no matter when it is, it’s a very important piece in feeling like the weekend is for you.

Batch your errands and chores

After working with many clients on this, I can tell you that all of them have preferred batching errands and chores, rather than doing a bit here and there.

If you do laundry Saturday morning, vacuum after the kids eat dinner on Saturday evening, grocery shop on Sunday morning... You can see how it’s seeping into the entire weekend.

Choose a time of the weekend to do your errands and chores, and then experiment.

You might find Saturday mornings too busy to go out and do errands, so switch it to Sunday lunchtime.

You might be out of energy by Sunday afternoon so prefer to do an hour of cleaning around the house on Friday night.

There’s no right or wrong answer, so find what works for you.

Prioritise fun

We can get so wrapped up in the minutiae of keeping our house running and our children on schedule, that we honestly forget to make fun a priority.

We expect fun to just show up, but just like clean bathrooms and cooked dinners don’t just show up, fun won’t turn up if we don’t make some effort.

Make a list of fun ideas you can do solo or with your family – brunch, a museum visit, water play - and schedule them into your weekend.

I like to spend most of Sunday focused on fun activities like visiting a new park and having a pedicure. I try not to do any errands or chores on that day, but again, experiment with what feels good for you.

Try working through the list over the next month and get ready to see the shift in your weekend mood. 

Struggling through exhausting weekends doesn’t have to be your reality.

Whether you feel relief or sadness when it’s over, start using these three strategies to maximise your weekend. By making relaxation and fun priorities and batching your to do list, you’ll feel less overwhelmed and less resentful right away.

You can be in control and still enjoy yourself. 

Would you like more insight into how you to plan each weekend day? Download your 3 step guide (for free!) to create a more organised and balanced weekend.