“Rest when you’re weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work.”
– Ralph Marston
Do you take weekends off?
What are your days of REST… and are they sacred?
I’m a freelance writer so I don’t really have anyone telling me when or where I have to work.
But the blessing of owning your own business is the same as the curse.
You can work anytime.
This means…
You can work ANYtime.
Because of this, for a long time, my idea of “weekends” and “weekdays” was a bit obscure. I didn’t hesitate to take a day off in the middle of the week or to work on a Saturday.
But there was a problem.
I realized that every time I’d spontaneously not work on a weekday, I’d spend the day feeling anxious about the fact that I wasn’t working. And then I’d have to work on the weekend to make up for it… but definitely didn’t feel like working when Saturday rolled around.
(This is the danger of just following the flow of our feelings!)
So I made a change.
I told my wife. I told my clients. And I committed to myself.
Weekends are sacred.
Even if I do take a day off during the week, I’m not going to make up for it on the weekend.
This has made everything so much better.
By designating — scheduling — specific days for rest and specific days for work… I am actually much happier. I don’t feel bad for ignoring messages on the weekend and I feel refreshed when Monday rolls around. And even if I take a day off during the week, that doesn’t change that the weekends are my days of rest.
So let me ask you again…
What are your days of REST… and are they sacred?
From my experience, you’ll be happiest if they are.