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In the age of maxxing, this could be the ultimate in quiet luxury.
I adore summer. Long days of sunshine, food festivals and outdoor concerts galore, and a whole host of fun ways to spend the weekend. But then Monday morning rolls around, and I’m kind of feeling like I need another whole weekend to recover from my weekend.
If you’re in the same boat, you may want to check out the latest trend in summer weekend plans—absolutely nothing. That’s the premise behind the “empty weekend”: Your calendar is chock-full of blank space, so you can indulge in whatever you’re feeling (or absolutely nothing at all).
I’ve already purposefully set aside a few weekends this summer to do nothing—and it’s made a huge difference in how my summer feels. (It’s way more relaxed and a lot more fun!). Here’s why you might want to take a long, hard look at your calendar and see what you can declutter from it.
How Empty Weekends Got Started
You can thank the backlash to that go-go-go parenting culture for creating the idea of the empty weekend. Plenty of parents decided to just say no to the cavalcade of weekend activities—birthday parties, soccer tournaments, fundraisers, and more—that often left everyone feeling overbooked and overwhelmed. Instead, they erased everything from their weekend calendar to provide more quality time with the family and a calmer, more relaxed vibe.
But you don’t have to have a spouse or kids—or an overpacked schedule of to-dos—to jump on this trend and reclaim your weekend.
How to Make the Most of an Empty Weekend
The first step? Find (or make) a weekend that’s completely plan-free. (Yes, you can call in your regrets right now if you already have something scheduled!) Then make sure that you max out on relaxing during that time. Here’s what I do to get the most out of my empty weekends.
Decide how many empty weekends you need to feel your best
Take your weekday schedule, your own default setting on the introvert/extrovert scale, and how the rest of the weekends in the month are shaping up into account. If you’re extremely extroverted with a low-impact weekday schedule, you might only want one empty weekend per season. But if your week is already jam-packed or you’re more introverted, you may want to preserve your peace more often. (I’ve currently netted out at one empty weekend per month, with a few extra “serene Sundays” sprinkled in—and found that that was an ideal balance.)
Keep your to-do list at bay
An empty weekend isn’t your sign to take on that big decluttering project you’ve had on the back burner. I don’t slack off entirely on my to-do list, but I opt for a low-lift cleaning schedule that I can knock out in an hour or so to give more time to R&R—and try to get my errand-running and a few other deep-cleaning duties done before Friday to max out my happiness on the weekend.
Put down your phone
If you regularly lose hours doomscrolling, you’re not alone. But the last thing you want to do is devote the entire weekend to your social media feeds. (If yours look anything like mine, that is definitely not restful.)
I super brick my phone on empty weekends so I can only get a few key features (texts, phone, and maps) and don’t get tempted by the shiny algorithms. That way, I can devote my time to the things I used to do before smartphones rotted my brain.
Remember that a blank slate weekend doesn’t have to mean a day in bed
I mean, it definitely can (and I do like to take extra time to lounge around with a good book on an empty weekend). But having nothing planned doesn’t mean doing absolutely nothing. Instead, it means focusing on what you want to do in the moment. I’ve opted to bake with my kids, head out for an impromptu ice cream date with my husband, or invite a friend over for a little backyard wine and gossip session.
And if you’ve ever had to drag yourself out to an event you were excited about when it hit your calendar—but definitely aren’t when the day arrives—you know how nice it is to just do exactly what you want to do.
Be especially protective of those Sunday evenings
While the whole empty weekend should be dedicated to fun, connection, and relaxation, I find that dedicating your Sunday evenings to rest and recovery is absolutely essential (especially if you did have a jam-packed weekend). Even a few hours buried in a good book or laughing with friends can be just what you need to feel refreshed and ready come Monday morning.
Read the original article on Real Simple
