How to Rescue Your Weekends

Saturday can feel like Tuesday in quarantine, but it doesn’t have to

Laura Vanderkam
Forge

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Illustration: Justin Cassano

Laura Vanderkam, the time management expert who wrote Off the Clock and Juliet’s School of Possibilities, is here to answer your scheduling questions. Check back every week for more advice, and send your own productivity problems to asklaura@medium.com. (Your name will not be used.)

Dear Laura: I’m working from home. The kids are home from school. There’s nowhere to go, so weekends don’t seem too different from weekdays. I wind up checking email a lot or just doing work or chores. Any suggestions for making these days feel special?

Without the usual markers of time, days start to blend into each other. That might not be a problem if you’re vacationing on a tropical island somewhere. But when you’re just in your house — as many people have been through this pandemic — Tuesday and Saturday can both wind up featuring hours of inefficient work, home responsibilities, and anxiety. You don’t get much done, but you don’t feel relaxed either.

Fortunately, there are ways to make weekends rejuvenating, even while social distancing.

Just as in busier seasons, the key is to think through your weekends ahead of time. Think about what activities you and your household would like to do, think…

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Laura Vanderkam
Forge
Writer for

Laura Vanderkam is the author of several time management books including Off the Clock and 168 Hours. She blogs at LauraVanderkam.com.