Several years ago Life Magazine conducted the Great American Weekend Study, and discovered that 47% people wait until Thursday night or later to plan their weekends.  I don’t even need to tell you what happens when we wait too long to plan---the weekend slips through our fingers and before we know it’s Sunday night, and we didn’t do anything fun or refreshing.

            During stressful times, it’s more essential than ever to stay in balance—to mindfully fill your downtime off with activities that really recharge you.  If you spend your time on the right things-you gain renewed perspective, optimism, and joy.  The key is to plan ahead, building around a framework for deciding what to do.  Think PEP… 

Physical Activity

Escapes

People

...and pep is exactly what you’ll get if you build a mixture of each of these into your weekends.  These are three essential components to your personal life, and each needs to be regularly nurtured in order to give yourself maximum energy.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

            Taking care of our bodies through sleep, exercise, a healthy diet, and regular medical check-ups provides the physical well of energy we draw upon to accomplish everything we need to do.  Yet, this is often the first thing to go, when we are stressed. 

            What do you do to ensure you get enough rest, make your way to the gym, eat well, go to the doctor’s?  Share your strategies here so we can all be inspired! 

ESCAPES

            Hobbies and activities that instantly transport us to a place of joy provide one of the most efficient ways to recharge our batteries.  Reading, dancing, gardening, golf, playing Frisbee with your dog, or sauntering through a museum can get you quickly out of your head and into another world--- renewing your spirit, and giving you the opportunity to come back to work with a new perspective.

            What activities do you find to be essential to your spirit? When was the last time you did that activity?  What would it take for you to build it into every weekend?

PEOPLE

            When overwhelmed with work and stress, it’s very easy to take our relationships for granted or get disconnected. Keeping our relationships strong feeds our spirits, grounds us, enforces our identities and brings out our best selves.  All very important in a time of transition, in which we can feel lost.  Spending time with the people who know and love you can remind you who you are, and give you renewed confidence for tackling your greatest challenges.

            What are the ways you stay connected to the people who strengthen you?  Facebook, twitter, and the internet are one dimension—what about in person contact as well? 

            If you think of your weekend as divided into 7 units of time--you can decide which PEP activity you will do in each time slot.

• Friday night
• Saturday morning
• Saturday afternoon
• Saturday evening
• Sunday morning
• Sunday afternoon
• Sunday evening
• Sunday afternoon
• Sunday evening

            Of course, you can also leave some time slots empty--and devote one or two to errands and chores (which can also be grounding).  But, make sure you plan ahead--so you get the most out of your time off and effectively recharge.

            SO....what about you?  What plans do you have for this weekend?  What are your no-fail ways to recharge?  What tricks do you use to fight the tendency to just keep working....or get too lazy to plan for fun?