Do you need more hours in your weekend? This is how you make your days seem longer

Theoretically, the days of your weekend are days without obligations. But in reality, before you know it, they are filled with all sorts of things – from having coffee with friends, to going to the gym and cleaning up. In the blink of an eye, it’s Sunday night. Good news: it’s possible to change your perspective of time – and enjoy that true, relaxed, weekend feeling. 

1. Are you doing what you really like?

Take a good look at your calendar. Are there any appointments you really don’t feel like, such as visiting your parents in law, or going to the gym with your friend? ‘Clean up’ your diary, and then focus on something you really like: whether it’s taking the dog for a walk, or playing your guitar, or updating your diary.

2. Take it easy

Try to do the things you want to do in a slower pace than usual. That’s how you enjoy the moment and focus on your own life. Take a detour to the supermarket, spell out the newspaper and pay attention to the ladybug that’s walking up your window sill. Slowing down means having a more intense experience. Reading a nice book is a good example: it’s nice to have finished it, but it’s also nice to reread the best lines a few times.

3. Use your mind as a time machine

Are you experiencing something you’d like to remember, and keep it as a memory? If you think of ways to share this experience with others, you’ll increase your focus. It makes you think of how it smells, what it feels like. If you really looked forward to something, think about the feeling in your belly you had beforehand. Try to be more alert by breathing in and out, and by telling someone else how happy you are and how much you value what happened.

4. Every day holiday

Are you happier during a holiday than on an average day? Try to take pieces of your holiday into your daily routine. Sit outside with a cup of tea, to enjoy the sun and your surroundings. Let sunset amaze you. Take a walk during your lunch break and walk into a nice shop, or visit the park nearby.

5. Ignore distractions

On a holiday, you don’t allow your mobile phone to distract you as much as on a ‘normal’ day. So why don’t you put it on flight mode every once in a while? It makes it much easier to just enjoy the moment and focus on whatever it is you’re doing.

Text: Sophie Spanjer – Photo: Rachael Crowe