Weekend guide for rejuvenation and productivity

Lazing around on a Sunday will not rejuvenate you. Here is a weekend guide to help weekday warriors revive their energy and be productive.

By: Nayonika Chakraborty | | Updated: July 20, 2019 1:18 pm

Weekends are the time for rejuvenation. @Shutterstock

Kudos to weekday warriors who burn every ounce of energy they have through Monday to Friday just to reach the relaxing weekends. If you are also a part of the weekend relaxing club, you may already have ideas about how you want to spend these two days to maximise your energy revival. But what you may actually end up doing might not help you achieve that. In fact, most people wind up sleeping or lazing around through their weekend. Now this may sound very appealing and a plan that really will revive your energy to make it through the weekdays. But doing so can harm you and reduce your weekend productivity to zero. Here is your weekend guide that will not only help you catch up on your sleep but also help you to be more productive and revive your gloomy energy levels.

Don’t stay up late

Sleep is an essential part of your weekend as it is the only time you can make up for your weekdays’ sleep deprivation. Even though the temptation to sleep late on a Friday night may be strong, go to bed early by at least 11pm. This will help you to wake up on time and make the rest of the day productive. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a study that said that almost one in every 3 adults do not get the recommended 7 to 9 hours of sleep daily. But weekends are a way to make up for that. If you are not able to fall asleep easily, prepping before going to bed is a good idea. This prep could include light stretching exercises or taking a warm bath. Trying white noise machines or ear plugs also help if surrounding noises are a problem. Drawing the curtains or wearing a sleep mask can also be of help. This is the first weekend guide that you must follow.

Wake up early

Are you worried that this weekend guide might be a pain? A study in the journal Nature says that it is possible for you to recover from your sleep deprivation with only three or four nights of sleeping in. The study also states that one hour of sleep deficiency takes four hours of sleep to make up for it. This makes sleep important. But, too much of it can hinder your other activities. So, it is also important to not sleep all the way to noon and instead wake up after about 10 to 11 hours of sleep. For waking you up on time, an alarm generally does the trick.

Be careful with food and fluids

Do not overdo the caffeine part and stick to one or two cups of coffee. Avoid caffeine after 2pm to prevent it from affecting your sleep schedule. Add vegetables to your diet to refuel your body and have them as healthy snacks to fight fatigue. You can also plan your diet for the weekdays beforehand so that you do not skip meals during the weekday. Even a mild dehydration can easily leave you feeling weak and fatigued. Make sure to keep a bottle of water with you at all times. Being hydrated will also help to keep you energised and improve your metabolism. Go easy on the alcohol and try not to exceed one glass a day as it can hinder your sleep patterns, which, in turn, can tir you out.

Do not work from home

This is one weekend guide that will help you to completely disconnect from work. Do not start checking your e-mails or work messages. Please try to take the weekend off in its true sense. Refraining from work will help you de-stress and recover from the exhaustion of weekdays, be it physical or emotional. Reams of research have also found that fully disconnecting from work during the weekends will help you to catch up faster and work better in the following days.

Make it a point to exercise

For low intensity exercises, try walking, riding a bike or light strength training exercises. If you are looking for something more hardcore, try doing cardio at a pace where you can still hold a conversation (conversational pace). Going too hard on exercises can drain you of energy and leave you unable to function properly on weekdays. Light exercises, on the other hand, will help to make you feel more energised through the rest of the day and help you fall asleep faster. It can also improve the quality of your sleep to better rejuvenate your body. Yoga is also a great option. It will help you de-stress, improve your mood and make you feel less tired.

Tidy your house

This is one of the best ways to be productive while also getting some light exercise. An untidy home can leave you feeling stressed and anxious. Experts have advised to keep your surroundings in order to make your time more restful. Cleaning the bedroom is especially important for good sleep. Dust in your sleeping area can reduce your sleep quality and also cause headaches, congestion, and itchy eyes or throat during the morning, which leaves you in bad condition come weekday.

Avoid taking naps

Sleeping in the middle of the day can disrupt your circadian rhythm and hinder the working of your internal body clock. This will make you sleepy during the weekdays too. If it becomes too hard for you to stay awake, take a very brief nap that does not exceed 20 to 30 minutes. Do not take naps after 3 pm as it will make you less sleepy at night. This, in turn, will make it hard for your body to charge its energy.

Published : July 20, 2019 1:08 pm | Updated:July 20, 2019 1:18 pm

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