For years, weekends were a frenzied blur for me. I would attempt to squeeze every bit of excitement into those precious days off. Friday afternoons became a launch pad, propelling me into plans stacked high and packed dense, fuelled by the hope of a good weather forecast, that was usually dampened by rain. I was a relentless planner, my anxiety ramping up if I didn’t have every spare hour accounted for.
There came a point when I noticed myself starting to dread Friday afternoons, not for the free time they heralded, but for the pressure they carried. I realised I had lost the joy of spontaneity in my futile attempts to squeeze the absolute most out of my time off work. My weekends had become high-stakes missions to extract joy from every moment, and I couldn’t see the reality that joy isn’t always found in a crowded calendar.
In a twist I never anticipated, over the last few months I have re-found solace in the art of doing “nothing”, as in embracing the simple and unplanned. I no longer feed my anxiety by trying to fill my weekends with activities or plans that can be thwarted by the weather or other things outside me control. Instead, I let the days flow, free of schedules. I’ve rediscovered the thrill in small pleasures: relaxing with a leisurely morning coffee, reading blogs, a book, or the weekend papers, enjoying a spontaneous walk in the park (whatever the weather), or simply immersing myself in a good podcast.
It’s been wonderful, waking up on a Saturday with no schedule, just letting the day shape itself around my whims and moods. This shift in attitude has also given me back that cherished “Friday Feeling”, the anticipation of freedom and ease ahead. There’s real joy to be found in scoring an extra hour or two in bed, indulging in a slow start to the day, then just rolling with the possibilities, turning each corner without expectation, and being content with quiet, basic pleasures.
It has reminded me that sometimes, the most meaningful experiences can be found in simplicity, not in the grandest of plans.
For me, embracing this new rhythm is proving to be quite transformative. It’s freed me from the self-imposed chains of plans and schedules, and the anxiety of always “doing” has given way to the peace of simply “being”.
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