How do you get ahead of your peers on the weekends?

Whether you read this in the morning or the evening, you may feel that your Saturday is best suited for catching up on sleep but it isn’t in my opinion.

Almost everything that I have learned in my professional career is that Monday through Friday has been dictated by how I treat my weekends. In undergrad, my focus was college athletics then classwork, so weekends were spent at games or catching up with homework. As I have transitioned into a professional career, my goals have become crystal clear. This is why I am devoting an entire series to personal development for young professionals.

Here are a few suggestions that I like from different sources on how you could make Saturdays and weekends more productive:

• Thursday should be treated as your Friday.
• Friday should be your Monday.
• Break up your weekend into two parts that I call:
  • Current Self Habits
  • Future Self Habits
• Lastly, make a list of the things you DO NOT want to do.

A Breakdown on how you could make Saturdays and weekends more productive

Thursday is your Friday

Thursday is your Friday means; before Friday actually arrives be ready for it. With time management; you will have planned out a majority of things for your Friday festivities. This means, if you have to wear casual wear at the office; get that picked out. Did one of your co-workers or colleagues invite you out for drinks; it is best to confirm Thursday early evening so that the next day isn’t filled with anxiety.

Friday should be your Monday

Friday should be your Monday only in the planning but not the feeling. My quick tip is to not answer too many emails on Friday; reason being is the culture has been for a while that most decision-makers won’t be in the office. Yes, you look like a go-getter by sending out those emails but the lucky chance someone responds may still be blocked by the final decision-maker.

Break up your weekend

The weekend has always been up and down for me but what I did in college did not translate well for the start of my career. Therefore; I had to consciously change my habits and learn to break up my weekend. This is where I got the terms; current self habits and future self habits. Your current self habits can focus on things you can control now; gym work outs or walking  your dog. Furthermore, your future self habits are more about investment in your future; this can be studying for advanced degree or planning out a networking event with decision-makers at a conference.

Learn how to say no

Lastly, to get ahead in your journey to being the best version of yourself, you must learn and practice how to say no. Believe it or not; peer pressure goes past middle school and for some reason it is a lot more covert as you get older. Everything from new restaurants opening to short trips out of town. When you are looking to get ahead of your peers; saying no once in a while will guarantee your spot of being ahead of the pack.

What are your thoughts on this?