We all get excited as the weekend approaches, and who can blame us? The weekend is nature’s metaphorical pat on the back and reward for a week of work well done.
Whether you plan to spend your weekend catching up with friends or treating yourself to a day of relaxation, it’s a time for celebration for everybody. I’ve always loved my weekends, but what I love even more is taking full advantage of them to take on the world.
A ‘weekend warrior’ is a self-proposed title I’ve given myself over the years. I’ve always thought of the weekend as an opportunity for adventure. Whether you have a fixed plan in mind or just aim to go about your weekends blindly, there’s so much that can be done. I often see them as battles; ones that I’ve always been determined to come out of victorious.
In this guide, I’m going to share with you some of my tips and tricks for making the most of your weekend and grabbing life by the horns.
Let’s get started!
1) Get Your Blood Pumping
If you want to get geared up to take on the weekend, you need to get in the right headspace. I’ve always found that one of the best ways you can do this is by kicking off your weekend with a healthy dose of exercise.
I used to be quite a naysayer when it came to working out on the weekend. After all, these are the few days when you can truly rest and relax during the week, so why waste time working out? I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Thankfully, my brother convinced me to give it a shot and I’ve been a weekend workout advocate ever since. From a foldable treadmill to a personal set of dumbbells, resistance bands and a pull-up bar, I’ve built quite a well-equipped home gym set-up over the years.
I think working out is one of the best ways you can recharge after a hectic work week. Working out can help boost your mood, clear your mind and pump yourself up to make the most of your weekend.
Now, I can’t begin a single weekend without first completing my home workout routine. I firmly believe it’s the ideal precursor to a wild and wacky weekend adventure.
2) Prepare Your Warrior Toolkit
Now that you’ve put yourself in the right headspace, you need to arm yourself with everything you need to take on your weekend adventures.
First things first, any warrior needs a trusty steed to take them where they need to go, and for many people, that would be a car. In many of our lives, our cars play quite an important role, and that’s why you need to keep them in good condition.
When I lived in Northampton, I always set aside time to take my car for a routine check-up and cleaning every six to ten months. I’ve got to say, Northampton car service is on a different level. I’d take my car out to the local garage and within just one hour they’d finish servicing my car.
Next, you need to keep your phone charged and ready to go at all times. In this day and age, you need your phone in almost every scenario. That’s why you’ve got to remember to charge it completely and carry along a power bank or portable charger.
Take it from me, you don’t want to be halfway to your destination only to find out that your phone died and you’re completely clueless about where you are.
Aside from that, pack some light and healthy snacks as well as some water to keep you energised and hydrated. With your toolkit fully stocked, you’ll be ready for anything!
3) Go on an Adventure
When it comes to your weekend adventure, you can go about it two ways – plan exactly what you want to do and where you want to go, or you could just set out in your car with your mates and see where the road takes you.
I’ve always been partial to the latter; my personal mantra’s always been ‘do first, think later’ when it comes to weekend wildness. I just simply get my toolkit ready, grab my Aztec suitcase of essentials and hit the road.
There’s just something so freeing about getting together with your friends over the weekend and going on a journey without a specific destination. Some of the best adventures I’ve had are ones that were not even remotely planned.
From the time we stumbled across an adventure sports facility and went hover crafting to that time the lads and I utterly destroyed an escape room and trespassed into a botanical garden, we’ve made some epic memories.
4) Give Your Home Some TLC
If you’re looking for a more productive weekend, take this rare opportunity to catch up on any pending home repairs. While I like having fun as much as the next guy, I do understand that the weekends can be the ideal time to get some essential, albeit boring, work done.
I’ve been a Londoner for the past ten years, and let me tell you firsthand, it’s not easy to balance taking care of your living space alongside working a full-time job. Personally, I’ve found it easiest to get hold of your resident London property management companies over the weekend.
If you have a regular 9-to-5 job, weekdays are simply not an option. Sometimes sacrificing a weekend of fun for something you need to get done is a choice you’ll have to make.
While home maintenance may not be exciting per se, you can still make the most of it. After you’ve got the repairs out of the way, take advantage of having a plan-free weekend to catch up on your sleep or curl up with a good book.
5) Dive Into Something You Love
I’ve always felt that there are many ways to enjoy your weekend. If going outdoors isn’t your thing, there are plenty of fun activities you can do from the comfort of your home. From reading a good book to putting on your favourite TV show, there are countless options to choose from.
As a closet nerd, I love spending the occasional weekend binge-watching the latest Star Trek movies or shows. For a fandom that’s well over fifty years old, it’s still going strong. I’ve been obsessed with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ever since it came out in 2022 and can’t wait for the newest season.
I’ve always believed fandoms to be an unappreciated aspect of pop culture. In the past, I’ve had a hilarious time connecting with fellow Star Trek fans online, discussing the series and just hanging out with fellow ‘Trekkies’.
While I await the new season, I’ve also begun allocating one weekend every month to look for and add new pieces of merchandise to my shelves. From action figures to comics, board games, and even Star Trek rubber ducks, I’ve built quite the collection.
If you want to have a relaxing and comfy weekend, I definitely recommend settling into it with your favourite franchises or perhaps exploring some new ones. A digital or literary adventure is still an adventure, delivering excitement and immersion with every episode or page turn.
6) Catch Up on Your Finances
Just like any warrior, even a weekend warrior has battles to overcome. One such battle is catching up on your finances. I know I know, looking into your finances doesn’t exactly scream ‘fun’, but it’s a necessity.
With daily life being as hectic as it is, it’s very challenging to find time to look at your accounts, savings and balances. I’m not exactly the best at it either, but I have been trying to get my finances in shape this past year.
Previously, I’d always gone about my spending without any plan, and my credit score had suffered the consequences. At one point, I was having such a tremendously difficult time paying my bills, that I had to look into poor credit loans. While these loans are incredibly beneficial for emergencies, it’s better to manage your budget in a way where you don’t need to rely on them.
I’d say that it was some time after taking such a loan that I decided that enough was enough and that it was time to get serious about my personal finances. I did my research, came up with a budget, and actually managed to stick to it as well. I’ll be the first one to say that I was shocked at how much I’d managed to save ever since I started budgeting.
Ever since, I’ve been a strong advocate for dedicating time towards getting your finances in order whenever you can. The weekend is an ideal opportunity to sit down, take a look at your personal finances, and identify areas you could improve on.
7) Give Your Health a Quick Check-In
To be the best weekend warrior you can be, you need to keep your mind and body in excellent condition. It may not be adventurous in the typical sense, but setting aside some time for a health check-up can keep you looking and feeling great. I say this from personal experience.
I’ve always suffered from mild IBS, no particular identifiable cause but extremely inconvenient, nonetheless. This was around when my doctor suggested I give IBS hypnosis a try. Initially, I was a bit sceptical, however, I later decided that it couldn’t hurt to try.
After putting it off for over two months, I finally went in for IBS hypnosis treatment and within a few weeks began to see results. Now, these sessions have become a core part of my monthly routine and have helped me enjoy many more weekends to the fullest.
If you’re ever feeling under the weather or would just like to go in for a health check-up, there’s no better time to do it than the weekend!
8) Take an Online Class
Who says learning ends with your schooling and university years? I believe that learning is a continuous journey where you can always find new things to discover.
One of my favourite types of adventures is the journey of learning new things. The weekends are an ideal opportunity to sign up for an online course or any other learning experience.
I’ve always been a rather horrible chef, often just getting by with the bare minimum skills. A year ago, I was browsing the internet when I came across an advertisement for online cooking classes.
Initially, I’d dismissed the idea, thinking that I’d barely have time for it and wouldn’t be able to do it either. However, after a few days of thought, I decided to throw caution to the wind and signed up. Ever since I signed up for those online cooking classes, I never looked back.
One of the best things about online classes is their convenience. Within a year, I’d completed the course and found myself with a new and exciting skill that helped me treat myself as well as those around me.
I definitely recommend taking advantage of your weekends to explore new subjects, learn a new skill, or polish up some old ones through an online class. These classes are a great way for you to take on unknown worlds and grow as a person.
9) Treat Yourself to Some Relaxation
When the stress of your everyday life becomes too overwhelming, one of the best things you can do is spoil yourself over the weekend. You don’t need to go to some fancy spa or luxury resort, you can just as easily enjoy a day of complete relaxation from your own home as well.
Take this time for yourself to pop on some of your favourite tunes, cook up or order some comfort foods, and treat yourself. If you want, you could also invite some of your friends over for a casual get-together or cosy movie night.
Personally, I’ve found that a couple of hours of gaming with the boys paired with a couple of cold beers is the classic combination that gets me geared up for the week.
10) Try Something New
The best way to take on the world during your weekend is by trying something new. Whether it’s going for a walk outside, visiting a museum or taking a trip to a local festival, do everything you can to experience life to the fullest.
I’ve built a bucket list over the years of things I hope to do throughout my life. I’ve got some fun items on there like going skydiving and riding a camel, but I also have a couple of silly ones like licking my elbow or learning how to juggle.
I’m not somebody who likes to live with regrets, so I see the weekend as the ideal time to cross off items from my list one by one.
Don’t take it the wrong way; you by no means require a bucket list to take on the world. It’s just a fun little thing I came up with to add a bit of levity to my life and fun to my weekends.
To Sum Up
There’s no one-size-fits-all way to have the perfect weekend; it’s all about making your weekend work for you.
I hope that I was able to give you some fun ideas along with some practical advice on how you can take advantage of this time to relax, recharge and potentially try new things.
Whether you want to embark on a wild outdoor adventure with your friends, catch up on home maintenance or personal finances or just indulge in your hobbies, there’s no wrong way to go about becoming a weekend warrior.
You just need to strap in and give it your all!
Thank you for reading.
