10 weekend activities to stay happy, healthy, and focused

The weekends are a time to rest and relax, or at least they should be. You’ve likely been working all week, so why not set aside some time to do something different? These smart weekend activities below will help you decompress and also keep you healthy.

 Read

Reading is one of the best weekend activities to focus and relax. A lot of people forget how important it is to find time to read outside of work. Read what you enjoy, but also try something new and different every once in a while! Reading can help you relax and unwind at the end of a long day, but it’s also great for learning new things and expanding your horizons. Take some time this weekend to pick up a book or magazine that interests you—it doesn’t matter if it’s related to your job or not!

 Meditate

Meditation is a great way to clear your mind and gain focus. This can help you be more productive, reduce stress, and sleep better at night. With the weekend coming up, now is a good time to unplug from work and commit some time for yourself. If you want to try meditation for the first time, try this simple guided meditation below:

 Find a comfortable position in which you can close your eyes without falling over or getting distracted by something else. Sit up straight but don’t force yourself into an unnatural position—you should feel relaxed and comfortable throughout the process. You might want to put on some music or listen to nature sounds so that there isn’t any background noise distracting you from focusing on your breath as well as possible during this exercise (and later in life).

 Go outside

Spending time outside is among those weekend activities that will help you recharge and get more vitamin D!

 Go for a walk: This one is obvious. It doesn’t matter if you live in the city or country, there are always beautiful places to get out and explore.

 Go to the park: Find your local parks and plan a day trip on the weekend. The park system usually has maps available that can help you find your way around, whether it’s an urban park or a nature preserve with miles of trails.

 Go to the beach: Walk along the shoreline and enjoy some time away from screens!

 Exercise

Exercise is a great way to boost your mood and energy levels, as well as keep you healthy. If you’re not used to exercising, try something that’s fun for you—a sport or game that gets your blood moving but isn’t too intense.

 When setting up a workout schedule, it’s important to be realistic about what your body can handle. If it’s been years since you’ve done any type of physical activity, don’t expect yourself to run 10 miles in one day—it’ll just frustrate you! Start small: maybe start with walking around the block once every other day or so. Once that becomes easy enough for you, increase the length or speed at which you walk until eventually, it feels like a normal part of everyday life again (and then maybe add some push-ups).

 Workout buddies make everything better! Whether they are friends who live nearby or people from online support groups who share similar interests (or both), having someone there with whom we can chat while working out is always helpful when making weekend activities more enjoyable and less stressful on our mental state overall.

 Have fun cooking!

You don’t have to be a gourmet chef to enjoy cooking. In fact, it’s one of the easiest and most satisfying weekend activities. You can experiment with different flavors and spices, or stick with something familiar that you know is good for you.

You’ll want to make sure that what you’re eating is good for you on multiple levels: not only does healthy food taste better than junk food, but it also keeps your body operating at its best. If a meal doesn’t “agree” with me (a stomachache), I’m less likely to feel up for exercising later in the day or even tomorrow morning. When I eat cleanly and regularly throughout the day, my energy level stays consistent throughout the week—and when I don’t feel tired or sluggish, exercise becomes easier!

 Turn off your phone

We’re so attached to our phones that it’s hard to imagine a world where we don’t check them every five minutes. But consider this: In order to stay focused on what’s in front of us, you need to leave your phone at home or put it away entirely. (If you absolutely need to bring your device with you, turn off notifications.)

The best way to do this is simply by not looking at your phone—don’t even check for text messages or emails unless there’s an emergency situation going down. It may feel rude and antisocial, but trust me when I say that once everyone else gets used to being able to talk freely without being interrupted by the constant buzzing and dinging sounds from all directions, they will thank you for making the effort!

 Get organized

If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by the idea of getting organized, start small. Set aside some time this weekend to de-clutter your home or apartment and toss out any items that no longer serve their purpose. Once your space has been cleaned out and decluttered, take it one step further: make a list of everything that needs to be done around the house (or apartment) and plan out how you’re going to accomplish these tasks over the next few days. Decide what projects need to be completed and when they will get done by (e.g., “I’m going to organize my closet on Saturday” vs “I’m going to do laundry tomorrow”).

 Clean up your inbox

 Start by creating a to-do list.

 Then, tackle the emails you’ve been putting off—the ones that are probably just junk or promotional emails with no real value.

 Next, sort through all those emails of things you need to do eventually but not right now (like booking travel plans or buying something online). Put them in one folder called “Later.” They’ll be there when you need them!

 Network outside the office

If you’re looking to deepen your connections and make new friends, head out into the world. Go on a hike with friends or co-workers, or sign up for an outdoor adventure class. Attend a meetup that fits your interests—whether it’s cooking, knitting, yoga, or anything else—and talk to people who are there about what they do at work. Networking is all about making connections with people who can help you advance your career and find new opportunities. Turning off your gadgets at least for some time will help you enjoy your weekend activities even more!

You might also want to try finding some new hobbies on weekends so that you have something fun to look forward to during the week when you’re stuck in the office all day long.

 Day trip!

A day trip is a simple yet effective way to get out of the city and into nature. Not only will you feel refreshed, but you’ll also be able to spend time with friends outside of your usual routine.

 Go hiking in the mountains or by the beach: The great thing about going on a day trip is that it’s not hard to find beautiful places near where you live. When I go on my own hikes, I like to pack a lunch so that I can enjoy a picnic at my destination!

 Set aside time for new weekend activities

It’s important to set aside time to do something different over the weekend. Taking a break from work can be helpful for reducing stress, giving your brain some rest, and recharging your energy levels.

Don’t feel guilty about taking time for yourself! It’s easy to get wrapped up in other people’s needs and forget about your own. Setting aside one night of the weekend for self-care is a great way to recharge after enjoying time with friends or family members during the week. Interesting and recharging weekend activities should be a part of your weekly routine!

 Conclusion

The weekends are your time to rest and recharge, so why not do it in a way that will make you feel good? We all need those days when we can go outside, relax, or just be alone with our thoughts. What better way than doing something that makes us happy, healthy, and focused? We hope that this article gave you more ideas for recharging weekend activities you could try next time!