Planning for Weekends

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I am a willing slave to my Outlook calendar.

On it, I block what most of us do: Work meetings and appointments. Like some, I catalogue gatherings with friends and social events. Unlike most, I account for cultural events, exercise, writing time, and even alone time.

My calendar helps me ensure I get everything done and have the time I need to meet my goals.

Yet even acknowledging that I am more dedicated to my calendar than the majority of people, an article by Jessica Stillman on Inc.com advising busy people to schedule their weekends surprised me.

Doesn't everyone schedule weekends?

Stillman's post covers an argument made by Laura Vanderkamp in her business self-help book, What the Most Successful People Do on the Weekend. The thesis: A rejuvenating weekend involves activities of some sort—whether sports, time with friends and family, or hobbies—and the only way to ensure they happen is to plan them.

Seems rather obvious.

Yes, my calendar devotion means that scheduling something last minute rarely works. (I particularly find it interesting that men who ask me on dates expect immediate availability, as though I hold open every evening and weekend just in case I get asked to dinner. Would they honestly want to date someone who does that?)

I'd rather have a booked schedule than a yawning void at the end of every week. (As nice as that sounds in terms of relaxation, it mostly just brings ennui.)

After all, as Vanderkamp writes, plans give us something to which we can look forward. And as Gretchen Rubin points out in a blog post on The Happiness Project, anticipation is "a key stage in happiness."

Do you plan your weekend?