What's your recipe for a good weekend?

Figure out what you'd enjoy most, so every weekend can include your favorites

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is to figure out your recipe for a good weekend.
When you know what makes a weekend feel good for you,

(00:24):
then you can make sure almost every weekend follows that recipe.
I spend a lot of time thinking about my weekends.
Partly this is because I have to My kids have
a lot of different activities going on. By planning my
weekends well, I make sure that everything that needs to
happen happens, but I also get my fun too. I

(00:50):
am pretty sure if I didn't plan so much, I
would still get the kids stuff done, but I would
enjoy my weekends a lot less to think a lot
about my weekends. Because of how my planning process works,
I plan my upcoming Monday to Sunday weeks on Thursdays
or Fridays. That means I get a chance to look

(01:12):
at each weekend twice. I plan in broad brushstrokes for
the weekend coming up in eight to nine days. Then
I look at the more immediate upcoming weekend and tighten
the plan based on what's come up, what time is available,
or the weather. Double planning anything tends to result in

(01:35):
better outcomes. Anyway, As I think about my weekends, I
like to include a few things. I like to fit
in some sort of exercise, often a run or two,
sometimes a bike ride. I like to have some sort
of adventure. I like to have some sort of social time.
I like to have music be involved, which is often

(01:56):
singing with my church choir, though it could be other things.
I like to have a puzzle going. And I like
it when all the members of my family have something
that they are happy about with the weekend too. During
a recent weekend, for instance, I managed to schedule in
a bike ride for me by the shore. This is
something I'd wanted to do for a while. And I

(02:17):
went to a group playdate where the adults hung out
and chatted, so that was social time. And I went
to a concert with a friend. Sunday night. My kids
all had something too. One kid went on a camping trip,
another had a sleepover, and two had play dates. In
addition to going to Boo at the Zoo fun for

(02:38):
a little pre Halloween trick or treating. My husband got
to go to the gym and do a long run,
so he was happy as well. What is your recipe
for a good weekend? If you think about a good weekend,
what would it include for you? Some people really like
to sleep in. Some people want good food. Some people

(03:00):
want long outdoor exercise sessions, or to go to some
sort of performance like a movie or play. Some people
want to spend a lot of time at their house
of worship. Some people really like garden time or doing
other projects. Some people want to have a few family
adventures or do something active with their families. Some people

(03:20):
want to get together with extended family or friends. If
you think about a really good weekend, what three things
would you be most happy to see included. You can
aim for more, of course, but what would you be
disappointed not to have. Once you think of these things,
then when you plan your weekends, you can make sure

(03:42):
that these things are on the schedule. Even if the
weekend is different for some reason, you can still probably
include some of these elements. I wrote this shortly before
a weekend where I went up to Boston to see
my oldest child at school, but we still play and
an adventure of going to the New England Aquarium. I

(04:04):
made time for a run on Sunday and I was
singing with my church choir Sunday morning by flying home
from Boston on Saturday night. So take a moment today
to figure out your recipe for a good weekend. Then
look at this upcoming weekend. Do you have plans for
these three or so things? If not, what can you

(04:28):
do to make sure they happen. My guess is that
with a little work, putting in three elements of your
recipe will be possible, and then you will have a
great weekend, really by design. In the meantime, this is Laura.

(04:48):
Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of
our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've
got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at
Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a

(05:16):
production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit
the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to
your favorite shows.