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A Miniseries to a Restful Weekend: Productive Style

Marie Gomez Student Contributor, Florida State University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FSU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

A Miniseries To A Restful Weekend is my addition to Her Campus at FSU, where I share activities that I enjoy for a relaxing break. Whether it’s staying home and cooking, heading out with friends to see a movie, or having a fun weekend, I’ll share tips to feel more prepared and energized for the week ahead. These experiences are my way of helping you create the perfect, well-balanced, enjoyable weekend.

The week just ended, and you’re coming back to your dorm or apartment, only to find clothes everywhere. Your desk is a landslide splattered with pens, papers, and sticky notes, pouring onto the floor into a pile. The cherry on top: your phone is going off with 1,000 Canvas alerts.

You open up your backpack, and your heavy planner is screaming at you to write down all the things that you need to get done. As you finally realize that it’s game time, this is your chance to be productive.

If you’ve ever been in that situation, then you’re in the right place. Here are some tips and tricks for navigating a rejuvenating weekend while preparing for the week ahead.

Blueprint for the weekend

I suggest using extra time on Friday nights to write down all the tasks that need to be completed in two-day increments. This is just to help loosen up your schedule by listing the top priorities firsthand and blocking some time out for rest.

Usually, I’ll do the hard task first on Saturday mornings. Cleaning up my apartment, going grocery shopping, or scheduling study time for a test I have coming up the following week. Then I’ll write down an activity that I can enjoy just for myself, reserving it for the afternoon or evening.

If you’re a person who likes to be organized and keep their things in place, I’d suggest having a planner or your notes app to write down a list of things that need to get done for the weekend.

Batch Chores

Instead of letting the whole weekend fill up with chores, you can dedicate a little time to both Saturdays and Sundays — what I call “power hour.” This gives you time to dedicate just one hour to getting chores done in one session. It doesn’t even have to be an hour; whichever time works best for you.

Just taking a little time out of your day to do the little things that can make a huge difference, such as doing laundry, washing the dishes, vacuuming, dusting, or reorganizing all the shelves.

Me-time: hiatus luxury

Carve out time just for yourself, because you deserve it! There’s no need to be productive all the time. Go out for a solo movie date or coffee run, make dinner at home, or sit on Landis Green and read a book for a while. Do movement for pleasure activities like going to the gym or having a dance party in your room alone.

It can be daunting to prioritize all those important things that need to get done. Dedicating time to yourself can help defeat burnout and boost your energy, while also encouraging motivation and inspiration in productivity.

Prepare for the week ahead

Using the weekend to prepare for the week ahead can be a successful step. For instance, I like to use Sunday evenings as my organization time. Like making a schedule for a productive weekend, it’s the same in creating a to-do list for the week. Activities that can get done are picking out your clothes for the next day, restocking your backpack, or meal prep for the next few days.

These tips have helped me in having a productive weekend, but also being able to relax and not feel overwhelmed. See which tasks work best for you and try to find balance!

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Marie Gomez is a staff writer for the Her Campus at FSU chapter, where she crafts compelling content for the online magazine. This is her first semester in HCFSU.

Before her role at Her Campus, Marie was featured in The Hechinger Report, a respected nonprofit educational newsroom. Her article detailed her transformative experience with dual enrollment at Valencia College in Orlando, Florida, during her junior and senior years of high school. She shared how this journey was more rewarding than traditional AP courses and offered suggestions for enhancing the program for future students seeking similar paths. Currently, Marie is a junior/first year in college at Florida State University, pursuing a major in Media Communication Studies with a minor in Hospitality and Tourism and a certificate in Special Events.

In her free time, Marie is a playlist enthusiast, managing over 75 playlists on Spotify. She loves working out while listening to her favorite podcast, Call Her Daddy. An avid reader, she adores romance novels and the enemies-to-lovers genre. You’ll often find her creating, editing, and sharing videos, or browsing Pinterest, pinning everything that catches her eye.