One key to moving forward toward your goals is to supercharge your productivity every weekend. Not too long ago a friend asked me where I found the time, as a pastor, to do the amount of writing I do: the first draft of a book last year (now editing it), three blog posts every week, and producing a new meme that goes out by social media every day. My first response to him was that I have cut down on watching TV (except for when the Packers are on, and an occasional look at the national news), and added to my book reading.

The second thing I told him was that I try to supercharge my productivity every weekend. I see the “off” hours I have on a weekend (I have a church service every Saturday evening, and services every Sunday morning) as productive and creative times because things are a bit more relaxed, I can put together hours to work on things outside of my workplace items, and I have the opportunity do things that are different from the work week.

So here are the steps I take to supercharge my productivity every weekend:

1. Date night. It all starts with Friday night when I don’t do any work at all. My wife, Tammy, and I reserve every Friday evening for our date night. We love to spend time together, and we love relaxing by going out to dinner, sometimes meeting friends, or walking down beautiful Park Avenue in Winter Park, Florida. It’s the one time every week that neither of us work and neither of us have to go to work the next day. A productive weekend begins with a time to relax and enjoy, reflect on the week, and look forward to what’s ahead. Even if you don’t have a “date,” Friday night can be a great time to relax and enjoy.
2. Get a good night’s sleep. I never like to sleep the day away on Saturday morning, but I don’t get up at the crack of dawn, either. We don’t set the alarm, and we are usually up by 8:00 or sometimes a bit later. Every other day of the week we have to get early. I find it helpful to my productivity to get to it when I’m not tired. I know there are people out there promoting getting up at 5:30 a.m. every day of the week, but I’m not one of them. I think it’s important to have at least one day of the week when the alarm isn’t set. It puts me in a good frame of mind.
3. Do things outside of the weekday routine. Weekends are a time to fill the creative tank. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate. It can be doing a Target run, a bit of grocery shopping, a stroll around a farmer’s market, getting some exercise, or spending some time at a coffee shop. I find that these things get my mind flowing. Different and unusual environments mixed with a bit of relaxation are good for the creative juices. Don’t skip this step.
4. Use blocks of time. You may think that since I have slept in a bit on Saturday morning and have run a few errands that I wouldn’t have time to get anything accomplished before I have to go to church on Saturday evening. It’s not the case at all. When we get home from errands or other things outside of our weekday routine, I’m happy, no…I’m inspired and anxious, to sit down and produce some “art” or do some serious writing. And though I’m pretty wiped out after church on Sunday mornings, Sunday afternoons and evenings are another opportunity to utilize a block of time.

You can supercharge your productivity every weekend, too. Set your mind to it. Have someone hold you accountable. Follow these steps. Make the time. You’ll be happy you didn’t fritter it away watching TV.

How do you supercharge your weekend productivity?