Here's How to Enjoy Your Weekend, Guilt Free

By Ankur Ambastha

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Sooo many people feel guilty when they take time off, like they should be working 24/7, so let’s flip the script today so you can enjoy your weekend to the max! 🤗❤️

Hey hey hey!!!

Something that’s come up multiple times this week in coaching calls is the feeling of guilt when we take time off. I feel it too. Like we should be working constantly, never need breaks, and always “productive.”

But when you really think about it, that’s actually not even physically possible, as much as society & other external forces might push us towards working more & more, and no matter how loud "they" (*cough* sometimes that's ourselves haha) might be screaming at you.

So, today, I wanna share 3 quick mental shifts to have you owning your time off this weekend proudly!!! Let’s go!

1. Lower your bar to “earn" time off!

We’re harder on ourselves than we would ever be on anyone else.

Imagine if a friend said they were so tired, exhausted, and run down from the workweek, and just want to take a day off to relax, but they also feel guilty taking time off, so the weekends end up just flying by without really feeling recuperative.

What would you tell your friend?

That they should just work harder, that sleep’s for the dead, or that they don’t deserve to take time off??? Or maybe that they're weak for not being able to push through?!?!

Then why do we tell ourselves that!?!?

To make it easier to feel “deserving” of time off, like you even need permission (who do you need permission from, by the way, hmmm), try focusing on what you did get done last week, vs what you didn’t or what has yet to get done next week.

Next week will come and you’ll be able to make more progress then, but right now, if you feel the internal pull & wise inner voice that's calling you to rest & relax to recover and come back strong next week, then acknowledge and feel proud of what you did get done and allow the rest of the work to live in next week, where you will take care of it when the time comes.

Why mentally hold on to the work now when we can't even do anything about it now? It just drags down this moment that we could instead be flying freely!

2. Work time & rest time are just opposite sides of the same coin, both required 🪙

You could call that coin “Working Effectively” if you want. Big emphasis on the effectively part.

So many times people just push push push to work work work constantly and go around in circles or take 10x’s longer to get something done than it would require if they were more focused.

Everyone needs a different ratio of time off to time on, especially depending on how much of a mental toll your formal work takes, and that's not something to judge ourselves or other people over. We just need to do what we need to be our best.

And you need rest to bring your most rested & effective self to anything you do. Otherwise you end up risking losing a lot of time to inefficiency & difficulty focusing when you neglect rest time.

Think of it this way:

• How efficiently, productively, & focused do you work when you're feeling your best? How quickly are you able to get things done?
• Compare that to when you're tired, struggling to focus, & feel like you'd rather be doing anything else instead of working (totally random examples like checking social media, unimportant emails, or cleaning my desk hahaha)? How long do things take to get done from that forced & sluggish state haha?

Do you see how time off to recharge is not actually wasted time, because it invests back into yourself and frees up time that you would have otherwise lost trying to force yourself to get tings done and having it take forever?

Just being mentally alert, energetic, and focused can save most people hours of time per week! And what if taking a day off guilt free to just have fun, do whatever lights you up, & recharge yourself gives you back the mental focus for multiple days!?

Given that, time off actually ends up being a different type of work that’s 100% required if you want to show up as your best when it’s time to crank through effective high quality work!

3. Would you rather...

• Constantly have to force yourself to work & hate it OR
• Recharge to come back strong & work with more ease and less mental & emotional strain?

It's really hard to do things when we're not in the right state. Sometimes work can feel so painful & forced.

But have you ever gotten into a rhythm or flow where the work felt more effortless while you were in the zone?

If so, you know exactly the 2 different states I’m talking about, and resting allows you to get into a state where the work takes less of a toll. More mental capacity to do things with less frustration. More power inside of you to think critically, find solutions, and do quality work more naturally.

More time off makes the work feel less dreadful haha!

So, what if taking time off, guilt free, indulging in every second of it, feeling it deeply and melting away in relaxation, could actually lessen your feeling of dread towards work!?

Hmmm, how have we changed the way you look at the coin of work & play??!

Hit reply & let me know your thoughts! What struck you & will allow you to mentally remove the guilt in order to check out this weekend for yourself, to feel fantastic and come your strongest next week?!

Have an incredible weekend, enjoying every minute of time spent doing things that allow your soul to sing & play!!!!

You deserve it, so be free, have fun, and enjoy a truly glorious weekend,

- Ankur ❤️

P.S. What will you do this weekend to totally relax and enjoy yourself!?

Hit reply and let me know, I’d love to live vicariously through you and celebrate you this weekend haha!

Slow down, soak in the weekend, and indulge totally guilt free! ❤️

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Note to blog readers! 🥳

Yay, congrats on finishing those 3 quick mental shifts to enjoy your weekend the max this weekend! You rock!