Weekends are those precious 48 hours we all look forward to, a chance to relax, recharge, and maybe even have a bit of fun.
But let’s be honest, sometimes you end up squandering this time without even realising it. Before you know it, Monday morning rolls around, and you’re left wondering where the time went. Here are some guaranteed ways to waste your weekend. While it’s sometimes just what you need after a long week, if it becomes a habit, you might end up regretting not making better use of that time.
1. You spend hours scrolling through social media.
Source: Unsplash It starts innocently enough — you pick up your phone to check a notification, and suddenly, it’s three hours later. You’ve seen every meme, liked every post, and watched countless videos of people doing things you wish you were doing. Meanwhile, half your day has vanished into the digital void, leaving you feeling oddly drained and unsatisfied.
2. You binge-watch an entire series in one sitting.
The latest must-watch show drops on Friday, and you decide to “just watch one episode”. Next thing you know, it’s Sunday evening, you’re surrounded by empty snack packets, and you’ve forgotten what daylight looks like. Sure, you’re now an expert on fictional characters’ lives, but your own weekend has slipped away unnoticed.
3. You sleep until the afternoon both days.
After a long week, the temptation to hibernate is strong. You hit snooze repeatedly, promising yourself “just five more minutes”. Before you know it, it’s 2 pm, and you’ve slept through half the weekend. While catching up on sleep is important, overdoing it can leave you feeling groggy and robbed of precious daytime hours.
4. You spend the entire time doing household chores.
There’s always something that needs cleaning, fixing, or organising. But if you’re not careful, you can easily spend your entire weekend on household tasks. By Sunday night, your house might be spotless, but you haven’t had a moment to relax or enjoy yourself. Balance is key — your future self will thank you for doing some chores, but not at the expense of your entire weekend.
5. You procrastinate on planning anything.
You wake up on Saturday morning with vague ideas about all the fun things you could do. But you don’t actually plan anything, telling yourself you’ll “figure it out later”. Before you know it, it’s Sunday evening, and you’ve spent the whole weekend trying to decide what to do with your weekend.
6. You agree to plans you don’t really want to do.
Sometimes, to be polite or avoid FOMO, you say yes to invitations you’re not actually excited about. You end up spending your precious free time at events you don’t enjoy, with people you don’t particularly want to see, wishing you were somewhere else. Learning to say no can be a valuable skill for preserving your weekend happiness.
7. You spend hours trying to decide what to watch.
With countless streaming services at our fingertips, choice paralysis is real. You can easily waste an entire evening scrolling through options, reading reviews, and debating what to watch. By the time you finally decide, it’s too late to start a movie, so you end up watching nothing at all.
8. You obsess over work emails.
You tell yourself you’ll just quickly check your work emails, but before you know it, you’re knee-deep in replying to messages and thinking about Monday’s tasks. This not only eats into your free time but also prevents you from properly disconnecting and recharging. Unless it’s truly urgent, work can usually wait until Monday.
9. You try to cram too much into one weekend.
Source: Unsplash In an attempt to make the most of your time off, you overschedule yourself. You rush from one activity to another, never fully enjoying any of them because you’re already thinking about the next thing. By Sunday night, you’re exhausted and feel like you need another weekend to recover from your weekend.
10. You spend hours mindlessly online shopping.
Source: Unsplash What starts as a quick look at a sale turns into hours of browsing, comparing prices, and filling (then abandoning) online shopping carts. You might not even buy anything in the end, but you’ve lost a significant chunk of your weekend to virtual window shopping.
11. You get stuck in a YouTube rabbit hole.
Source: Unsplash You start by watching one video that pops up in your recommendations, and suddenly, it’s hours later. You’ve learned how to make authentic Italian pasta, watched vlogs from places you’ll probably never visit, and now know far too much about the mating habits of sea slugs. Interesting, perhaps, but not the most productive use of your weekend.
12. You spend the whole time worrying about the upcoming week.
Instead of enjoying your time off, you spend it anxiously anticipating Monday. You mentally rehearse conversations, stress about deadlines, and generally work yourself into a state of dread about the week ahead. This wastes your weekend and leaves you feeling more stressed than when it began.
13. You try to fix your sleep schedule at the last minute.
After a week of late nights, you decide to use Sunday to “fix” your sleep schedule. You force yourself to bed ridiculously early, then lie awake for hours, frustrated that you can’t sleep. You end up wasting your last evening of freedom and still don’t get the rest you need.
14. You spend hours trying to take the perfect selfie.
In an attempt to show the world (or at least your followers) how great your weekend is, you waste hours trying to capture the perfect shot. You change outfits, rearrange your surroundings, and take countless photos. In the process, you miss out on actually enjoying the moment you’re trying so hard to document.
