What are your end-of-week habits?

[Gabriele]

When working in an office, it’s often easy to spot shared habits and rituals that signal the end of the week. Some teams wind down a bit earlier than usual, some hang out and socialize, and others go out for a drink or something to eat. As remote workers, it can be less easy, or necessary, to maintain habits.

While I don’t have a set activity I do every week, I try to always do something fun on a Friday evening, like going somewhere new, meeting friends, going out to eat, or cooking something special at home.

Do you feel having a hard cut between work days and weekends is important? What are your habits and rituals to close the week?

[MarianaG]

Hey Gabriele,
First, I think that working remotely allows us to manage our time better, which means going for a walk in the middle of the day instead of " when you come leaving the office". But I like to manage my weekly tasks so I can get them done, and I can go to the park with my kids on Friday afternoons. Also, as a team, we like to do a catch-up on Fridays. This flexibility is suuuuper important for me and for my family:)

[Daisy81]

Hi @Gabriele, 

Thanks for sharing this post, because I definitely have a hard time with figuring out what to do when I'm not having a Friday-post work social hour with coworkers. While the transition to remote work has been nice (and still new) for me, sometimes I am unsure how to end work. It's so easy to hit 5pm and just keep working because the laptop is right there! 

Lately though, I am trying to be very good about having a closed-door space. When its close to 5 or 6pm for me, I try to leave my laptop in another room and close the door, to emulate "leaving work". I also have found that closing my laptop vs leaving it open prevents my urge to "quickly check" something. If I do this, I'm way more likely to leave the house and go for a walk. Now that the weather is slowly starting to get better, I might even sit outside on a patio and have a Friday post work drink 🙂 

[Gabriele]

@Daisy81, I understand what you mean. I also find it very important to set a hard line between work time and off-time. Closing the laptop is a great first step.

Some other things I find helpful in creating a clear break are:

1. Going somewhere. This is easy if you work in an office, as you can just leave, but even when WFH, I often go for a walk, a bike ride, or some activity outdoors, as @MarianaG mentioned.

2. Diving into a hobby, whatever that may be. I find quickly focusing on another "project" helps separate me from work more than just sitting around on the couch or being on my phone.

3. Cooking. Personally i enjoy it, although I understand this might not be fun for some people. However, cooking is more active than working on my laptop, requires focus, and is followed by eating, which is all about leisure.

4. "Celebrating". I put this in quotes because it doesn't mean a full-blown party, but often I will treat myself to something nice at the end of the work day just to consciously enjoy that it's done. Could be an ice-cream, a visit to some nice bar or cafe, or a quick visit to a museum.

[Daisy81]

[Roxane]

Love these tips @Gabriele and @MarianaG as I'm somehow the same (except for the cooking which I really don't enjoy – I only like the tasting part that follows cooking 🤣)... After I made sure my Monday is planned, I usually close my laptop with this small victory/tap on my shoulder and say "ok see you Monday morning!" and I usually always just leave the house, walk in my neighbourhood, sit in a café on my own, meet a friend for an apero or early dinner, or go for a movie... I feel after a week of remote work it is exactly what I need 😃 out of the house for whatever adventure that awaits even if I have no plans, there is always something to discover out there: a new gallery, a new concept store, a new coffee shop!   

[Gabriele]

The end-of-week shoulder tap is a great idea, @Roxane! We should be comfortable congratulating ourselves for work well done. 

As the weather is finally becoming pleasant in the Netherlands, and summer vibes are kicking in, your suggested activities feel just right, I'll be taking inspiration from them 🙂