Got any plans this weekend? Good! The key to a happier weekend is planning it, according to Laura Vanderkam, author of the book What the Most Successful People Do on the Weekend.
Photo by Stacie Stacie Stacie.
Part of this is the anticipation of something you will enjoy. As Business Insider notes in a roundup of weekend planning tactics:
Anticipation accounts for a huge chunk of happiness, which comes from thinking about the events we plan. Vanderkam writes, “As you look forward to something good that is about to happen, you experience some of the same joy you would in the moment. The major difference is that the joy can last much longer.”
The other thing is, when you set aside time (like, put an appointment on your calendar to read a book) you will be less likely to squander the weekend .
You don’t have to schedule your entire weekend — having those days open is often the joy of weekends — but Vanderkam recommends planning three to five “anchor” events:
She writes, “Three things taking three hours apiece is nine hours of your 36 waking ones. That leaves a lot of time for sitting and nursing a scotch, if you don’t have three small children, or watching ‘The Backyardigans,’ if you do.”
Happiness is having something else to look forward to besides watching The Backyardigans.
How Successful People Make the Most of Their Weekends [Business Insider]
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