Manifesto for a good weekend
We've all been there...with that feeling that we're simply working for the weekend. Yet when those two days finally arrive, how often do we actually take full advantage of them? Our weekends can quickly fill up with errands, family and children's activities, or catching up on work.
It was something that author Katrina Onstad noticed was happening with her young family, so she decided to tackle the issue head on and began researching the history of 'the weekend'. She discovered that neglecting the sacredness of a weekly day of rest can leave us with a 'profound absence afflicting body and soul.'
Listen to Onstad's Manifesto for a Good Weekend
"We're speeding up our days and our nights so that we can pack the most into this time as we possibly can before we die. And unplugging actually forced me to think about that, about 'Well, what am I so afraid of, what is it to actually be silent?'" says Onstad. "And when you turn off, and just walk and look at where you are, and consider the world in all it's madness and beauty, it's less frightening. It's actually comforting to deaccelerate, to slow down."
She outlines a plan on how to create a more meaningful weekend in her new book, The Weekend Effect: The Life-Changing Benefits of Taking Time Off and Challenging the Cult of Overwork.
"It really is a kind of contemplation and reflection, and a space for activities that are edifying and creative, getting into nature, getting outside of yourself."
Click LISTEN above to hear more about how you can reclaim some sacred space during your weekend.
We're giving away a copy of Katrina Onstad's book, The Weekend Effect: The Life-Changing Benefits of Taking Time Off and Challenging the Cult of Overwork.
If you'd like to be entered in the random draw, email us at [email protected] with "Weekend" in the subject line.
Read the CBC's contest rules here.