I have recently read Laura Vanderkam’s Off the Clock and What the Most Successful People Do On The Weekends. Both books are filled with ideas for making the most of your free time.
At first that may sounds counter-intuitive: making the most of your free time? Planning your free time? Isn’t free time supposed to be, well….free?
However, as Vanderkam argues, weekends that we truly enjoy are memorable. And, it can take some planning to set up those memorable events.
Like….purchasing a ticket for the concert that is only in town for one weekend. Or, reserving a camping site in a wooded state park in time for peak fall foliage. Or, making sure you have the supplies needed to set out for the beach.
Anchor Points
Vanderkam says that the best weekends have 3-5 “anchor points”–events that you look forward to, that are memorable, that contribute to your (or your family’s) happiness.
And, it you think of the weekends as having seven “chunks” of time–Friday evening, Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, Saturday evening, Sunday morning, Sunday afternoon, and Sunday evening–that leaves plenty of time for plain old resting or for spontaneity.
How I’m Planning Our Weekends This Year
That idea of “anchor points” has really stuck with me. It has influenced the way I have been planning our family’s weekends lately.
Here’s how it has worked in our family:
–I am the main “planner” of weekends, as I truly enjoy finding fun activities to do and scheduling things. So, beginning on Tuesday/ Wednesday I will look for activities to do over the weekend.
–Then I will discuss the possibilities with my husband. Together we will decide on our weekend plans.
–Some of the weekend anchor points will be events for the whole family, while others may involve only a portion.
–I put those anchor points into our shared Google calendar.
–We enjoy our weekend! (Though, of course, our family isn’t perfect. Enjoying is often a relative term with three children. Someone may complain, someone may whine, but we gain new experiences and stories along the way.)
Here are some examples of our recent weekends and their anchor points.
Recent Weekends and Anchor Points
Weekend #1
–Family walk in the Arnold Arboretum
–Blessing of the Backpacks at Church
–Community potluck with married student housing residents
Weekend #2
–BBQ with neighboring families
–Trip to the beach
–Pizza out at a restaurant
Weekend #3
–Greek festival at church
–Go to our friend’s ordination
–Family trip to the park
Weekend #4 (planning for Columbus Day weekend)
–Game night
–Camping trip to New Hampshire
–Go on a hike in New Hampshire
–The kids and I bake all things pumpkin related!
As you can see, I have chosen to (in general) have three anchor points in a weekend. Right now with three fairly young children (9, 6, and 4), this feels doable. It leaves plenty of time for periods of indoor and outdoor play, for reading, for chores, and for church.
Most of our anchor points are free (game nights, playing at the park, a trip to the beach) or inexpensive (occasional meal out, camping). Memorable events do not need to cost an excessive amount of money.
I choose anchor events based on:
-our Boston Bucket List (like camping in New Hampshire)
-community happenings (like the Greek festival or our community potluck)
-or activities that our kids have suggested (like a pumpkin-baking party, and game night!).
This simple act of planning out our weekends has truly changed the way that our family approaches them. Now we have fun activities to look forward to and stories to tell afterward.
Do you plan your weekends? Tell us your strategies or ideas!
