Easing into a 'quiet weekend' could help workers make the most of their days off

The "quiet weekend" technique could help you make the most of your weekends. Image: Shutterstock

It's not unusual to have such a busy week that you can't take full advantage of your two days off because you're so tired. For workers who don't have a four-day week, and when it's not always possible to take Friday off, planning ahead for a "quiet weekend" could be a solution. The idea is to organize your working week in such a way as to enjoy a calmer, quieter weekend, and make the most of your time off work.

The concept of the "quiet weekend" comes from Jill Cotton, a career trends expert at Glassdoor. It involves working harder at the beginning of the week -- when we're rested -- in order to have a lighter Friday workload. "For those with a traditional Monday to Friday schedule, this often means clearing Fridays of long meetings, hard deadlines, highly collaborative activities or tasks that can’t be completed in a day," explains Metro UK, in a story citing the expert. Jill Cotton also advises those who can work from home to choose Fridays to start unwinding in the run-up to the weekend.

"Unlike quiet quitting, quiet weekends aren’t about scraping by and doing the bare minimum to avoid losing your job. Quiet weekends are purposefully structured to maximize your productivity during the week, while putting yourself in a great position to enjoy the weekend," Jill Cotton told the UK newspaper.

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This method, if correctly implemented, promises to bring better balance between professional and personal life. It could help employees feel less exhausted at the end of the week, making them more able to take full advantage of their weekend, without the fear of seeing their two days off slip away at lightning speed.

In the long term, the concept of the quiet weekend could benefit employees' mental health. Because sometimes two days off are not enough to decompress and recover from the fatigue of a busy week. "Quiet weekends can help employees sign off fully at the end of their working week -- protecting their precious days off and allowing them to recharge and bring their best selves back to work after the weekend," explains Jill Coton.

It could also prevent some employees from experiencing burnout. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one adult in four will suffer a burnout in their lifetime.