4 Ways To Make The Best Out Of Your Weekend

When you have a jam packed week, the weekend is clung to like a lifeline. But what happens when those two days feel like they end in a snap and it's back to being Monday again? You need to find ways to make the most of your weekends in order to stretch out those 48 hours into something equally amazing and recharging.

Not only will a relaxing weekend have you feeling ready to tackle another monster of a week, but it can give you the chance to really enjoy life and not get sucked into a routine that feels a lot like a daily grind.

Make plans ahead of time
This tip isn't for the obvious logistics, like what if the concert tickets sell out or the reservations at the Asian fusion restaurant fill up. Rather, the anticipation of having kick ass plans hypes you up through the week and has you dancing in place once Friday rolls by. Laura Vanderkam, author of What the Most Successful People Do on the Weekend , told Oprah, "If you make a reservation on Wednesday for a Saturday-night dinner at your favorite restaurant, you'll spend the next three days imagining your pasta carbonara to come — which improves your weekend and your week."

While on-the-fly plans obviously work too, if you want to wring the most out of your weekend make sure to pencil in your fun ideas well ahead of time to get that buzz going.

Go on adventure
You don't have to book a plane ticket to Greece for this one, but push yourself to go on mini-adventures around your city or town to keep things exciting. Set a radius of how far you're willing to go, and then find cool new places to explore: Maybe it's a quaint town that looks like it's made out of doll houses, or a national park that's got some interesting boulders you can climb, or maybe it's a new restaurant you've never taste-tested before. Vanderkan told entrepreneur site Fast Company, "Whatever it is, remember that life can’t just happen on vacations , so invite in some serendipity."

Have a running stream of dreams
You know how sometimes it feels like there are a 100 things you'd love to do if only it was the weekend, but once Saturday rolls by all you end up accomplishing is re-watching old movies on Netflix. To make sure that doesn't happen, start a running list of dreams you'd love to see happen. Career writer Carolyn Cutrone from Business Insider pointed out, "Vanderkam suggests people create something called ' A List of 100 Dreams ,' which prompts you to brainstorm anything you might want to do in life." While there might be some big goals on there like "Go to Ireland to drink whiskey," there will be smaller things on there too like "Try that gourmet donut place." You can focus on the smaller stuff once the weekend comes.

Get chores out of the way during the work week
Rather than leavng the weekend to scrub your tub, spread out your chores throughout the week so the weekend can be 100 percent dedicated to relaxation. Psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert for the Huffington Post warned, "Doing so will put pressure on you at a time when you are trying to decompress. Instead, lighten your weekend load by knocking off some of your chores during the week ." Pop in laundry after dinner, tidy up the bathroom after your shower, and wake up a little earlier to straighten up your room.