Now this is a rare thing. I was reading this piece, in praise of short books: to start and finish in one sitting is a rare unbridled joy, and it asked readers to list good short books. Instead of a typical dumpster fire, it was full of thoughtful and short comments on….good short books. Amazing.
So if you want some recommendations on good short books to read this weekend or next, head over to that link.
The 40 hour / 5 day work week has long been dead: we need the four day week to try to get back to 40.
Implicit in the 5 day / 40 hour work week was that for the most part a husband would work for an employer during that time while a wife would do 40+ hours of unpaid labour at home. So you really have an 80+ hour work week for a husband and wife team.
When the labour at the employer was factory-like shift work, a 40 hour week was truly a 40 hour week. (Domestic labour had no such boundaries.) But as work became more office oriented, many employers and ambitious employees shunned the “9 to 5” in favorite of longer hours. As more work became digital, computers came home and that time became work time. The 40 hour work week morphed into the 45, 50, 60 even 70 hour work week.
As a result of all this, men and women find themselves with very little free time for themselves. If they aren’t working, they are taking care of their family, nuclear and extended. Or they are taking care of their homes. Most people would tell you their responsibilities+work is not 8 hours a day: it’s like more like 12 or 14. Plus time on the weekend.
While employers might feel this benefits them, some of your potentially better employees — mainly women at this point — are lost to the overwhelming responsibilities they have to deal with. And even if they are somehow managing, they are likely unhappy and likely to burnout and quit, and a cost to the employer as much as the employee.
Given all this, a 4 day work week would still likely result in a 40+ work week, but at least the resulting weekend would give people a chance to truly rest. Nowadays, Saturday is a day to catch up on home responsibilities and Sunday is a day of either religion of recreation**. We need an extra day. At least.
Too many employers are still focused on things like hours worked (or worse, working in the office). Employers need to know what their purpose is and tie their employees effort to that, while recognizing employees are not machines or cogs but people. And not just employers: we need that incorporated into our society as a whole.
For more on this topic, you can easily do a search and find many pieces on how it is beneficial. To start, read this in the pro-business Wall Street Journal: The Four-Day Workweek Gets Shorter With Practice – WSJ
(** At my employer there would be many people who would be sending out and responding to emails up until noon on Saturday, breaking off to take care of their family, their homes and themselves, and then start sending out and responding to emails on Sunday evening. Their weekend was from noon on Saturday to Sunday at 6 pm.)
It looks like it is going to be cloudy but warm here in Toronto this weekend. That’s fine. I am happy for the warm weather and the lack of snow. It’s tulip time and I love tulips, so one thing I might be doing is either getting some more or just window shopping for them.
Lately I’ve been trying to read more, despite my limited attention span. Because of that, this list of 30 of the best short films and novels you can do in less than an hour and a half got my attention. I might be able to get through something before Sunday evening.
Of course weekends are also good for sleep. If you are trying to catch up on yours this weekend, here’s some guidance on how to fix broken sleep schedule.
Fun stuff: check out these pictures kids took of their parents. Priceless and true. Something that was fun but no more is Looney Tunes: HBO is removing Looney Tunes online. Sad to see that happen.
Do you know someone moving into their first apartment? If so, they might appreciate this checklist . They might appreciate more than that, but it’s a start. 🙂 If they need a new sound system for their place, maybe they’d like this new Sonos speaker.
Fans of minecraft and Chromebooks: it seems that Microsoft is going to release a version of Minecraft for Chromebooks. Nice!
Something moving: these final words of Darren Barefoot are as splendid as the things he writes about in the end: they were all splendid.
If you want to get away from it all, this all white minimalist cabin is the flexible and functional tiny home on wheels you need.
Enjoy Spring…and your weekend, as you head out into it.
For some, the weekend is either a time of relaxing or a time of catching up. I think that it can always be a time to improve yourself in some way. Here’s some ideas for you:
Get a hobby: Here’s a good piece on how to start a hobby. Perhaps drawing could be that hobby. Here’s how to get over yourself and start drawing. And if even if you don’t think you are very good, remember: drawing can also be good for your mental mental health.
Improve your plant game: Plants make me and others happy. If you feel the same, maybe take some time this weekend and upgrade your plants: here’s when its time to repot indoor plants.
Get fitter: start with this piece, two simple ways to get fitter faster. If you need exercise routines, try these, fitness routines from Darebee. Or use this: strength training. Some people do better with devices to help them. If that’s you, then use this device to improve your fitness.
Like drawing, fitness can help you in many ways. For example, read this: How To Reframe Your Relationship With Exercise. And don’t forget, fitness is more than exercise. It is also about eating well. Here how you can eat better: 4 easy strategies for adding more vegetables to your plate.
Get fashionable: sometimes new clothes can help you get out there. If that’s you, I recommend these new balance 574h hiking sneakers, the new balance 997h ice blue sneakers, this intro ponto footwear. Maybe even jordan system23 clogs .
Finally, here’s a guide to stop ruminating, if that’s something you do.
Regardless of what you decide to do, I hope your weekend is a good one.
One of the ideas that I really like, from one of my favorite blogs, are the posts they have every Friday. Posts like this: Have a Lovely Weekend. It’s a great idea. Who doesn’t like a nice positive and update piece to read on before you start your weekend?
On that note, here are some links that I think are positive and upbeat and perfect to read on a Friday:
If you are going to try and get a better sleep this weekend, here are some sleep tips from experts that might surprise you.
I might use my free time to take a walk in the Dundas West area of Toronto. It’s been highlighted as being one of the coolest neighborhood ever, and I can see why.
Or maybe I’ll go and get some steak frites (here are some of Toronto’s best, though they did not include my fav, Cote de Boeuf, shown below).
Did you know that asking yourself one simple question can change entirely how you feel? It’s seems too much, but I agree with it.
Do you fear that people thing that you are a bit much? I think that’s a good thing. So does that piece. Also a good thing: A gratitude zine from Austin Kleon.
Does Arthur Brooks Have the Secret to Happiness? I don’t think so, but you might read that and think differently.
If it’s time, you may want to read this first: How to Clean an Oven by Wirecutter.
But maybe you’d prefer to read something lovely instead of practical. If so: The Ponds poem – Mary Oliver poems.
Kudos to this artist who puts mosaics in potholes.
How crazy is this: a Fish tank for cats!
If you want to watch a classic this weekend, I recommend: All that Jazz.
Here’s the opening:
(Top image is a link to Toronto Life. Second image is a link to BlogTO).
If you are like me and somewhat dread cleaning on the weekend, perhaps you need an alternative approach. One approach to consider is to spread it throughout the week so when the weekend comes it’s not so bad. The problem with that approach I have found is that the week speeds by and you are left with all the cleaning piling up into Saturday and Sunday.
One way to deal with that is having a cleaning schedule. If that sounds good tto you, read this: How to Create a Cleaning Schedule You Can Stick to | Apartment Therapy. Lots of good tips there, such as “throw things out as you go”. After all, why keep moving things around you don’t want or dust things you no longer like. Trash them, or better still, give them to someone who could use them.
May your (laundry) loads feel lighter after you put that article into practice!
While short movies are fun, sometimes one wants to settle in and watch a good long movie. The problem with that, though, is many of them draggggggggg. No one wants that. We want to settle, not fidget. We need help.
Help is here in the form of this: 20 of the Best Long Movies That Are Actually Worth Their Runtime. “Lawrence of Arabia” is an obvious choice, but there are many others on the list that are great too, such as “Hamlet” and “Malcolm X”. Check out the list, then block of some time this weekend or next and get some quality screen time in. Snacks are optional, but recommended. 🙂
It’s the weekend and chances are you are using it up doing 1-5 of the things mentioned in this article. Don’t. (Or at least do one less). I especially liked the tip on laundry. But read the article and see what I mean. Carve out your weekend for more Me time.
(Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash)
You might think so if you read this piece in the New York Times.
It has definitely changed, just like so much has changed during the pandemic. I predict the weekend will come back in time. Meanwhile, consider ways to make you day / days different enough so that it doesn’t just feel like one big endless day. It will take some creativity, but it’s worth it.
Your weekend is coming up: find ways to make those days stand out from the others.
So I read this, The “Saturday Morning” Weekend Cleaning Checklist | Apartment Therapy, which begins with
So you didn’t clean this week but you want a clean house to hang out in over the weekend. And you don’t want to spend half your weekend getting ready to enjoy it. Good news: You can condense your weekly cleaning into one super concentrated Saturday morning blitz of chores. It’s best if you can solicit some housemates (sometimes known as spouses and children) to help.
Now I am skeptical. But I will try it tomorrow and see how it goes. If you need a “goal” for the weekend, maybe you can too.
(Photo by pan xiaozhen on Unsplash)
I recommend this site and this section of it:Â Poppytalk – do it yourself
Lots of good projects here. And there’s also a part of the site dedicated to Ikea hacks. Worth checking out.
Smart People I Know 