20 & In Between

Every weekday, I look forward to when I don’t have to get up at 7am to get ready for work. Every weekend, I look forward to the next weekend.

It’s just too short. Like, seriously, why do we only get two days off of work. How is anyone meant to recuperate in 48 hours. I think it’s horrendous.

Most weekends, I can’t decide if I want to relax in my solitude or make plans with my family and friends. I, personally, think I should have more time to do both. Two measly days simply isn’t enough.

Normally, if I’m socializing for a day, it takes me the entirety of the next day to charge my social battery. Unfortunately, I socialize Monday through Friday and don’t get my charging time until the weekend. So, how am I supposed to make up for five days of my social battery being worn out in just two? It’s just not feasible.

And that’s not even taking into account everything else people are expected to do outside of work. Weekends aren’t really “days off” when half the time is spent catching up on chores, grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning, errands, appointments, and all the other things you don’t have the energy to do during the week. By the time all of that’s done, it’s already Sunday evening, and suddenly I’m dreading getting out of bed on Monday morning again.

I also think people underestimate how mentally exhausting a full work week can be. Even if you don’t hate your job, not saying I do, you’re still giving away the majority of your time, energy, focus, and social capacity for five straight days. A lot of people get home from work too drained to actually enjoy their evenings, so the weekend becomes the only opportunity to feel like an actual person again instead of just existing in a cycle of work, sleep, repeat.

Honestly, I don’t even think wanting more time off is lazy. People (I) need time to rest properly, pursue hobbies, spend time with people, and just exist without constantly feeling pressured by productivity. Life shouldn’t revolve entirely around work. It’s depressing that so many people (I) spend most of their adult lives counting down to Friday and then spending Sunday worrying about Monday.

I genuinely think a shorter work week would make people happier and healthier. More time to recharge would probably make people less burnt out, less stressed, and honestly more productive when they are working. People aren’t machines, contrary to popular belief. You can’t expect someone to function at 100% constantly and then magically recover over the course of a single weekend.

This is me advocating for less work and more time to do literally anything else. It’s almost summer. I don’t want to be working during peak tanning time.

That’s all.