Weekend Guilt Trap
We have all lived through the following scenario at some point in our lives.
After a long week of meetings, discussions, tasks, and arguments, the final day of the workweek has finally arrived: FRIDAY.
You feel energized going to the office. You know that the next two days are meant to recharge your internal batteries and allow you to invest time in your personal goals.
You tell yourself, "I finally have the time in the next two days to invest in my personal life." That could be hitting the gym, going to a singing class, building a side business, studying for a certification, or pursuing any other goal you have postponed for weeks.
The Saturday Trap
You wake up on Saturday feeling energized and hopeful. You tell yourself, "Finally, I have the energy to execute a productive day. I’ve waited for this moment for a very long time." However, old habits kick in.
You open your phone to check social media to see what is happening in the world, or you start playing a video game. Time passes. Two hours have already gone by without you realizing it.
What happens next? Guilt kicks in. You feel guilty for wasting the most valuable hours of the day on a meaningless activity. You tell yourself, "Alright, the day is already ruined, I’ll try again tomorrow." The next day, you follow the exact same pattern.
The Sunday Blame
Sunday evening arrives, and you know that tomorrow is the start of a new workweek. Deep inside, you blame your job for not giving you enough time to pursue your goals.
"Five working days, that’s too much," you tell yourself.
It is always easier to throw the blame on something else rather than on ourselves.
The Core Truth
The mind doesn’t change its structure by commanding it, and it certainly doesn’t change its structure by hoping.
The mind’s core operates on repetition. You have to keep doing it until it sticks. Old, unproductive habits won’t vanish simply because the weekend has arrived.
The mind won’t feel sorry for you. It won’t be empathetic toward you just because you worked hard for your company. The mind won’t reward you by miraculously motivating you to work on your personal goals.
It has two main functions:
Repeat old patterns.
Protect you from the danger of the unknown.
The Solution
Once you understand how guilt functions and how to kill it, you become more aware of your patterns. Awareness leads to the change of habits.
When old, unproductive habits in your personal life vanish, you invest more of your free time working on your goals. As a result, you will become more productive at the job you earn your wage from.
