How much can you get done in 48 hours?  Advertisements for home improvement stores appeal to weekend projects as the way to cram in that to-do list item as one would advertise for a relaxing vacation.  Weekends tend to be our time for cleaning, stocking the fridge, spending time with family and friends, gardening and perhaps if you’re lucky – doing something totally relaxing.  Okay, some of my loved ones do consider gardening relaxing.

I am loving this time of year – you know, the time of the year after football season, and before baseball?  My Sundays are not currently filled with the sound of the TV running one game into the other and only ending with a cry for tasty burgers off the grill.  Historically Sundays have been called the “day of rest.”  No work, no exertion, only some leisure activities to fill the day.  Ahhhh.

The life / business organization company FranklinCovey has a program called FOCUS: Achieving Your Highest Priorities.  They present the challenge of “(w)hen work effort isn’t in sync with a person’s life values and priorities, it’s easy to be busy on less meaningful matters. Even technologies devised to mobilize and liberate can paralyze us in an avalanche of data and clutter. So instead of focusing on and responding proactively to what’s truly important, employees become distracted and feel pressure to react to situations perceived as urgent.”  How’s that for kicking off your work week?

FranklinCovey goes on to say “(w)hen people’s daily activities align with their highest priorities, they have a credible claim to better performance, higher achievement, and peace of mind.” 

On a Sunday (or day off from work), what are your priorities?  Can you turn away from the clutter around you for just a short while and focus on what’s really important?

By giving your mind, body and soul a much needed rest (even for just one day a week) it can do wonders for your productivity come Monday morning.