Ideas for the weekend

For many of us, the weekend is our time of freedom.  Sure we have small amounts of time during the week to cook, exercise, spend time with loved ones, and relax.  But Friday night through Sunday night is our time to really get things done.

Use the weekend wisely and you will be well on your way to personal sovereignty.  Use it poorly and you are at least one more week behind your goals.

Exercise

Personal freedom is of little use if you are not healthy and fit.  Some people say they don’t have time to workout because of their job and other obligations.  But my advice to you is to make it a non-negotiable pillar of your life.

Yes spending 2 hours everyday of the week is unrealistic, but 30min doing bodyweight exercises, stretching, swimming, or a heavy-bag workout is certainly doable.

But on the weekend, you should have a bit more time to do some more intense exercise.  In the summer it’s perfect for long hikes, swims at the lake, and bodyweight bar workouts at the park.

Now that the fall has set in, a heavybag workout in the garage, some powerlifting at the gym, or some laps at the pool – followed up with a good trip to the sauna is in order.

I really believe the fitness is an important part of personal sovereignty, and something that you should strive to accomplish every weekend.

 

Build a website

Whether you have handcrafting skills and want to sell the items on the side, a passion for a topic and want to blog about it, or a specialized skill that you can use for consulting, building your own website is highly recommended.

Even if you don’t have an idea for a business, you should start a blog on a topic that you are passionate about.  With time you will build a network of trusted peers, and maybe even earn a little bit of advertising income.

The biggest lesson here is that you can build income all by yourself; that you don’t have to be entirely reliant on others if you so desire.

 

Cook food for the week

Cooking your own food in advance is healthier, faster, cheaper, and even tastier than the option of going out for lunch and dinner during the week.  Make up big batches of soup & chilli, cook larger cuts of meat for leftovers, and prepare lots of veggies for the upcoming week.  For the most part, these things won’t go bad before Friday, and you will save yourself a lot of time and effort.

Just like the idea above, you have to take the time for yourself and your health, if you want to be your best.  Being out of shape and requiring prescription drugs is not how you attain personal freedom.

 

Turn of the TV, read a book

TV is a good tool if you use it wisely and sparingly.  Being glued to the nightly sitcoms every night of the week is not wise.  But you can learn about history, current affairs, nature, home & vehicle repair, and survival (Love Survivorman!).

But pickup a book in the evening for a few hours.  If you do this 1-2 times per week, you will find yourself going through dozens of books every year.  Maybe learn about brewing beer, gardening, fishing, or home improvement.  Perhaps some of the prepper fictions novels interest you such as 299 Days and Survivors.  Or maybe learning a new trade is what you’re after, such as electrical, plumbing, machining, welding, or maybe even boatbuilding or foreign languages.

Spending less time in front of the TV in order to learn some new valuable skills is not something you will ever regret.  Not only is the new knowledge valuable, but this is an excellent way to preserve your brain as you age.

 

 

Some of my other favourite weekend activities have been hiking, camping, shooting range, visiting wineries/breweries, going swimming, visiting farms for blueberries/apples/strawberries, etc.

But take time to relax as well.  Have a beer, watch a movie, and spend time with friends.

What are your weekend rituals that contribute to your personal independence?  Please share them – Maybe they’re exactly what I need to do too.