Today’s share, given the timing of the week, comes via Dan Pink’s Twitter account, wherein he posted a research article about the restorative power of weekends.

It’s worth reading in full, but if you want a satisfying gulp to help you to power into your own weekend, here’s not one but three.

Rather than any changes in one’s activities, it was indeed one’s minding of the present moment throughout the weekend that increased enjoyment during that time and produced greater happiness when back at work.

Granted, some time on the beach or the slopes definitely has plenty of allure. But for the time-and-money-constrained, this research offers an accessible and affordable alternative that enables them to soak up some vacation vibes.

The benefits do not require taking additional time off from work, excessive spending for extravagant travel or the inclusion of particular activities. Fully attainable to anyone, vacations involve a mental break that allows people to become more fully engaged in and absorbed by their time off, making that time more enjoyable.

West, C., Mogilner, C., & DeVoe S.E. (2019). How vacation increases happiness.

Purely anecdotally, the findings make sense for me. I generally feel most refreshed after a weekend in which I got swept up in some kind of caper, adventure, project, or even problem.

So, once the workday closes, go. Be absorbed. Mind what is yours to mind. This plan only fails if you overplan it.