A Bullshit Excuse To Remain Unproductive

It’s been a few months since I shucked employment and went freelance, and I’d love to say I learned a lot so far. But, mostly, I’ve been ruminating on a whole lot of things that are pretty much useless. Like Fridays.

They’ve always been something to look forward to, a pillar providing a glimmer of hope and excitement. Maybe “magical” Fridays come from our time in school when we only have control over our lives on the weekends — and by control, I mean being able to use the restroom without asking permission first.

Then that magic follows us throughout life, carrying over to future jobs.

All I know is, at every “normal” job I previously had, little to nothing was completed or started on a Friday. Mostly, they amounted to nothing more than wasted days separated by special lunch dates with co-workers, everyone celebrating the end of all work … for now.

Now, despite working for myself, I wake up every Friday morning with a different kind of excitement and hope, more basic and far-removed from a lunch date. With the arrival of each weekend, I’m happy to have made it through another week.

So, after thinking for far too long about this Friday feeling and doing some research, I’ve come to realize it is referred to as the weekend effect and that it is complete and utter bullshit.

What is The Weekend Effect?

Simply put, it’s the mental and sometimes physical shift that becomes more and more positive the closer you get to Friday that drops as soon as you reach Sunday night. Why? Because it’s time to go back to work.

Of course, it’s more complicated than that, much like everything else, but you can read all about it yourself. It has to do with the enhanced autonomy and relatedness you can achieve or seem to achieve outside of work, which is traditionally on the weekends.

The researchers mention that the results should “raise serious concerns about work climates,” since it directly affects our overall well-being. Nearly 10 years have gone by since then. I would argue that the weekend effect has been systemically embraced in our society.

That Which Does Not Kill Us Might Later On

For several reasons other than mental health issues, we are taught to push through tough times because it’ll make us stronger. As if doing something that upsets you day in and day out actually teaches you a lesson somehow, giving you a bit more wisdom to impart in future generations about seeing things through, you continue the cycle of “weekend-effecting.”

The fact is, you’re going to suffer sometimes, and you won’t always gain something from it. Our minds don’t work the same way our arm or leg muscles do. You have to push your muscles to their limit and then some, creating trauma that your body then repairs and thickens up in response.

Your brain is an organ, which you should be protecting and taking care of just as you do your other organs. Experiencing trauma doesn’t seem to do good for anyone later in life. Why put yourself through the wringer?

Why Do We Continue Doings Things That Bring Us Down?

Why do more than 70 percent of workers continue doing something they’re unhappy doing? Because we like looking better for others. We want to give others a reason to praise us, respect us and like us. Then, we can like and respect ourselves.

The other answer is the bologna about a lack of confidence and not giving yourself enough worth, but I don’t buy it. What I subscribe to is the “looking-glass self” theory. We as humans rely on one another to see ourselves. All we have to construct our personal identities are observations taken from others’ perceptions of us.

That’s why labels can be so problematic, but that’s an entirely different issue. We are ultimately choosing to continue behaviors, like working somewhere unfulfilling, to keep up some sort of appearance.

In all honesty, though, that’s fine. Appearance motivates some people. I’m concerned with the uninspired and toxic ways we as a society handle the weekend effect that we choose to maintain.

Drugs, booze and every form of entertainment out there have gone from being a treat to becoming a necessity in many lives as a way to distract ourselves from the real issues at hand. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for some poison every once in a while to shake things up, but drowning your sorrows negatively impacts your overall well-being.

The companies selling us the distractions are doing just fine, though. Hell, you might even work for one.

Love What You Do & You’ll Never Work A Day In Your Life

Do you believe this load of crap? Sure, there are articles and tons of inspirational trash out there supporting the silly notion, but at the end of a workday, it’s still a workday. You can get out of the workplace that squashes autonomy, connectedness and competence, but continue experiencing the weekend effect — just lesser so.

All I wanted for so long was to be heard, and I’m paid for my words now. I majored in rhetoric and writing so I would finally know how to best approach audiences, and I’ve written many articles that did what they were intended to do. It’s what I’ve wanted for a long time, and I’m able to decide things like who I work for and when to say no.

But it’s hard. The weekend effect is natural today because we have to work to survive. I don’t think it’s a result of any company downfalls. I think it’s an excuse to take a day off before the weekend truly arrives; an excuse to check out and distract yourself for a while; an excuse to not fulfill your potential because that’s much harder than commiserating with friends about “doing what you have to do” over a beer.

That being said …

Anyone else up for a drink or three this Friday?

^{Instagram: @mirandapiedra}