Katrina Onstad, author of "The Weekend Effect," reveals how our weekends have transformed into just another extension of the workweek. She discusses the common 'Sunday Night Blues' and why we often feel regret for not making the most of our time off. Katrina advocates for reclaiming weekends with meaningful leisure, active pursuits, and deeper connections with loved ones. By pushing back against overwork and the lure of chores, she encourages finding joy in spontaneity and prioritizing relaxation, turning weekends back into cherished adventures.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
The Spark for Change
Katrina Onstad's son would ask every Sunday night, "Is that it? Was that the weekend?"
This sparked Onstad's concern about their overscheduled weekends lacking distinction from weekdays.
insights INSIGHT
History of Weekends
The weekend's origin traces back to the Industrial Revolution, transitioning from task-based time to clock-based time.
Organized labor fought for the weekend, advocating for an eight-hour workday and two days off.
insights INSIGHT
The Changing Weekend Landscape
While overall weekly work hours remain relatively steady, high-wage earners work more now than 50 years ago.
Service sector workers and those with multiple jobs experience different weekend schedules, creating asynchrony.
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In 'The Weekend Effect', Katrina Onstad explores the history and cultural significance of the weekend, arguing that taking time off is crucial for personal well-being and productivity. The book offers practical strategies for making the most of weekends and challenging the cult of overwork prevalent in modern society. Onstad draws on historical, psychological, and anthropological insights to advocate for a better work-life balance.
Cheaper by the Dozen
Frank B. Gilbreth Jr.
Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
This semi-autobiographical novel by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey captures the daily lives and childhood adventures of the Gilbreth family. The story, set in the early 20th century, revolves around Frank Bunker Gilbreth, an efficiency expert, and his wife Lillian Moller Gilbreth, an industrial organizational psychologist, as they raise their twelve children in Montclair, New Jersey. The book combines humor, nostalgia, and heartfelt family dynamics, showcasing the family's unique methods for improving efficiency in everyday life and their deep family bonds. It also touches on the poignant reality of Frank's eventual death and its impact on the family[1][4][5].
Do you ever get to feeling kind of down, dejected, and anxious come Sunday evening? People refer to this phenomenon as the "Sunday Night Blues," and it's a common experience. You may have chalked it up to rueing the fact that your fun and restful weekend is over, and that you have yet another workweek ahead.
But my guest would say that your Sunday night sadness may also be rooted in the feeling of regret — the regret that you didn't put your weekend to good use, that it wasn't restful and fun, and that it was instead busy, draining, and, once again, a big letdown. Her name is Katrina Onstad, and she's the author of The Weekend Effect. Today Katrina shares how the idea of the weekend, of having two back-to-back days off from work, came about, and how it's been challenged and subsequently eroded in the modern day. We then talk about how to take back your weekends, so that your invaluable Saturdays and Sundays feel more the way they did when you were a kid — filled with a sense of possibility.
The Art of Manliness 
