Rebuilding Rob

As I continue my March toward 1000 consecutive days of blogging, it’s getting more difficult to find unique or interesting prompts that I want to write about. I leaned into Google Gemini for this thought-provoking question which helped me narrow my focus for today’s post:

What does it take to maintain your “game face” during the week, and how do you safely take that armor off? Explore the “Saturday Clearing” and the challenge of finding the ideal window for recovery without losing your momentum.

As a “working-class stiff,” I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about downtime lately. We all know the song—we’re all “working for the weekend.” But I’ve realized that my weekend isn’t a 48-hour block of rest. It’s a series of transitions, and Saturday is the only day that feels truly mine.

The 48-Hour Sweet Spot

Over the last few years, I’ve become very comfortable with the fact that my weekend break is just two days. I’ve found that a two-day break is the sweet spot; any longer, and I start to lose my “teacher armor”—that “game face” I have to wear to get through the week.

As any teacher knows, there are days when you’re under the weather, but you realize it’s actually more work to prepare for a substitute than it is to just go in. In those moments, a switch flips. You go into “teacher mode” and compartmentalize everything else to get the job done. But that switch needs a reliable battery, and I’ve found that if a break goes on too long—like a bank holiday or a long break—it’s much harder to strap that armor back on and flip the switch on Monday morning. Two days is just enough time to “catch my breath” without letting my guard down too far.

The Friday Decompression

Friday night is for the initial decompression. It’s for being “down”—a tradition of quiet nights that goes back years. Even years ago, when the ex-wife and I taught in the same district, Friday was never about big plans. It was usually a quick trip to a Mexican restaurant for a couple of drinks and then heading home. I continue that tradition today. I’m writing this on a Friday evening, and even though there were options to go out, I really don’t feel like doing much of anything. Friday is the time to let the exhaustion of the week settle.

The Saturday Clearing

But Saturday? Saturday is when the weekend begins in earnest. Saturday is the “Clearing.” It’s the day I look at the debris of the week and start the work of recovery. It’s the day I move at my own pace—taking down the Christmas lights, disassembling the tree, and slowly checking things off a “to-do” list that I know will never actually be finished.

I’ve learned that I need this specific 24-hour window to be productive without being pressured. If I get something accomplished, I’m doing okay. I’m not racing toward Monday yet; I’m just reclaiming my space. On Saturday, I’m not a teacher, and I’m not yet the guy worrying about Sunday night laundry and the 6:00 PM transition. I’m just a guy with a tree to put away and a bit of air to breathe.

Saturday is for reclaiming space, but Sunday is about managing the ‘Borrowed Time.’ Join me tomorrow for the conclusion of this weekend series as I look at the Sunday Tightrope and the 6:00 PM flip of the ‘Teacher Mode’ switch.

How do you spend your Saturday? Is it a day of “doing,” or have you found a way to just “be”?

Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. Be sure to like 👍, comment, and subscribe below. It’s greatly appreciated! Also, feel free to follow me on social media and check out my recent posts!

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• Charity Starts at Home (And I’m Back in My Childhood One)
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AI art (and today’s prompt) created with Google Gemini

The article “Saturday: The Clearing (The “Saturday Attitude”)” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob.