Should you work on the weekends?
In this video, I share the pros and cons of working on the weekend including my personal experience doing so for the last 5 years.
Here are 5 advantages of working on the weekend.
Pro 1: High demand
If you work in the service world, there's a lot of demand for people to come and see you on the weekend. This includes healthcare, hospitality, restaurants, and more.
The demand is there because a lot of people work Monday through Friday and want to be served on the weekend.
As a result, making yourself available on the weekend to serve others can be lucrative and appreciated in your community.
Pro 2: Few people do
Since most people are off on the weekend, you can get clear, uninterrupted work done by putting a few more hours in on the weekend.
It's a great time to do so, especially if you want to go into the office, focus for just a few hours, and knock out some extra work.
Pro 3: Weekday flexibility
If you're working on the weekends, oftentimes you have the day off or you have more time available throughout the week.
We've all done errands on the weekends. We've all had to go and check off our to-do list when it's really really busy out and about.
Have you tried so during the weekday? Weekdays are a great time to be able to schedule appointments and knock out your to-do lists.
From grocery shopping to picking up dry cleaning, getting errands done on weekdays is really nice.
Pro 4: Extra income
Those working on the weekend are often putting in overtime hours or are being compensated better than if they're putting in weekday hours.
Whether it's a second job or filling in work, covering weekend hours is a great way to knock down debt or save for the future.
Pro 5: Get out of unwanted commitments
While I personally don't do this, I know people that pick up weekend hours when there's something on the calendar they want to avoid.
It happens, right? Everyone has family events and obligations that aren't to their liking.
Why not go to work, make some extra money, and have an excuse not to attend?
Here are 5 disadvantages of working on the weekend.
Con 1: Everyone else is off
When you're working on the weekend, the FOMO (or fear of missing out) is real.
Why? Everyone you know is most likely off, including friends, family, and colleagues.
As a result, you may second guess your choice of picking up extra hours or taking a job opportunity that requires weekends.
Con 2: Mentality
As human beings, most of us are naturally wired not to want to jump out of bed and go to work on a weekend day.
For some, the weekends are sacred. It's in their DNA.
As a result, it's a natural mentality for the vast majority of people to say no to weekend opportunities.
Con 3: The blending of work and personal boundaries
If you have a full-time job that does not require weekends but you have to put in extra time to keep up or get ahead, it's easy to blur personal and professional boundaries.
For example, starting a Saturday morning with the intention of putting in a few hours only to find it turns into your entire day.
This can be a huge challenge if you decide to put in hours on the weekend to catch up or get ahead.
Con 4: Travel restrictions
A lot of events are planned around weekends. This makes sense as it's when the vast majority of people are off.
Therefore, if you're working on the weekend, you can't travel Friday - Sunday and will miss a lot of weekend events.
Con 5: No one is off when you're off
If you work a Saturday or Sunday and have an extra day off during the week, you may find that nobody's available to hang out when you're off.
If you're a social butterfly, this may impact you greatly because you love to be around others but they're working during the week.
My personal experience working on the weekends
Honestly, working on the weekend is not that bad.
Personally, I like serving patients when they need to be served. As an optometrist, the weekend demand is there and people want to be seen.
Plus, I don't recommend that you work every single weekend. I personally don't and you shouldn't either.
But, it's okay to put in a few weekends a month to pay down debt or build your savings.
Final thoughts
The reality is that there are seven days in the week and, depending on your industry, a lot of people utilize those extra two days, the weekend, to get ahead or to make extra money.
When I work a weekend, I've learned to optimize the time with my friends and family when I'm off during the week.
What are your thoughts on working on the weekends? Let me know in the comments below and stay tuned for my next video where we can reflect and grow stronger together.
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