Living only for the arrival of next Friday
The Friday waiting trap: how anticipation for the weekend can keep us from enjoying the present
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The worship of the vast majority of people waiting for Friday brings some insights. At least that's how I see it and based on my life experience. I was one of those people until recently.
However, we don't care, first of all, waiting for next Friday we are deducting 168 hours less from the hours of life here on this earth. Secondly, the impression is that we are not happy with what we do. Yes, I agree that there is a lot of work that sucks. But is it doing anything to change this situation?
Related article: From fake smiles to emotional exhaustion: the dangers of being a professional pleaser
Anxiety waiting for Friday prevents us from enjoying the present, a unique moment that we can change
Yesterday is gone, it doesn't change. The only thing you can bring back is the good memories and learnings not to repeat in the future. Already tomorrow, remember what your grandmother always said when she prepared her chocolate milk: “Tomorrow belongs to God”. Look what you can fix with this anxiety of waiting for the weekend, being able to have a drink with the bros, doing nothing, and so on.
Devaluation of the present moment;
Waiting for Friday increases stress;
Lower productivity;
Loss of opportunities.
About 10 years ago, when my alarm clock went off at 6:10 am, the first words of the day were so motivating that my day moved along at the same pace. I said:
"Damn it, I have to get up and go to work at that shitty company."
On Sundays, before going to sleep, I was already wondering if it was a long way before the weekend arrived because I could do what I liked the most. Nothing like doing nothing and then resting. I existed (survived, if you will) and did not live. So I lost about 15/20 years of my life.
Related article: Emotional self-control: you either have it or you don't
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Devaluation of the present moment
Those who knew and supported me at that time, in addition to warriors, can confirm that I always lived in two dimensions: I alternated between the past and the “if”. If this happens, I do that, if I earn more I lose weight, if, if, if... I would do the same as today's generation does, first the right and then the duty.
When we are only interested in waiting for Friday, it is normal to neglect and devalue the other days. In other words, waking up every day with the one in the paragraph above and the result is like a snowball: the problems are only increasing.
And one of the consequences of this is that we miss the opportunity to enjoy and value the present moment, which is equally – if not the most important. We lack sparkle in our eyes and tend to expect from others what we should be doing.
Waiting for Friday increases stress
My friend Eduardo Thiel (in memoriam), who unfortunately this week marks two years since COVID killed him, could prove it. Think of a guy always in a good mood, who arrived at the office in full swing, while on the other side, I was sulking and without patience.
Good morning, chubby! Said Thiel.
Good morning to anyone, only if it's for you. That was almost always the answer.
Luckily we became friends even after our lives took different paths, I even had the opportunity to thank him for that. However, let's come back here because this parenthesis was just to demonstrate how pleasant a person I was to live with.
The anxiety of always waiting for the weekend brings us stress because we are thinking of getting out of where we are just to enjoy the next Friday. Only that tension, little grasshopper, can lead to physical and mental health issues, damaging our performance and productivity.
Lower productivity
Yes, you fall short of what you can deliver. Your focus is not, even if unconsciously, where it should be. In other words, we become less focused and less motivated to work.
If you are in a job that you don't like, then your productivity, which is no longer up to par, will stop at your toe. Not to mention the quality of work done. Then you don't know why there's no salary increase, there are no promotions, you're not seen and much less remembered.
In my case, it had another intrinsic quality: I complained a lot. You have no idea how it hurts when I stop to see the harvest. But it's from the game. Remember: from the past, you only bring the lessons learned so as not to repeat mistakes in the future. Otherwise, if you keep repeating the same mistakes, you are stupid.
Loss of opportunities
When we are obsessed with waiting for Friday, we can miss opportunities to live enriching experiences during the week, whether at work or in our personal life. We end up limiting ourselves to waiting for the weekend, instead of taking advantage of the opportunities present in our day-to-day lives.
Then it's no use crying in the fetal position or crouching in the shower saying that nobody loves me and nobody wants me. Take responsibility for the shit you've done and move on.
Like an arrow's shot, words spoken and missed opportunities don't come back to tell the story. Now, if you don't think about dying tomorrow - and I hope you don't - there's still time to run in search of your dreams. Go do something that lights up your eyes and warms your heart and stop living to wait for Friday.
Tomorrow may not exist
The only certainty we have in life is death. But when, in what form it will come for us, we don't know either. This is a blessing because if the alarm goes off tomorrow at 6:10 am, it is a sign that God is giving you a new opportunity to change what you don't like, including your job.
As the song Viva a Vida, by Turma do Pagode, says, “(...) Live life as if there were no tomorrow / Let go of what is not good for you (...)”. And finally, do yourself a favor, stop waiting for Friday, subscribe to my newsletter, leave a comment, and be very happy.
If you enjoyed this article, you may like: Discover the power of solitude
If you think coffee can improve my mood, I’ll take a Ko-Fi. Maybe it helps, it’s true.
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This is so true. The only word more self-destructive than “if” is “should”. I should have done this, I should have done that, means you are not living in the present either.
A couple of notes on your English Fernando: there is no verb “deducting”, we say “reducing”. When you said, “also warriors” it’s not clear who you are talking about. Great work!