The Startup Spouses

Instead of working for the weekend, we find ourselves working on the weekends. It just seems to be the time we’re able to get the most done. And work seems more fun on the weekend. During the week, Kris is focused on his day job and has trouble changing gears; I struggle with working alone and motivating Monday through Friday. When we’ve planned to commit a weekend to working on our business, our productivity skyrockets and we’re able to reach milestones. If we looked at why we’re more productive on the weekends, I would attribute it to:

•  No distractions. When we plan to work on the weekend, we ignore any calls and requests to go out. During the regular work week, it is harder to avoid all distractions (i.e. boss calling) and sometimes they’re welcome (i.e. mom calling - phew, I can take a break). 
• Incentives. We try to compensate for staying in on the weekend by cooking nice meals and drinking wine. We plan our menus early Friday and stock up at Whole Foods for the weekend. Monday through Friday, it feels too indulgent (nevermind time-consuming and expensive) to think about food so much. And it would perhaps be concerning if we started in with the wine on Monday afternoon. 
• Interaction. Fueled by wine and devoid of distractions, we’re able to talk and brainstorm freely. While we work 3 ft away from each other, we don’t often have extended periods of time during which we can explore and plan. 
• Scheduled breaks. On weekends, we take breaks when we want, either to watch a movie or workout. There is more pressure during the week to mimic the 9 - 5 schedule, even though our schedule is fairly open. 

Given the success we have working on the weekends, it’s worth experimenting and trying to implement some of the “weekend” tricks during the week.