What the happiest and most successful people do on the weekend

SUCCESSFUL people don't waste those two amazing days at the end of the week. They do these eight things to pack in as much as possible.

Remember your dreams of being a piano prodigy? Revive them.

BETWEEN cleaning that new fungus off your shower floor and having marathon binges of your favourite TV show, the weekend seems to fly by, right?

But if you want to live more like the happiest and most successful people, you should stop squandering those brilliant two days at the end of the week.

Time management expert Laura Vanderkam explains how to make the most of this sacred time off from your harried work week in her book What the Most Successful People Do on the Weekend.

Here are some of her tips, from Business Insider.

1. Make appointments with yourself (even if it's only to read a book)

Don't waste time wondering what to do, Vanderkam warns.

Even though they're carefree and relaxed, weekends need to be planned out too.

You need to set specific hours or minutes aside for certain activities and then commit.

In her book, Vanderkam quotes former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee who says you need to be disciplined on weekends like in the work week.

"If you know you want to read a book, then get the book out and have it set aside and make plans to read it," Huckabee says.

"Say it's going to be at 1. When that starts, get on it. Don't wait until that afternoon, then think - could I read? Or listen to some music? Or take a walk? Then you'll sit about wasting an hour of what little time you have figuring out what to do with the rest of it."

2. Plan two to five 'anchor events' a weekend, but don't plan out every hour

Riding a bike on the beach with your friends. That's an anchor event.

If you cringe at the idea of planning your weekend, realise that you don't have to schedule every single minute.

Set yourself a minimum of three main projects, Vanderkam advises.

"Three things taking three hours apiece is nine hours of your 36 waking ones. That leaves a lot of time for sitting and nursing a scotch, if you don't have three small children, or watching The Backyardigans, if you do."

3. As you make your plans, don't forget something you haven't done in years

Remember your dreams of being a piano prodigy? Revive them.

One of Vanderkam's key pointers is to "dig deep" and remember activities that you haven't done since childhood.

She says to revive these enriching activities and make them a regular part of your weekends nowadays too.

For example, one of her readers signed up for piano lessons on Saturday mornings. Vanderkam advises to pick something that means a lot to you and make it a permanent routine.

4. Weekend mornings can be the best time to do things for yourself

Get up before everyone else to get ahead.

We know it's hard to resist the allure of Rage on a Saturday morning, but you should really consider setting aside those wasted AMs for a better personal pursuit.

If you're training for a marathon, Vanderkam says as an example, waking up early for a four-hour training run is going to be less disruptive to the other people and activities in your life than if you did it at midday.

5. Establish small habits to create new traditions

Traditions create good memories. And good memories give you comfort.

"Happy families often have some special weekend activity that everyone loves but no one has to plan each time," Vanderkam writes.

It doesn't need to be complicated or expensive. Try something like pancakes for breakfast on Saturday mornings or going for a walk on Sunday evenings.

Whatever you want to implement, make it a ritual.

6. Don't forget down time

It's important to schedule down time, for yourself and your gadgets.

Vanderkam recommends setting a daily siesta on weekends. You don't have to sleep, just switch off your phone and other gadgets and just chill. Try picking up a book or watching a movie.

7. Make plans for Sunday night so you don't spend it dreading Monday

A Sunday night yoga class will take your mind off Monday and get you ready for the week ahead.

You know that feeling of dread you get at home on Sunday night as you imagine the work week ahead? It's the worst.

Shake off the fear by scheduling something for Sunday night. It will extend your weekend and your mind will be focused on the fun to come, not the Monday morning grind.

8. Keep chores to a minimum

Don't clean the bathroom this weekend? OK!!

In news that excites us, Vanderkam insists it's really important to keep chores to a minimum on your day off.

Instead, she recommends doing a chore a day during the week.

If that's not possible, set aside small gaps of time (say, 20 minutes) to do chores at the weekend, lest they start eating into the time you've got for more important things.

By setting a narrow window for chores, you'll be motivated to get them done quickly.

By 80, you will have lived more than 4000 weekends. Make 'em count.

If you live to be 80, Vanderkam calculates you'll only have 4160 weekends in your life, so you shouldn't spend them doing little tasks on a menial to-do list.

"What the most successful people know about weekends is that life cannot happen only in the future. It cannot wait for some day when we are less tired or less busy.' So start with this weekend and do something," she says.

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