Last weekend I did something I haven’t done in years. I documented everything. It felt weird, and also liberating because I don’t have to do it anymore. Most Mondays when someone asks “what did you do this weekend?” I stare back at them blankly thinking, wait what did I do? So it was helpful to have photographic reminders for a change. It turned out to be a fun exercise as a way for me to share what an offline weekend actually looks like in practice.

In doing so, I noticed that a) you really don’t need a “plan” and b) it’s totally fine and normal to keep it simple. I hope this little weekend diary can serve as a reminder that spending time offline can (and should) be easy.

Here’s what it looks like to spend the weekend offline for our family of 3 (or 6 if you count the animals, which we do).

Editor’s note: I consider Thursday night the start of the weekend because I’m a big believer in a 3-day weekend. Even though I work on Fridays, I try to finish up by noon and don’t take meetings that day.

6pm: Knitting at Make Space

My daughter’s art teacher Laura has a studio called Make Space in the Bridgewater Mill, and every Thursday night she has an open studio for anyone to come and work on a project. I went on my own, other people came with a friend. It’s a nice way to be in community with others while doing something you enjoy. Laura was nice enough to help me get started on the Sophie Scarf, which is harder than I thought it would be (I also picked a cotton blend yarn, never again). I’m going back tonight to work on this scarf so I can bring both with me on my flight to California.

3pm: Reading outside

It was finally warm and sunny. I shut down my computer a little early and sat outside in the yard to read (currently finishing Bright Young Women).