Starting from this year, we spent a lot more time at home, even during the weekend. Since I now have a relatively flexible schedule on Saturday and Sunday, I somehow end up sitting in front of the computer to catch up with non-urgent tasks. It includes things that I miss before or having some early preparation for the upcoming week. It might sound sick, but I do enjoy the working weekend from time to time. Jazz music with a milkshake. No emails or calls coming in. I get to stay focus in my happy little zone.
Many of my friends actually hate working during the weekend; I am sure that if they have nothing to do, they would rather sleeping or Netflix. Yet, since I am working based on my will, I am glad to finally get some time to flash out things and get ready for an easier Monday.
Of course, not everyone feels the same way. Some may think that you are pretending to work hard. Some may think you are overloading yourself. Therefore we must follow some etiquette when we work during the weekend. At the end of the day, it is your personal choice to work but not necessary, so we must act ethically and respect other people’s time.
Don’t Blast People With Emails
I know you want to clear up all the emails in your mailbox. I know you want to send and reply to messages so you can push things forward. But today is a holiday — people are supposed to recharge.
Think about it. For non-urgent things, it makes no difference for you to send out on Saturday, Sunday, or Monday morning. People will only start working on Monday, regardless, but you might stress people out with all emails sent during the weekend.
I am not asking you to write the email and put it in the draft folder then hit the send button only on Monday, as it would defeat your purpose to buy time. Instead, schedule your email to be sent out on Monday at 9 am. In this way, not only could you clear up your tasks before Monday (secretly), and that email would be shown as the first one in your recipient’s mailbox.
Remember, people are not supposed to OT unless they must. Don’t make working OT a norm for yourself.
Keep a Low Profile
Never drag your teammates into your voluntary overtime working. Don’t ping them unless it is urgent. Don’t tag their name in Teams or Slack channels.
It is okay that you feel like working today. No shame, yet keep a low profile as you don’t want to fall into the trap that others think your work to impress. Most of the time, people work during the weekend, meaning that they either have too much workload or low efficiency. But as you are doing it on your own will, you don’t want to give people misconceptions about that.
Support Your Colleagues Who Are Working Too
We might bump into colleagues online, on Teams, Slack, or on the digital board. When it happens, stay chill and say hi to them. Leave a funny message. Cheer them up. They might be working on something so important that they must turn on the machine during the weekend. So ask if there is something you can take away from their plate to help. Keep it casual and comfortable. Accompany each other along the way.
Wrap-Up
Sometimes we really want to work over the weekend, not because we have too much work, but we want to have our me time to focus. I get that. I am still learning to draw a better boundary between work and life, but from time to time, I really can’t stop myself from working too.
At the end of the day, working overtime intentionally is acceptable. It is more about how you utilize some little time to clear up things and prepare for a better Monday. But remember to follow the above etiquette along the way, so you would show respect towards others’ time.