Inside the Weekend of a Highly Introverted Person

Introvert weekends are my sanctuary.

In my former life, I was definitely an old English grandma (or so I’ve been told, by numerous people on many different occasions), so naturally, my weekends are spent recharging my old soul and relaxing whenever possible.

Weekends are also my chance for much-needed alone time. I recently took a personality quiz with my coworkers (read: I made them take the personality quiz) and my introverted percent was 97%, only proving that I need this alone time to function at my greatest capacity (see dad, I’m not a hermit!).

Because of this, my weekend rituals have become very important to me. They help me recharge from a busy week and prepare for another one ahead. If you’re highly introverted (or just insanely curious about my life) read on for my introvert weekend rituals.

Wake Up: no later than 9:30

I still set an alarm, but I’ve found that unless I’m sick or just got back from a trip, I tend to wake up without an alarm around 8:30 or 9 AM.

Catch up on media and blogs

As much as I’d like to say I start my day with intense yoga and meditation and other healthy things, I really just spend about half an hour scrolling through social media and blog feeds, seeing any major news and bookmarking any long-form reads for later.

Happiness journal

Sometimes I forget, but I try to complete a week in my 52 Lists for Happiness journal each weekend. Much like gratitude journaling, this little exercise brings me to the present, keeps me grounded and gets my mind working.

Breakfast

Unless I’m meeting a friend for brunch, I’m having the same thing for breakfast every Saturday and Sunday. I’ve never been a fan of breakfast, so when I find something that works for me, I stick with it! For the past few years, it’s been peanut butter toast and earl grey tea, preferably loose leaf, with one raw sugar packet. Not the most exciting, but it’s decently healthy and is a nice little ritual I look forward to every Saturday and Sunday.

Catch up on reading

Due to some expiring airline miles that weren’t enough to actually get me anywhere, I get way too many magazines. Everything from People to T&L to Allure, and more. I tend not to have the desire to read them during the week after work, so I keep them in a stack on the table to read over the weekend.

I was never a huge magazine fan before, but since I’ve gotten them, I’ve found they’re great for inspiration and light reading. I don’t feel guilty about skimming articles, or not reading them at all if they don’t interest me.

In fact, after a particularly neglected stack of about 30 magazines (whoops), I decided to make an inspiration board with the prettiest and/or most interesting images and articles from all the magazines I get. It encourages me to read them and find something beautiful in each one.

Get dressed (if I haven’t already)

Some weekends I get dressed as soon as I get out of bed. Others, I stay in my PJs until after breakfast. Either way, I always make sure to get dressed and put on outside clothes, even if I have no plans for the day.

Catch up on book reading

If I’m in the mood (which I have been recently, yay!), I try to read some of the many books I can be found reading simultaneously. I usually save this for before bed, but it’s nice to read a little and get caught up in a story during the daytime.

Lunch, walk & shopping

At this point, it’s usually about lunch time. I’ll either have food I’m interested in eating at my apartment, or I’ll go out for a sandwich, go for a walk around and accomplish any grocery or apartment shopping that needs to get done for the week.

Catch up with family

Whilst walking I usually take the time to call family and catch up. I normally call my mom when I’m walking places but I also like to creep on my brother’s life and make sure my grandparents are doing OK.

Blog and/or write!

I spend a lot of my weekend on my blog because it makes me happy. I might not publish posts, but I brainstorm and draft new posts, do keyword research, edit old posts and read up on any relevant news items in the blog world. While this probably sounds like work to many, it is fun to me!

If I don’t feel like working on my blog, I make sure to write. At any given time, I have 4-5 notebooks I’m contributing to, but I’ve worked recently on consolidating everything to one black Moleskine (there’s just something so legit about writing in one!) with the hopes that I will fill it up completely one day with whatever thoughts that come into my head.

Catch up on movies and TV

During the week, I watch mindless TV—usually Gilmore Girls, Friends or lately, One Tree Hill. On the weekend, I catch up on shows or movies I’ve been meaning to see (or rewatch).

Clean!

I always intend to clean up after myself throughout the week, but it never really ends up happening so I usually do a massive clean over the weekend. It’s a perfect way to cleanse for the new week and start off on a good note! Plus, it’s super therapeutic in my opinion.

Dinner, Read, Bed

a.k.a talk myself out of ordering Seamless and actually cook something. As someone who doesn’t like cooking, this is hard, and I do this with varying success each week. If I can, I try to go to bed early on the weekends (I’m old), but if I can’t, I try to read a book or some blogs or watch a movie before drifting off to sleep.

One cultural activity

During each weekend, I try to make time for at least one “cultural” activity. It could be venturing into Central Park for the 10000th time, exploring the beautiful townhomes on the Upper East Side, or visiting a museum. This gets me out of my apartment and inspired. It doesn’t always work, especially if I’m feeling particularly rotten or not having a good weekend. But when it does, it’s great.

If I don’t do something “cultural,” I try to meet up with a friend for some food or exploring (or both). Gotta have some social interaction sometimes, right?

Most exciting or most boring weekend ever?

Depending on how introverted or how much of an old soul you are, my introvert weekend rituals might sound like the most exciting or most boring weekend ever. For my dad and brother, it’s probably their definition of hell. But for me, it works. It’s how I stay happy. It’s how I recharge. It’s how I get ready for a fulfilling week ahead.

How do you spend your weekend?