May Day, May 1^st, was Friday, on the calendar, at least.  And I did something I don’t think I’ve ever done.  I took the day off and treated it like a Saturday.  The idea is not original.  A friend whom I’ll call William shared this idea with me some time ago.  He is a psychologist in private practice.  Several years ago, he stopped working on Fridays.  He just slowed down and stopped working on Fridays. He is a boomer of similar age to me.

He calls Friday his “first Saturday.”  Then, Saturday is his “second Saturday.”  And he loves the routine.

So, Friday May 1st, was my first Saturday of the week – as I write on my second Saturday.

I attended Grandparents’ Day at my granddaughter’s school.  Then, my fiancé and I spent the rest of the day shopping for a trip she has planned in a couple of weeks, working on our regular shopping list, having lunch out together, and then, finally, dinner together.  It was a wonderful day.  And for those who know that I’m a dedicated walker, I walked more than 12,000 steps during the day.

Okay, I cheated.  I scheduled a follow-up call with an attorney on a new business opportunity for 3pm, which lasted maybe ten minutes.  And I looked at my email enough to see that I could respond to another call on another new business opportunity.  Total distraction time – perhaps 30 minutes.

But I did not engage with work otherwise.  My fiancé texted me: “Thank you for the wonderful Friday.  I loved every minute we were together.”  Now that was worth the price of admission!  And my granddaughter was glad to see me, too!

And, you know, I took my first Saturday intentionally.  At the beginning of the week, I scheduled myself out on Friday.  No discussion.  No reason.  Just did it.

Now, I’m on my second Saturday.  I’ve run a couple of errands, gotten a haircut, and am sitting at lunch writing this.  And I don’t consider this to be work.  This idea of a first and second Saturday may have legs for me.  And for some of the readers of this blog.

What I can say is that I feel great.  I don’t know if I’ll adopt a first Saturday on Friday all the time, but I do know I’ll do it again.  My mind is clear of the confusion of last week and I’m beginning to anticipate the adventures of the coming week, when I’ll be in San Francisco talking about, you guessed it, Unlocking Private Company Wealth in three different private seminars sponsored by a financial planner and a CPA firm.

And you know, tomorrow is Sunday and another weekend day!

My question to you is this: How would you like to try a first Saturday some Friday soon?

Hope you do.  In the meantime, be well!

Chris