A good time to tidy loose ends. I use holiday weekends to clean-up my office and computer. I sort and file papers, review saved emails, organize the files on my computer, and toss or delete whatever I’ve saved but no longer need. Once I can see the surface of my desk, I get out the dust rag and polish and give it a once-over. Long weekends are also a good time to defrag my hard drive, a process that can take hours.

A good time to update. Holiday weekends are a good time to update my computer operating system, and update or install programs. I’ve got time to make safety backups before starting an install or update. If everything goes smoothly, I’ve got time to explore and learn. If there’s a problem, I’ve got the weekend to recover. Of course, if things go really wrong, I’ll spend the weekend banging my head until I can reach someone who can help me…but I try to be optimistic and not think about that possibility until it happens.

A good time for an office makeover. Whether it’s painting the walls, replacing the carpet, or replacing furniture and equipment, a holiday weekend provides the time I’ll need to tear my office apart; then, reconstruct it.

A good time for future planning. With my schedule and brain freed from daily tasks and deadlines, I think about the future. I review my work and personal to-do lists, then reorganize and re-prioritize them. I make myself a long-term goals list.

A weekend of accomplishments. By the end of the weekend, I’m ready to return to work knowing I accomplished something positive. While my colleagues may prefer to enjoy a relaxing weekend away from work, my relaxation comes from doing something work-related--but different from my daily work routine.