Why I’m Giving Myself a 2-Day Work Week
Let’s discuss the importance of me time. Somewhere along the way, a lot of us started treating rest like a reward instead of a necessity. Guess what? It’s not!
We tell ourselves we’ll slow down later. After the next deadline. After the next project. After the next school event. After the house is cleaner, the emails are answered, the laundry is folded, and the universe itself finally calms down for five consecutive minutes.
So basically…never.
And honestly? I’m tired of pretending burnout is some kind of accomplishment badge.
Thanks to Memorial day, next week is technically already a four-day work week, also knows as the three day weekend! But I’m also taking two personal days. Which means I somehow managed to create a three-day weekend, followed by a two-day work week, followed by another four-day weekend.
Frankly, this feels less like scheduling and more like sorcery.
Me Time as a Teacher
As a teacher, there is no me time during the typical school day. Planning periods, if they’re not taken up with planning, are taken up with meetings, or students stopping in for some extra help. Lunch is usually 30 minutes, and it’s usually eaten on the fly, or in meetings, or with the students who come to your room because, “it’s better than the cafeteria.” And I can’t think of one teacher who would ever tell a student who is looking for a safe space that this is their me time. Personally I just say come in, sit down, and do you want to talk or do you want to be left alone. They I pray to mysel they pick the left alone option.
Me Time Is Not Selfish
Here’s the important part: I’m not doing it because I’m lazy. I’m doing it because I’m exhausted.
I need time to breathe, think, recharge, write, exist, and maybe even remember what my personality is outside of 
responsibilities.
“Me time” gets mocked sometimes like it’s indulgent or selfish. But you can’t keep pouring energy out forever without refilling anything. Even the National Institute of Mental Health reminds us that self-care can help manage stress, support mental health, and improve energy.
Eventually your brain starts buffering like a 2007 laptop trying to load twelve browser tabs and a YouTube video at the same time.
Knowing and recognizing that me time is not selfish is a struggle for me, but I’m working on it. Why? Because nobody, myself included can live a healthy productive life if they don’t schedule in some down time!
Rest Is Maintenance
People need rest.
Teachers need rest. Parents need rest. Caregivers need rest. Humans need rest.
And not just the kind where you sit on the couch feeling guilty while mentally organizing tomorrow’s to-do list. Real rest. The kind where your shoulders unclench and your nervous system finally stops acting like it’s being chased through the woods in a horror movie.
The world will still be there after a break.
The emails will survive. The chores will survive. The lesson plans will survive.
You matter too.
Taking a Break Counts as Positive Thinking
Sometimes positive thinking gets mistaken for pretending everything is fine. But real positive thinking is not ignoring exhaustion. It is recognizing when you need care and allowing yourself to receive it.
That’s why I keep coming back to the idea that positivity has to be practical. It cannot just be inspirational quotes floating around like glitter in the wind. It has to show up in real life, in real choices, and sometimes in real calendar requests submitted weeks in advance.
If you need a little more encouragement in that direction, my positive thinking boxset is full of reminders that taking care of your mindset does not mean pretending life is easy.
Give Yourself Permission to Pause
So this is your reminder that taking time for yourself is not failing. It’s maintenance. It’s survival. It’s healthy. More than that it’s necessary.
Sometimes the strongest thing you can do is recognize you need a pause before your body decides to schedule one for you.
And honestly?
Past Me, who put in for those personal days months ago, deserves a standing ovation.
