How Was Your Weekend?

The whole “How was your weekend?” question in office settings has become more of a ritual than a genuine inquiry. On Friday, the expectations begin. “Got any plans for the weekend?” If you say, “Not really,” the look of confusion or mild pity from the other person is almost guaranteed. Apparently, if you are not skydiving, brunching, hiking, camping, attending a concert, taking a quick trip to the coast or flying interstate, something must be wrong with you.

Then comes Monday. “Did you have a nice weekend?” “How was your weekend?” The same routine. Define “nice” or “good” in this context. For many of us, weekends are not about luxury or leisure. They are spent catching up on laundry, groceries, errands, and housework. If you are raising a family, weekends are often more exhausting than weekdays.

Of course, there are colleagues who genuinely care and ask these questions with interest. But there are also those who ask just for the sake of asking, almost as if it is part of some unspoken office script. And there are others who make this question a chance to brag about their winery tour, kids’ sports marathon, or how they drank so much they forgot Monday was coming.

The problem is not the question itself, but the expectation behind it — the assumption that everyone must have done something exciting. The truth is, not everyone has the energy, budget, or even the desire to plan “something special” every single weekend.

The reality is simple. Not everyone plans grand weekends. Not everyone has the money. And not everyone feels the need to be constantly on the move. For many, the weekend is just time to reset — to get through life in a manageable way.

Am I just grumpy or honest?