Four-day weekend, but feeling exhausted?

There is a particular kind of exhaustion that comes from a holiday that never stops moving (Photo: Gemini)

You are reading this on Good Friday. The weekend has already started. And somewhere in your contacts, there is a plan building that you have not fully priced yet.

I want to tell you about Amina before you say yes to everything this weekend.

Last Easter, Amina had a plan. Thursday night, drive to the coast, Friday at the beach (which became a day trip with a cousin who was also there). Saturday was a wedding she had almost forgotten about, three hours away.

Sunday was the drive back, with a stopover upcountry because she was passing through and it would be rude not to. Monday, she arrived in Nairobi at midnight. Four days off. Zero days of rest. A full week of work starting Tuesday morning. 

There is a particular kind of exhaustion that comes from a holiday that never stops moving. It is different from work exhaustion. It sits heavier. It is the tiredness of someone who was supposed to recover, but spent four days in a car, at events, managing logistics, being present for everyone except themselves. 

One ‘yes’ at a time, damage

Amina did not plan a busy Easter. She planned a beach trip. Everything else accumulated, one yes at a time. The cousin was already there. The wedding was a close friend. The upcountry stop was family. Each decision made sense on its own.

The cumulative effect was a weekend that cost her Sh22,000 and left her more depleted than the week before it. By Tuesday, she was sounding like someone who needed another four days off. 

But we need to realise that ‘rest is not a treat, it is a financial decision’. This is the part that does not get said enough. Chronic exhaustion is expensive. Not metaphorically. Literally!

A tired person makes worse financial decisions. They impulsively spend because they lack the energy to pause. They say yes because negotiating takes effort they do not have.

They eat out every day because cooking needs a version of themselves that checked out somewhere on the highway. They put off the Sacco registration, the savings transfer and the budget review because all of that requires a functioning adult and right now, they are at 60 per cent of one.

Rest is not a reward for finishing work. It is the condition that makes good work and good financial decisions possible. Your body already knows this. It has been sending memos.

The long weekend is four days. Treat all four like they count. That is enough time to rest, see people, travel, and return to Tuesday feeling functional. The question is whether those four days get planned with as much intention as the spending.

Most people have planned what they will spend this Easter. Almost nobody has planned what they will do with their energy. The result is a weekend that looks full on the calendar and feels hollow on Tuesday, when the alarm goes off and the body hits snooze.

My friend’s mistake was not saying yes to everything. It was never decided in advance what the weekend was for. You still have time to make that decision.

This week’s money tip: Write two Easter budgets

Before the next plan lands in your DM, write this down:

1. The spending budget. How much will travel, food, family, and socialising cost? A real number, written down.

2. The rest of the budget. How many hours are dedicated to rest? Not travel. Not events. Not being present for other people. Write it down too.

Now, guard the rest of the budget the same way you guard the spending budget. You are allowed to say no to plans the same way you say no to an unplanned expense.

Amina already knows what she is doing this Easter differently. One destination. No detours. The upcountry visit gets its own weekend. One full day with no plan. You can plan your weekend now, before it plans you.

Rest well this Easter. Your Tuesday self will thank you.