Hello,

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I wake up Saturday mornings feeling curious and enthusiastic, ready to tackle creative projects—repotting plants, experimenting with recipes, repairing broken school bags.

By Sunday evening? That creative spark dims from a 9 to a 3 or 4.

I used to think this was just “weekend vs. weekday energy.” But I’m discovering there’s something much more interesting happening here.

The Power of Leisure Crafting

Recent research has identified what psychologists call “leisure crafting”, but it’s not about taking up entirely new hobbies or creative pursuits.

Instead, it’s about approaching activities you already enjoy with greater intentionality and structure. It’s the difference between mindlessly scrolling through recipes versus deliberately planning and executing a complex dish. Between casual gardening and systematically learning about soil composition and plant nutrition.

Leisure crafting transforms familiar activities into growth-oriented experiences by adding elements like skill-building goals, deliberate practice, or structured learning approaches.

​You can read the full research here: “How Leisure Crafting Can Help You Recharge”​

Here’s what fascinated me: leisure crafting doesn’t just make weekends more enjoyable. It actually changes how you show up to work.

The Spillover Effect

When you spend Saturday afternoon repotting plants with the intention of learning about different soil types, or Sunday morning experimenting with a new cooking technique you’re deliberately trying to master, you’re not just having fun. You’re exercising what researchers call “cognitive flexibility” in a growth-oriented way—the mental agility that transfers directly to workplace problem-solving.

This intentional approach to leisure activities creates stronger neural pathways than casual engagement. The structured learning and deliberate skill-building during leisure time actually enhances your cognitive abilities in ways that spill over into professional tasks.

You’re also experiencing something many of us rarely feel at work: immediate feedback loops. The plant either thrives or doesn’t. The recipe works or it doesn’t. You adjust, adapt, learn, and try again.

This is exactly what’s missing from so much corporate work—that direct connection between effort and visible outcome.

What I’m Noticing

As I write this book, I’m tracking my own patterns more carefully. The weeks where I spend more time on creative weekend activities—building something, cooking elaborate meals, tackling home repairs—I consistently feel more energised and innovative in my writing.

But here’s the twist: it’s not just about having “fun” on weekends. It’s about using different parts of your brain.

When I spend Saturday morning experimenting with a new recipe, I’m making dozens of small decisions: adjust the seasoning, try a different technique, solve problems as they arise. My brain lights up in ways that approval meetings simply don’t activate.

Come Monday, that cognitive flexibility is still available to me.

The Bureaucracy Contrast

This research explains something I’ve been puzzling over: why corporate environments that reduce work to box-ticking feel so draining.

When your work requires you to seek approval for font choices, follow rigid procedures without adaptation, or attend meetings where no real decisions are made, you’re essentially putting your brain in passive mode for eight hours a day.

No wonder we feel exhausted despite doing little that’s genuinely challenging.

Meanwhile, spending two hours cooking a complex dish from scratch can leave you feeling energised and accomplished. You’ve been actively problem-solving, adapting, creating.

The Monday Morning Connection

This week, I’m exploring how leisure crafting connects to what I call the Monday Morning Test.

What if that Sunday evening energy dip isn’t inevitable? What if the way we spend our weekends actually determines how we feel about returning to work?

The people who maintain creative energy throughout the week might be those who regularly engage in active, hands-on pursuits during their leisure time.

Your Weekend Laboratory

This weekend, try a small experiment:

Choose one activity you already enjoy and add intentional structure to it. Instead of scrolling for an hour, spend that time: - Cooking something from scratch while deliberately practising a new technique - Gardening or tending plants to learn something specific - Drawing, writing, or make music with focused skill-building in mind - Building or repairing something whilst researching better methods - Approaching any familiar hobby with a growth-oriented mindset.

Notice your energy afterwards. How do you feel compared to doing passive activities?

Pay attention Monday morning. Does anything feel different about your approach to work challenges?

I’m curious what you discover. The connection between weekend creativity and weekday energy might be stronger than we think.

What kinds of creative activities energise you most?

More connections next week,

Inès

Follow my journey as I write about working with purpose rather than just productivity.