Welcome to Little Saturday
Joy shouldn’t wait for the weekend.
In the Nordic tradition, Wednesdays are called Lillördag, which means “Little Saturday.” They’re regarded as opportunities for mini weekend-like activities. While celebrating Lillördag isn’t an exact science, it helps to break up the workweek and is a reminder that we don’t have to wait for the weekend or a vacation to enjoy ourselves. We often celebrate our Little Saturday with sushi and a great movie.
You can celebrate your Little Saturday in any number of different ways, but in every case, it’s an opportunity to decompress before the weekend. Perhaps Mondays won’t be so Monday-ish if we know a celebration is coming on Wednesday. Could Little Saturdays put an end to the Sunday Scaries?
Chapter two of my book, Gentle: Rest More, Stress Less and Live the Life you Actually Want is named Little Saturday. When it was time to name this substack, I thought about how I wanted all of us to feel when we were here. Words that came to mind were quiet, cozy, rested, celebrated and loved. And then it was obvious … Welcome to Little Saturday, a quiet corner of the internet where we can connect and simplify for good health and better relationships with the people and passions in our lives.
From Oprah Daily
My experience with Little Saturday was featured in Oprah Daily, “Little Saturday invites you to plan something fun on Wednesdays to break up your workweek. Take it from Courtney Carver, the author of Gentle who’s been practicing Little Saturday for a few years. “We spend so much time waiting for the weekend or only doing fun things once all the hard things are done,” she says, “Little Saturday is a way to say, ‘I’m going to have some joy in the middle of it.”
Originally, the tradition centered around going out for drinks or a big dinner midweek. But Carver adapted it to be intentional about relaxing: She and her husband order takeout, go for a walk, and watch a favorite movie. “It prioritizes joy and simple pleasures,” she says. You also don’t have to observe it every Wednesday, or on Wednesdays at all—just pick a day that breaks up your routine. But you must plan it, or it’ll never happen. “Don’t leave it at the bottom of your to-do list” Carver says. “Instead, schedule it. Create the joy of anticipation.” And the payoff will be big.
Little Saturday is for you.
We can all create a Little Saturday for more joy, rest, and resilience and to shift closer to a gentler way of being. If you feel like life is too hectic or there isn’t room to create a Little Saturday, is there something you can remove? Is there another habit or practice that isn’t serving you right now? What’s on your plate? What can you remove, even if it means having a difficult conversation or feeling uncomfortable about changing your mind? For example, could you let the school know that you can’t bake brownies for the bake sale this time, or pass on a dinner invitation? You do get to change your mind, chart a new path, and even back out of commitments and obligations.
These shifts may be temporary as you make a little room for you. I’ll be sharing regular articles here to help you make space, time and energy by simplifying your life with tiny steps. We’ll do it together, step by step, inch by inch all the while prioritizing your current time and energy availability. Always let me know when I can support you or celebrate your progress. I’m grateful you are here.
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