Invite people over this weekend

Yes, this weekend. Why not?

Long time readers know that I’m a big fan of thinking through weekends ahead of time. Wednesday tends to be a good day for this strategizing, as it gives you enough time to get tickets or reservations, to hire babysitters if you need them, or to make arrangements with friends. If you make your weekend plans on Wednesday, then you’ll be able to look forward to your plans on Thursday and Friday, which can make the latter half of the workweek feel more doable.

I also recommend setting what I call “anchor events.” These are 3-5 things that you enjoy. This will make the weekend feel rich and memorable, but not overstuffed. Since studies of human happiness find that socializing, exercising, and participating in spiritual activities tend to score pretty high, I often recommend planning a weekend that includes one thing from each category.

Socializing can occur anywhere, but I want to make the case for inviting people over to your house. Indeed, you can invite someone over this weekend! I know we just got through the holidays, and the holidays tend to feature lots of socializing. Maybe you still have wrapping paper all over your house! But there’s never a perfect time. This weekend is as good as any.

The upside of your home

Welcoming people into your house has many upsides. First, it changes the time frame on socializing. Even the most relaxed restaurant is going to want you to move on from your table after a fashion. But at your house you can control the speed.

You can also control the costs. If you serve wine, for instance, you’re not also serving the restaurant mark-ups.

You can also more easily include people’s kids. If all the kids are over the age of, say, 4, they can be sent to watch a movie, thus allowing the adults to relax and have full conversations. If the children are under 4, everyone can chip in to help supervise in shifts, and there tend to be more diversions for young children in a house than at a boring restaurant (to say nothing of events like plays or concerts where you need to be quiet).

The usual excuses people give — that they can’t cook, or that their house isn’t clean — aren’t really reasons not to extend hospitality. Have your guests bring an appetizer or dessert if they volunteer to help out, and you can just pick up a pizza from your supermarket to stick in the oven, or serve a plate of deli sandwiches. As for the house being clean, all you really need to do is pick up the main room you’ll hang out in and the bathroom your guests will use. Feel free to stuff the clutter in a basket and shove it in another room. Do a little wipe-down of the toilet, sink, and mirror with cleaning spray and a paper towel, make sure there’s enough toilet paper and a clean hand towel, and you’ll be fine. Your guests are not about to go looking under your bed or in your closets!

Why this weekend

Many folks feel a bit of a let-down after the holidays. Putting a small potluck on the calendar can lift your spirits. We can go from packed schedules in December to very little in January. Maybe your friends were visiting family for the holidays. Now you can see them!

I know many people say they’d like to spend more time with friends. If so, this weekend is good. If you wait until the perfect time to have people over — when the kitchen is renovated, and the kids stop leaving their toys everywhere — you’ll never do it. And you’ll miss out on the opportunity to make memories and have great times together.

So take some time today to think about who you might invite over this weekend. Think about when it can happen. Then make that call or send that text — and start looking forward to your fun.