How to Stop Working Weekends and Still Win More Work

Are your weekends becoming an extension of your work week, and is it costing you more than it’s earning?

In this episode I dive into a common but costly leadership trap: overworking. I explore why so many of us feel the need to grind through weekends, even when we know it’s impacting our performance, relationships, and well-being.

This is a solo episode, just me sharing what I’ve observed in the industry and personally experienced as a leader who’s walked the same tightrope. We’re talking about burnout, boundaries, control, and the myth that rest is a reward rather than a requirement.

I reflect on the unsustainable work patterns many leadersfall into and offer practical, mindset-shifting tools to help you reset how you approach time. I also share how overworking sets the tone for your team, leading to low morale, reduced creativity, and decreased performance, even when your intentions are good.

This episode is about reclaiming your time without compromising your impact. It’s about setting a tone of sustainable success, for yourself and your team and proving that leadership isn’t about doing more; it’s about doing better.

Timestamps:

00:52 – Why working weekends leads to burnout and reduced creativity

02:19 – The ripple effect on your team and culture

02:47 – Common causes: poor boundaries, control issues, reactive habits

04:20 – Start with your calendar: block out deep work and rest

05:16 – Audit your meetings and delegate with intent

06:12 – Batch communication to avoid constant distractions

06:41 – Document, delegate, and free your time

07:11 – Plan your week on Friday — don’t walk into Monday blind

Key Lessons Learned:

• Burnout isn’t a badge of honour, it’s a warning light, and ignoring it affects both your leadership and your life
• Reactive work traps creativity, strategic time use is a leadership skill, not a luxury
• You set the tone, when you overwork, your team follows, creating a toxic cycle
• Rest is part of progress, downtime fuels insight, energy, and long-term impact
• Delegation is leadership, not laziness, it frees you to do the work only you can do

Keywords:

Stop working weekends, Construction leadership, Sustainable work habits, Time management for leaders, Burnout prevention, Delegation skills, Work-life balance in construction, Productivity tips for managers, Calendar planning, How to win more work,

Want to know more? https://linktr.ee/michaelfisher88