Sometimes the thoughts I have had the longest take the longest to get written down on this blog. After 30+ months of authoring Don’t Blink I find it mildly shocking that I haven’t brought up this recurring thought of mine that infiltrates my head about ten times a year. I am talking about my preference when it comes to the start and end of three day weekends.

First off let me point out that it doesn’t matter when the three day weekend starts, if I am able to take it I am always very thankful and happy. Working for a state institution, we do get all of the federal holidays off. However, because I do work for an athletic department where games must be played and tasks must be completed, it is not out of the question that these long weekends are sometimes wiped out. Therefore I especially appreciate it when I am able to take full advantage of three straight days off.

Three day weekends work either by way of enjoying Friday through Sunday off or Saturday through Monday off. While both options have great advantages, I think the makers of our calendar knew what they were doing by positioning practically all federal holidays on Monday. Personally, I would much rather have a Saturday through Monday weekend as opposed to a Friday through Sunday one.

Don’t get me wrong, I love having Friday off. Although most federal holidays are observed on Mondays, three day weekends starting on Friday are very prevalent as well. If you are in elementary through high school you probably enjoy several “learning improvement days” where teachers have to show up for training but you get the Friday off. If you are in the working world, I would wager that the day you take off the most is that day that will forever be remembered by a horrible Rebecca Black song. It goes without saying that we all have vast experience with three day weekends that incorporate both Friday and Monday.

Friday three day weekends are nice because it shortens up the week. On Sunday evening before your four day work week is about to start you can reason with yourself that the battle won’t be as tough as most weeks. You can count your Monday as a Tuesday, your Tuesday as a Wednesday, your Wednesday as a Thursday etc. Also, let’s face it, there is much more fun to be had on a full Friday off as opposed to a full Monday off.

But beware of the Friday three day weekend empty feeling that hits that next Sunday evening. Your three days of bliss are gone and you now have a full five day week ahead of you. The anticipation you had a week ago at this time is now replaced with dread.

I just really prefer three day weekends resulting in a Monday off. It all starts on that previous Friday when leaving the office. Walking to the car you have a sense of accomplishment that you put in a solid week of work and now you get rewarded with a three day weekend. I love the feeling I get on Saturday and Sunday when I start thinking about what I need to do at work on Monday and then that sweet realization comes that I won’t be doing anything. Or I love watching Sunday Night Football in a complete relaxation state without the worry of the game serving as my last hurrah before the work week starts. Or who doesn’t love the feeling of waking up early in the morning on Monday and as you start to get out of bed to jump in the shower that heavenly epiphany hits that you can get back under the warm covers and sleep for several more hours? Who doesn’t love converting the most dreaded day of the week into the most relaxing one?

My favorite part though about three day weekends ending in Monday is how it frames my thinking for the following work week and how it makes it fly by. Although three day weekends starting with Friday definitely shorten the work week, it doesn’t do it in the way that three day weekends ending on Monday do. With the latter, you don’t have to count your Monday as a Tuesday like I described earlier. Rather, the first day of your work week is actually a Tuesday. The best thing about it? You think of it as a Monday! The chain just keeps repeating itself…I probably thought five different times today that it was a Tuesday instead of a Wednesday. Sitting here right now I am still coming to grips that tomorrow is Thursday and a Lady Griz gameday. As Pete Carroll would say, tonight is the “night before the night before” of the first night of the weekend. The week has flown by….and I imagine I have confused the heck out of you with this last paragraph.

Yep, Mondays off as opposed to Fridays off for three day weekends please. Although you won’t have to torture me to accept a Friday three day weekend I just prefer the Monday variety because they motivate me both the week before and the week after. With the Friday variety I am just motivated the week before. Do you get what I am saying? Don’t Blink.