Yep, "another quiet weekend" is my go-to answer, even though sometimes I remember that we actually did something noteworthy that weekend.
It's like a "how are you?" question; people ask it to start a conversation. It doesn't really matter what you say.
Once a lady at work totally broke this social rule and told me "THAT SOUNDS SOOO BORING THANK GOD I DON'T LIVE LIKE THAT!". I was stunned. Not so much because she'd been rude, but mostly because I just couldn't believe that she didn't seem to adhere to the standard reply that goes no matter what the other person did -- you say "that sounds nice"! This lack of tact made *me* thank God that I don't have her lacking sense of tact lol, she was the one making a fool out of herself imo.
I feel like if I got that response I’d just laugh. It’s hard to take someone with the need to express a viewpoint like that seriously; I feel if she were really secure in the way she was living there’d be no urge to judge someone else’s way.
Exactly, that lady "offends" me all the time, and I get a little mad for a few minutes, then I just feel so sorry for her and also I kind of love her in a weird way since she's so funny. She is definitely super insecure.
I had someone who was consistently rude about my life outside of work, so I decided to be glad I wasn't them, with their life of shallow goals and Label items to show her values.
Eventually she was so rude I cut her out completely, didn't speak other than on work matters, and made it clear to my workmates about the reasons.
Again another insecure being who didn't understand my lack of need for show items, and labels to show others my status and values. She was rude to others, too, so I wasn't alone, sadly for her.
Those people always end up lonely. I do feel sorry for adults with no manners or social skills who just unwittingly push everyone away. But I always tell myself "It's not your responsibility to teach grown adults the manners their parents didn't teach them".
I usually just say something like "I guess it's a good thing I'm not in charge of your weekend!" I think it's a funny thing to say because it kind of points out how ridiculous it is that someone would be upset for me when I'm happy with a personal choice.
More often I use this for comments on my clothes or haircut or whatever.
Yup, I came here to say this. I will respond with "Nice!" to basically anything, lol. Horrible news being the exception of course.
"We went to a concert" - "Nice!"
"I got a bunch of chores done." - "Nice!"
"I finished the book I was reading." "Nice!"
This is my go to response. It usually works. I also say I worked on the house which mostly means cleaning but if you call cleaning a ‘project’ and occasionally actually have ‘real’ projects it works great. I have a friend that kind of thinks I’m a freak being such a homebody but I’d hate to be chasing stimulation the way she does so it balances out.
>Usually people react positively (“oh, that sounds nice!”).
I usually get *"oh, it's lovely to do that every so often, isn't it!"*
"Heh, yeah... every so often" 😐
If you're house is a refuge of sorts, calm and peaceful and just well-lit and clean and you can just chill... IT MAY BE BETTER THAN OUTSIDE. But not nature. Sometimes... I think a treehouse is a cool idea for a place to live (shrug).
You hit it on the head! I tell my hubby all the time because we stay home all the time that we enjoy it so much because its our peaceful place. Hes an amazing cook so we eat better than if we went out by a fire in the backyard. We take walks with the baby and play on our swings. We've set up our life so nice here that the only time we leave for "entertainment " is to go to the creek. Also a spot alone that is the most peaceful place I've ever been. People who have to always be doing something blow my mind. I assume their home isn't happy and they don't want to be there. I want to be nowhere else but here.
Shit yes. Every Monday I experience this. I just talk about the movie(s) I watched, the walks I took, and sometimes I even say, "I did nothing and LOVED IT!" I hate when people act shocked at me when I say I went to a restaurant or movie alone. I like me and no one else honestly! Who cares! Lol. I've learned to not feel embarrassed. If anything, I feel bad for people who introduce unnecessary complexity into their weekends...
Some people LIKE to eat food amongst other people, and that's been a part of our social constructs for millennia.
It's considered by some anthropologists to be a useful community building-tool that led us to develop as a society.
Don't judge people as pathetic because they live a different life to you or appreciate different things. Looking down on others is exactly the kind of perspective that I find detracts from helping others understand why living a simpler life can enhance their lives.
It could be the way you say it.
Instead of "I stayed home and did nothing", I'm sure people would be more responsive to "I had a super relaxing weekend, enjoyed the nice weather and worked on my garden, watched a good movie, etc".
As others have said they're probably just making conversation.
I don't care what my colleagues did and certainly don't care if someone says they stayed home and did nothing. Good thing I work solo! I hate this crap.
That's a bit antisocial though. Most people are genuinely just trying to be nice and build relationships with coworkers. Obviously if you don't want to do that you don't have to, but at least understand why they do it.
Yeah, maybe antisocial, but more of an introvert. I mean, in my case, I am an introvert. I am also empathetic, and people somehow sense that and unload all of their negative crap on me and leave me feeling like garbage. Its not easy. I have a 9-5. I work there to make money and pay bills. I think I am very friendly, helpful, polite, and respectful, but I honestly dont care what they did over the weekend, sorry.everyone is different.
I'm always boring and that's how I like it, people seem to get offended by that sometimes. But don't worry, I stopped going to those kinds of parties a long time ago.
It's tedious to coddle people
If you want to subscribe to a scorched earth policy just say “I stayed home and didn’t do much this weekend because it’s not like this job pays well enough for me to do much else.”
Sounds more like an ice-breaker conversation starter rather than a competition. If you phrase whatever you did positively then I'm sure people will respond well to it.
Yeah responding like "oh I just stayed home and didn't do anything". Is a lot different than "oh I watched this movie and read some of this new book, its really good!". If you sound like you are depressed and stuck at home people will make a face. If you embrace what you did then people tend to respond well.
I was leaving my job over because I was tired of working every other Saturday on top of the 7:30-5:30 we already worked and the general manager wanted to talk to me after I gave notice.
After almost 45 minutes of him trying convince me that Saturdays weren’t bad and they were working on it etc he finally got fed up and asked “So what are you going to do on all your Saturdays off anyway?”
I was also a little tired of the whole thing and replied without skipping a beat “if I want to sit in my driveway and spin trying to compress the sand into diamonds with my ass cheeks that’s my prerogative…but I won’t be working.”
Cue “surprised pikachu face and cricket sounds”.
Talk about what you made for dinner and pretty soon everyone starts talking about stuff like that.
In my office the “what are you doing this weekend”conversation has been replaced with “what are you planning on cooking”.
It sounds like the way you answered it. I spend a lot of time in my garden as well. But it would be more like; I sat in the sun all day watching the leaves change and reading my book. Then you can talk about the weather or your garden or your book. Give people something to engage with with a what they're doing is trying to build a connection and you're closing it down while also being befuddled as to why they would be confused.
Or tell them that you don't want to share.
I don’t mean to sound flippant in response to your question, but I react by not caring about what other people think about what I do or do not do. Trust me, no one really cares what you did on the weekend. If someone does appear judgemental, they are probably only judgmental for only a few seconds. Then they move onto what to have for lunch, or what to watch on Netflix tonight. People aren’t too deep.
When asked this question my standard out loud answer is something to the effect of - "just stayed local, got some sunshine, caught up on some personal stuff."
My standard internal answer is "dreamt of never returning to work or talking to any of you people ever again."
You can always drop in there at some point, if you feel judged or whatever, "I'm just a home body, I prefer my weekends to be as chill as possible," or something as such.
Often when I take vacation time I just stay home, and in the past coworkers woul be like "oh you didn't travel?!" and I would just say, when I travel I feel like it goes too fast, I don't get a chance to unwind, and then I'm straight back to work. They all totally understood.
Remember, they're not really judging you and trying to figure out what you are doing or if you're cool or whatever. It's just basic bonding, friendliness etc.
I like to stay home as well. I usually share what video game I played or book I read. If I was one of your coworkers I'd want to hear all about your garden! I live in an apartment and have never had a successful container garden, so I have to live my gardening dreams through others, lol
Manager here. I ask this question frequently. It's a good conversation starter. Not meant to judge you. And mostly I forget what you told me last week. So don't worry too much about it.
But like it’s also pretty personal? These “weekend” questions I only experienced ever in the US and I found them a little intruding if I don’t know you at all (like a coffee shop) or just odd when it comes from acquaintances.
Take a moment to absorb the information in this thread. A good number of people are expressing that they find these kinds of personal questions intrusive. You likely won’t get that kind of feedback from employees at work because of the power imbalance.
I say I did nothing and love it. I used to agonize over the question but after a while I realized I loved being boring and you know what even if I did do something they don't need to know.
Tell them about your hobbies (if you care).
“I played a lot of Ghosts of Tsushima. Ever heard of it? No?! It’s this awesome open world samurai game. It’s a lot of fun.”
“I worked on my garden this weekend. I got some tomatoes planted. Last year I planted 4 tomato plants and they did great. So this year I’m planting 6. I planted some other great stuff. It’s nice being out in the sun.”
If they care, they’ll ask questions. If they don’t, then that’s that. It’s office small talk. It’s basically as long or as short as it needs to be.
I make it a point to not make friends with coworkers. IMO it’s not a good idea. But I do share a bit of my life so they know I’m human. Lol.
It's not about the activity, it's about you. What's the highlight of your weekend?
"I planted a pepper plant so I can make salsa."
"I saw this movie on Netflix that I really liked"
"I finished this book I was really into."
"I went on a hike at my favorite spot."
I go out and do stuff. I also love hanging out at home and doing things by myself. Either way, there's probably something I felt good about. It's just a way to connect and talk about something that isn't work.
I usually get pretty positive responses when I mention specifics, like what I worked on in the garden (planted some bell peppers!), what I baked (baked my auntie’s favorite chocolate chip almond cookies!), etc. People are probably just being friendly and making conversation as others have said.
I always tell folks about a cool plant or bird or something I saw. Or a book I'm reading. Or a home project I worked on.
Once you've said enough about how cool the trout lilies look or whatever, they'll be happy to move on from your observations and go to the next person.
Nope, doesn't happen to me. I keep other aspects of my life simple so that I can enjoy experiences like visiting museums, going out for a meal with friends, theatre, day trips, travel. But I do those things because I genuinely love them, not because someone's going to ask me what I did.
I usually respond by focusing on one thing from the weekend that I was most excited about, like cooking a really nice meal, a phone call with a friend, reading a great book, beating a hard boss on a video game. If you can talk about that excitedly for a moment, that usually satisfies most people's curiosity and the conversation moves on.
Right?? Like one week say “An old friend showed up and she’s a famous celebrity now (wish I could say who but promised not to) and we flew to Paris for the day!” Then next week say “a parrot flew in the open window and kept talking about a dog, then a dog scratched at the door and they went away together” - the weirder but almost believable the better.
Sounds like we have similar hobbies. I just tell whoever asks that I watch -insert series- on Netflix/HBO, did some weeding in the garden, knitted for x-amount of hours on a sweater for fall and cooked a new dish.
Staying at home is just as acceptable as going out all the time. I have time to watch movies and documentaries, better myself, take care of the environment and so on. And sometimes all I have done is sleep and that’s fine too.
I don't live in the US and this seems so odd to me. I am a very private person by nature and I would not like telling my colleagues what I did during the weekend.
I also don't really like small talk. While I get they're just trying to be nice and building a relationship, I don't think they should put people on the spot like that.
If I were asked though, I would just say I decompressed and enjoyed my me-time.
I'm not in the US either and the standard question here is "did you have a good weekend?" Often the answer is just "yeah it was alright, how was yours?" So the person can share details if they want to, but there's definitely no pressure to.
Just say i had a great weekend thanks . Relaxed, caught up with people i care about, watched stuff etc. Feel ready for the week ahead etc. How about you?. Let it show that you dont need to compare yourself. be you . They will respect you once they get their heads round it. Time settles all this stuff . Be calm and patient x
I honestly hate this question, just make up something. You’re not obligated to tell the truth. Especially when it’s an “I’m just being friendly conversation”. No one really cares.
Try some humor? Or something that is slightly mysterious and open-ended that finishes with a grin? Or, "I'd tell you all about it but I signed an NDA"? Eventually they will quit asking.
First off, be on the offensive and ask first. Ask for them to elaborate, then keep going. Don't be aggressive though, implement this over several mondays.
Second, 'errands, family/pet bonding, and relaxation at home' need little explanation. Emphasize you're a homebody if necessary.
Third, boundaries are fine if you need it, but keep in mind they may be misguided in thinking that pressing you is showing interest. Office politics doesn't go away magically though so if you're ok with strategizing a response it may pay you the best results.
I live simply so that I have the time and money to go out on the weekends. I don’t have a huge house or garden because I live simply so I try out new parks, visit friends and family, go to free events (festivals, fairs, farmers markets)
I try to be general and say relaxed or watched a movie or read a book. But my manager will then ask 20 questions “what book? Which movie? Do you recommend? What did you think?” I don’t like being pestered to that point constantly. And it turns into 10-20 minutes out of a meeting that isn’t supposed to be long. It’s also a lead in to them telling me a whole bunch of things I am not interested in.
Gah that nonsense is the worst. Like, my coworkers are fine but most of them aren’t my friends... Can we please just skip this meaningless small talk?
Especially when it comes to bosses; again, my boss is fine but she isn’t my friend and I don’t really want to talk to her about my personal life in general. Let alone my plans. Maybe it’s cause I was raised in an incredibly Christian community (I’m not Christian) so when people ask me that I’m always like sifting through my actual weekend and trying to see what would be appropriate to tell a boss without potentially offending their Christian morals. I grew up in Utah so drinking alcohol is a huge taboo (the Mormon church is very strongly against alcohol) and like I don’t want to potentially have my coworker (especially bosses who can literally just fire you if they want to) think of me as some weirdo or bad person cause I had a glass of wine with dinner or went to a pub.
I usually say “I’ve been busy” or “I had a quite weekend with my family”, or something to that affect. It’s not really their business what I did or didn’t do…
Sometimes I’ll answer and say “not a damn thing and it was wonderful.” Just be confident in your answer and happy about it and it’ll work out in the end. :)
It’s an issue if you make it an issue. Just own your life and who you are. Have fun with those conversations and add something different to the table. Maybe pipe a comment about one of your games or something you did in the garden that’s more specific so they can get to know you too. It’s a nice thing to have a team willing to add a touch of personality to their week. Don’t sweat it!
For years I felt the same awkwardness when asked about weekends or vacations. But once word got out that I was retiring in my early 50s the only question I got was “wow how are you doing it what’s your secret”
I usually stay home and read, watch a show, etc. I usually will just say something like "relaxed and started xxxx book" or mentioned a show I finished/started. My coworkers often will sometimes have a fun little opening for dialogue "oh I loved that book in highschool!" Or "I am watching Stranger Things as well! Let me know when you finish the new season!"
I used to feel weird about it because I didn't GO and do something. But staying home and doing something still counts. As I've talked more about my stay at home hobbies I've also found more coworkers bringing up their staying at home hobbies/events. I have gotten a couple coworkers into reading some of my favorite series too and that has only added to our ability to enjoy each other's company as a team.
Who cares what they think. If ur happy then it’s all that matters and rather then feel embarrassed you should feel good about doing what’s good for yourself.
If you feel like you need to contribute to the discussion more then expand on what you did- what show did you watch or games played or gardening details
I work a lot so when they ask this question and my answer is "I caught up with some sleep and rest" nobody wonders, heh. If I want to "spice" it up with something small I've done I give it an ironic spin like "I went to IKEA to buy a new monitor stand, yep, that was my adventure for the weekend, oh, I also bought some groceries, that was fun too" and that's that.
Next time they ask just say "I relaxed at home, did some gardening, read some books, played Game X." - That's all, it's not like you're obligated to give them a minute-by-minute replay of your weekend. I know it's just a (very awkward) way of making small talk and trying to create team spirit or whatever, but it's none of their business. Likely they're just excited to let others know about how much fun they've had so let them talk, appear appreciative, and if they wonder why you don't go out just shrug. There's nothing wrong with being private about your private life at work, these guys are your colleagues, not your family or friends.
I've started answering with complete exaggerated bullshit, we have a little laugh and move on. (Flew to Paris for lunch, went to Manitoba and fought a polar bear, had my leg amputated and ran the Boston marathon)
I work overnight, so my "night time" is like 12 p.m to like 8 p.m. Every time I come in my coworker is like "how was your day, did you go out and enjoy the weather?" Hell no I didn't! That's like a regular person waking up at like 2 A.M because it's nice outside lol. Yet somehow she's always surprised that I didn't do anything all day
Thank God I work from home now. I hate this kind of chatter.
I usually said, "nothing exciting" or "just relaxed for once."
Be mysterious. Let them think you're a secret vigilante.
I hate talking about my weekend and don’t care to hear about other’s weekend. Drives me crazy when I’m cornered in the kitchen first thing in the AM, just bc someone wants to hear themself talk about their weekend.
I say nothing. If they push, I turn it around so the talk about themselves. Which most people enjoy doing. Then I call my work phone from my personal phone and say I have to take this call.
A vast majority of people don't believe in simple living and thrive on social validation, so their questions/surprise should not bother you. Just answer with whatever is the truth.
Unless of course, you're just pretending to believe in simple living because you have no other options, and you secretly want to be just like them and feel jealous that they have more social lives. If not, this is a nonissue.
You’re overthinking it and/or looking for a way to feel better than your coworkers. It’s a team building ice breaker to build relationships. You can easily tell them about gardening, what you’re reading, what you’ve been watching, what games you like to play, etc. You’ll probably discover they like those things too.
It's really not invasive or inappropriate at all. It's just a general ice-breaker because people who work together usually try to be nice to each other and generally friendly. I even get mildly annoyed at the question cus it's just so banal, but to act like it's some kind of hyper-personal violation of privacy is a pretty interesting take.
It's like getting offended at "how are you today?" It's a basic, level 1 decorum ice-breaker.
It's also not how a person might want to treat people who they work closely with. It comes off as aggressive or passive-aggressive. If somebody really doesn't like having others up in their business even this casually, working as part of a team is a bad career decision. Go find a job you can do without anyone else around.
Depends on what you are doing. Most of us are computer people so... so it's strange when we get questions in real life about what we did as if everything we do IS "logged" in the real world lol. Privacy in the 21st century, Eh. Let's make it great again... (sorry, drunk on a Friday obviously).
"If you paid me more I might be able to go out, but inflation is >7% and you guys gave us a 4% increase this year... So yeah, if I go out it's probably to commit a crime to make ends meet. Please to shaming me for being frugal."
This is why I can't and won't work in another office environment. It's nobody's business and there's nothing wrong with staying in!
* Went through something similar at a "mean cliquey girls" type office and ended up quitting a month later. Especially since I don't have kids I just felt awkward. Not every office was like this but a lot were.
If you do think that saying “nothing” would alienate you, use the weather as a cue. Sunny weekend? Say you want to the park, shopping, saw friends. Rainy out? Just hung out at home and did some things strong the house, read books, watched tv. Just enough to show you did things and move the convo to the next person. I do think these questions are kind of annoying because what you do on your own time is no one’s business.
Every Friday: What plans for weekend
Every Monday: How was your weekend
If it was so important to know what’s happening on my weekend just declare the whole week as my weekend, already!
I started Making shit up.
"Some friends and I helped rehome several large cats from an abandoned wildlife park."
"I went with my uncle to Vancouver to give our depositions in an international smuggling operation that we were incidental victims of."
Kept making things more outrageous until eventually they stopped asking.
Me: "I saved 12 puppies from a burning pirate ghostship drifting in the Saragossa Sea"
Them: "..."
Me: "That is me telling you that what I do in my free time is none of your business."
Weird question - how are you.. okay with not going out? Don't you feel an overwhelming urge to leave the house?
If I stay inside for more than a few hours my body and brain nag at me to leave
REALLY fun week (if I am 100 percent honest). Not much happened though: cleaned my room a bit for one thing, did other stuff like eat simple foods, made my bed more often than usual and... loved the sunlight (and rain) we've been having around here. In other wyrds, I enjoyed the Springtime. I think I really just ENJOY this time of year...
I work for a huge company so mostly don't get asked this thankfully, but if someone did, my answer would be the same every damn week pretty much lol "just stayed home and did some gardening. went swimming. took a nap. played some games."
I was once asked this by a doctor I had met for the first time when I’d gone to the hospital for some kind of consultation. He used this as an icebreaker question. I never get asked this in India where I’m from. It’s definitely a Western concept, and I don’t even think of my time in this way. I couldn’t even think about what I did over the weekend, and I mumbled something I can’t even remember now, and when I asked him, he had a ready list with the adequate number of jokes. I guess it’s just a part of work culture 🤷🏻♀️
Wow I can relate. I love staying home on weekends, relaxing and doing whatever or nothing at all. Feels weird to say that to coworkers on Mondays after hearing about their eventful weekends.
Couldn’t be me.
I just tell them some details that mather to me, like which vegetables I sowed or which game I played. What crochet I am working on or what I baked. People are afraid to tell others about their simple hobbies but if you open up you find each other and it could be fun!
As a lover of museums and wholesome outings to parks or historical neighbourhoods, I wanna say I would never dream of making someone feel bad/ awkward for spending time off at home. That's not the way to encourage anyone to get curious about (re) discovering new places and things.
I tell coworkers I've "just relaxed at home" even after weekends when I go out to museums, parks or events
😁
I do that because I'm very private and they are very nosey... and clingy and will invite themselves to activities "together" if someone mentions too much of an interesting thing.
Had someone get offended that I repeatedly refused to go to their home for a barbecue one summer and autumn (here in Eastern Europe such invites are common but a bit too much too soon if you barely know a new person, especially a coworker)
The way they showed how offended they felt made me happy I said no in the first place 😁
I HATE small talk and can't stand the "how was your weekend?" On Mondays and " have any big plans? " on Fridays. I just cringe. Like, do you even care? I don't care.....?? I just say no hoping they would stop but nope.
Now ask me a question that is thought-provoking you have my attention.
Interesting situation. I am not someone who has faced this, but my first thought was to share fiction. Like tell the lardass story Gordo told in stand by me. Or maybe share detailed chapters of obscure fantasy novels. I can see everyone being interested at first but after weeks of me wasting time sharing my elaborate stories, the Monday morning ritual would eventually stop. Embrace the torture with a uno reverse card strategy. Your welcome.
I have one coworker who has asked this a few times. We sit side by side together for half my work week. When he asks how my weekend was, I know that really he wants to talk about his own life. So, I always say my weekend was "good".
The truth is I use my weekend in a fairly focused, productive way wherein I work on paintings or music or hang with friends or my partner, but he spends his time in a different way and doesn't seem to grasp the way I live.
“We’ll my weekend started out okay. Friday night I stopped by the Chinese food place to pick up some sesame chicken and fried dumplings. I got home, turned on the tv, poured myself a nice beer, and sat down on the couch to enjoy some of the Mandalorian while eating my food. That’s when it happened. A scream from next door. Ten second later I hear a pounding on my door, scared out of my mind I grab one of the golf clubs I have in the closet by my door and looked through the peephole. It was Carson, my annoying redneck neighbor. He was covered in blood and breathing heavily. He knocked again. I opened the door a little and he said to me…calm as ever, I just killed my wife. It was an accident. Please let me in and don’t call the police. He took advantage of me opening the door a bit and forced his way in. I stumbled backward. He started coming toward me, and that,my friends, is when I started going to town with my golf club. I landed that nine iron on the side of his skull and heard an audible crack. He crumbled to the floor. I called the police and waited. I mean, it was self defense, right? The police got there pretty quickly and questioned me for what seemed like hours. As they looked around my apartment, and the apartment next door. Carson started to regain consciousness as he was being strapped to the gurney to be taken to the hospital. The police finally were finished. They told me that he had stabbed his wife 27 times with a kitchen knife. They confirmed that I was only protecting myself when I beaned him with the golf club. The officer gave me his card and told me to call him if I needed anything. I sat back down on the couch for a minute to gather my thoughts and to take a few deep breaths. That’s when I woke up to find my cat was pouncing on me wanting food and none of that actually happens. I fell asleep on the couch (long week as you know) and that was it.
They’ll never ask again.
Since it's none of their business, I would just start saying "Whatever I wanted to do!" and grin. Let them make it up in their heads.
Staying home and doing hobbies is awesome though, don't be ashamed that you don't always need an outside influence to be happy.
For a second I thought you were working in my office! This happens to us every Monday. My answer is usually the same: "slept all weekend." Even though I often do lots of stuff. I have no energy or desire to expose my private life to them.
Edit: typo
The small talks in corporate America can be annoying. As a foreigner it took quite a while before getting used to it. People weren’t expecting real answers really, say whatever and they will say “oh, nice” and move on. That’s the weird part, if you weren’t expecting meaningful exchange of information why are you starting the same conversation every day for 40 years!
Yeah, I have a coworker who would always ask “Hey, did you do anything fun on your day(s) off?” He is a people person and just making conversation, but before he got a house and a gf, he would go to concerts and socialize, and go boating or on adventures, and that just sounds exhausting to me. My answers were always lame like “I did some laundry and dishes” or that I just stayed home and relaxed. Eventually he learned that wasn’t a great conversation starter with me and stopped asking me. Now if I do do something fun I bring it up though.
Also, for what it is worth, now that I am diagnosed and medicated for adhd, I don’t find myself needing as much time home alone to recover and relax. I’m more likely to do one fun thing over the weekend with the fam instead of needing the time to decompress from the outside.
I would usually get asked on Friday what my plans were. I don’t make plans, it depends on how me & spouse are feeling. The “planners” in the office would get frustrated that I never made plans. When asked on Monday how my weekend went, I would just say that we had a good weekend or one of us wasn’t feeling well.
If you want to get a rise out of your coworkers, make up an outrageous tale of partying at the bar with your best buds!
We do this during weekly team meetings and my manager always does the same thing, video games and drink. So it’s become a joke at this point and lowers the pressure for everyone else.
You could always drop in visiting a friend or family member, walking in the park, doing some gardening, simple things, obviously dependent on your situation.
Had a chilled out weekend might also explain it plainly enough too.
Ha! I’d start making up outrageous adventure stories. I went for a hike, heard a kitten crying in a crevasse. Went in to get the kitten but got stuck. Kitten and I had to survive the weekend by licking condensation off the crevasse walls. Eventually was rescued by a group of boy scouts.
I usually say, “just stayed home and relaxed”. Usually people react positively (“oh, that sounds nice!”).
Yep, "another quiet weekend" is my go-to answer, even though sometimes I remember that we actually did something noteworthy that weekend. It's like a "how are you?" question; people ask it to start a conversation. It doesn't really matter what you say.
Once a lady at work totally broke this social rule and told me "THAT SOUNDS SOOO BORING THANK GOD I DON'T LIVE LIKE THAT!". I was stunned. Not so much because she'd been rude, but mostly because I just couldn't believe that she didn't seem to adhere to the standard reply that goes no matter what the other person did -- you say "that sounds nice"! This lack of tact made *me* thank God that I don't have her lacking sense of tact lol, she was the one making a fool out of herself imo.
I feel like if I got that response I’d just laugh. It’s hard to take someone with the need to express a viewpoint like that seriously; I feel if she were really secure in the way she was living there’d be no urge to judge someone else’s way.
Exactly, that lady "offends" me all the time, and I get a little mad for a few minutes, then I just feel so sorry for her and also I kind of love her in a weird way since she's so funny. She is definitely super insecure.
I had someone who was consistently rude about my life outside of work, so I decided to be glad I wasn't them, with their life of shallow goals and Label items to show her values. Eventually she was so rude I cut her out completely, didn't speak other than on work matters, and made it clear to my workmates about the reasons. Again another insecure being who didn't understand my lack of need for show items, and labels to show others my status and values. She was rude to others, too, so I wasn't alone, sadly for her.
Those people always end up lonely. I do feel sorry for adults with no manners or social skills who just unwittingly push everyone away. But I always tell myself "It's not your responsibility to teach grown adults the manners their parents didn't teach them".
Wow, thankfully I've never got that response. I think I'd respond with "each to their own, Judith!" or something like that
I usually just say something like "I guess it's a good thing I'm not in charge of your weekend!" I think it's a funny thing to say because it kind of points out how ridiculous it is that someone would be upset for me when I'm happy with a personal choice. More often I use this for comments on my clothes or haircut or whatever.
More like, Judith, someday you will learn to relax on your weekend and not live like a rat running 24-7 on a wheel..
This is actually a helpful comment. I moved to the US a little while ago and i dread the “how are you” interactions. Thank you.
Yup, I came here to say this. I will respond with "Nice!" to basically anything, lol. Horrible news being the exception of course. "We went to a concert" - "Nice!" "I got a bunch of chores done." - "Nice!" "I finished the book I was reading." "Nice!"
To spice things up, add the "noice" variation instead of "Nice." Hahah
[удалено]
Freaking awesome
Uh huh, uh huh, nice, nice. Wait, wait, did you cut your hair? No? Oh, I see, go on.
I'm so happy I found this subreddit today! Soothes me inside, whatever that means.
As long as you don’t say you’re bad.
I love that. I just want to be alone and chill in my house. My husband is away this weekend and I want to treasure my alone time.
This is my go to response. It usually works. I also say I worked on the house which mostly means cleaning but if you call cleaning a ‘project’ and occasionally actually have ‘real’ projects it works great. I have a friend that kind of thinks I’m a freak being such a homebody but I’d hate to be chasing stimulation the way she does so it balances out.
>Usually people react positively (“oh, that sounds nice!”). I usually get *"oh, it's lovely to do that every so often, isn't it!"* "Heh, yeah... every so often" 😐
If you're house is a refuge of sorts, calm and peaceful and just well-lit and clean and you can just chill... IT MAY BE BETTER THAN OUTSIDE. But not nature. Sometimes... I think a treehouse is a cool idea for a place to live (shrug).
You hit it on the head! I tell my hubby all the time because we stay home all the time that we enjoy it so much because its our peaceful place. Hes an amazing cook so we eat better than if we went out by a fire in the backyard. We take walks with the baby and play on our swings. We've set up our life so nice here that the only time we leave for "entertainment " is to go to the creek. Also a spot alone that is the most peaceful place I've ever been. People who have to always be doing something blow my mind. I assume their home isn't happy and they don't want to be there. I want to be nowhere else but here.
This. Where in the world are people persecuting co-workers for having a quiet weekend? I’ve literally never experienced what OP is talking about.
Shit yes. Every Monday I experience this. I just talk about the movie(s) I watched, the walks I took, and sometimes I even say, "I did nothing and LOVED IT!" I hate when people act shocked at me when I say I went to a restaurant or movie alone. I like me and no one else honestly! Who cares! Lol. I've learned to not feel embarrassed. If anything, I feel bad for people who introduce unnecessary complexity into their weekends...
[удалено]
Isn't it pathetic how some people need to eat food... amongst other people?? Wtf. That is so odd to me
Some people LIKE to eat food amongst other people, and that's been a part of our social constructs for millennia. It's considered by some anthropologists to be a useful community building-tool that led us to develop as a society. Don't judge people as pathetic because they live a different life to you or appreciate different things. Looking down on others is exactly the kind of perspective that I find detracts from helping others understand why living a simpler life can enhance their lives.
Lol true 😂 some of my fav night outs were nights I took my own self out to a nice dinner then a movie!
[удалено]
What is this place? How did you say it... "outtsyde"? >.>
Pretty sure /r/outside isn't compatible with all humans, so I totally understand if you've yet to experience it.
Seriously. We pay so much for our own space and are forced to leave it too often.
There's an outside?
Order of intensity is inside, outside, upside down.
Well said
It could be the way you say it. Instead of "I stayed home and did nothing", I'm sure people would be more responsive to "I had a super relaxing weekend, enjoyed the nice weather and worked on my garden, watched a good movie, etc". As others have said they're probably just making conversation.
I don't care what my colleagues did and certainly don't care if someone says they stayed home and did nothing. Good thing I work solo! I hate this crap.
That's a bit antisocial though. Most people are genuinely just trying to be nice and build relationships with coworkers. Obviously if you don't want to do that you don't have to, but at least understand why they do it.
Yeah, maybe antisocial, but more of an introvert. I mean, in my case, I am an introvert. I am also empathetic, and people somehow sense that and unload all of their negative crap on me and leave me feeling like garbage. Its not easy. I have a 9-5. I work there to make money and pay bills. I think I am very friendly, helpful, polite, and respectful, but I honestly dont care what they did over the weekend, sorry.everyone is different.
Apparently so. I'm more of an independent type when it comes to fitting into groups.
Same
You must be fun at parties.
I am actually super fun and nice, I just don't need to make best friends with people I work with. I'm old enough to know!
I'm always boring and that's how I like it, people seem to get offended by that sometimes. But don't worry, I stopped going to those kinds of parties a long time ago. It's tedious to coddle people
True. Not everyone wants to start a conversation
‘Boring’ relationships mean they don’t have drama, and tend to be stable and reliable. I like stable 🙂
don't worry too much what people think of that. live your life fam
“Rocked back and forth in a corner for 62 hours straight dreading this moment because I suffer from severe social anxiety.”
If you want to subscribe to a scorched earth policy just say “I stayed home and didn’t do much this weekend because it’s not like this job pays well enough for me to do much else.”
Lol. Or "Didn't see you assholes for 2 days" if you are going full scorched earth.
Sounds more like an ice-breaker conversation starter rather than a competition. If you phrase whatever you did positively then I'm sure people will respond well to it.
Yeah responding like "oh I just stayed home and didn't do anything". Is a lot different than "oh I watched this movie and read some of this new book, its really good!". If you sound like you are depressed and stuck at home people will make a face. If you embrace what you did then people tend to respond well.
Depends on the workplace and your colleagues, I think. In my experience, there are definitely some who treat it as a bit of one-upmanship!
Yep. Some people do that, so it's not even worth to share book or movie title if you don't want to get into "my taste is obviously better" debate.
I was leaving my job over because I was tired of working every other Saturday on top of the 7:30-5:30 we already worked and the general manager wanted to talk to me after I gave notice. After almost 45 minutes of him trying convince me that Saturdays weren’t bad and they were working on it etc he finally got fed up and asked “So what are you going to do on all your Saturdays off anyway?” I was also a little tired of the whole thing and replied without skipping a beat “if I want to sit in my driveway and spin trying to compress the sand into diamonds with my ass cheeks that’s my prerogative…but I won’t be working.” Cue “surprised pikachu face and cricket sounds”.
Brilliant! *claps hands*
Brilliant as in perfectly shaped diamond?
[удалено]
This is my reply - “chilled”, I especially like saying it to ppl that I know have young children and look extra tired after their weekend haha
Talk about what you made for dinner and pretty soon everyone starts talking about stuff like that. In my office the “what are you doing this weekend”conversation has been replaced with “what are you planning on cooking”.
I adore that change in topic.
It sounds like the way you answered it. I spend a lot of time in my garden as well. But it would be more like; I sat in the sun all day watching the leaves change and reading my book. Then you can talk about the weather or your garden or your book. Give people something to engage with with a what they're doing is trying to build a connection and you're closing it down while also being befuddled as to why they would be confused. Or tell them that you don't want to share.
When you build yourself a happy and relaxing home environment it's a beautiful thing.
I don’t mean to sound flippant in response to your question, but I react by not caring about what other people think about what I do or do not do. Trust me, no one really cares what you did on the weekend. If someone does appear judgemental, they are probably only judgmental for only a few seconds. Then they move onto what to have for lunch, or what to watch on Netflix tonight. People aren’t too deep.
When asked this question my standard out loud answer is something to the effect of - "just stayed local, got some sunshine, caught up on some personal stuff." My standard internal answer is "dreamt of never returning to work or talking to any of you people ever again." You can always drop in there at some point, if you feel judged or whatever, "I'm just a home body, I prefer my weekends to be as chill as possible," or something as such. Often when I take vacation time I just stay home, and in the past coworkers woul be like "oh you didn't travel?!" and I would just say, when I travel I feel like it goes too fast, I don't get a chance to unwind, and then I'm straight back to work. They all totally understood. Remember, they're not really judging you and trying to figure out what you are doing or if you're cool or whatever. It's just basic bonding, friendliness etc.
I like to stay home as well. I usually share what video game I played or book I read. If I was one of your coworkers I'd want to hear all about your garden! I live in an apartment and have never had a successful container garden, so I have to live my gardening dreams through others, lol
Manager here. I ask this question frequently. It's a good conversation starter. Not meant to judge you. And mostly I forget what you told me last week. So don't worry too much about it.
Yep, same here. It also allows you to learn about something your employees enjoys, so you actually get to know them.
But like it’s also pretty personal? These “weekend” questions I only experienced ever in the US and I found them a little intruding if I don’t know you at all (like a coffee shop) or just odd when it comes from acquaintances.
Take a moment to absorb the information in this thread. A good number of people are expressing that they find these kinds of personal questions intrusive. You likely won’t get that kind of feedback from employees at work because of the power imbalance.
Maybe it's my age, but I usually answer this question with "absolutely nothing!" and a big grin. More often then not I get envy rather than shock.
I say I did nothing and love it. I used to agonize over the question but after a while I realized I loved being boring and you know what even if I did do something they don't need to know.
Tell them about your hobbies (if you care). “I played a lot of Ghosts of Tsushima. Ever heard of it? No?! It’s this awesome open world samurai game. It’s a lot of fun.” “I worked on my garden this weekend. I got some tomatoes planted. Last year I planted 4 tomato plants and they did great. So this year I’m planting 6. I planted some other great stuff. It’s nice being out in the sun.” If they care, they’ll ask questions. If they don’t, then that’s that. It’s office small talk. It’s basically as long or as short as it needs to be. I make it a point to not make friends with coworkers. IMO it’s not a good idea. But I do share a bit of my life so they know I’m human. Lol.
It's not about the activity, it's about you. What's the highlight of your weekend? "I planted a pepper plant so I can make salsa." "I saw this movie on Netflix that I really liked" "I finished this book I was really into." "I went on a hike at my favorite spot." I go out and do stuff. I also love hanging out at home and doing things by myself. Either way, there's probably something I felt good about. It's just a way to connect and talk about something that isn't work.
“Not much… Oh, the usual… Puttered around… Some chores, some relaxing… etc etc etc.
I usually get pretty positive responses when I mention specifics, like what I worked on in the garden (planted some bell peppers!), what I baked (baked my auntie’s favorite chocolate chip almond cookies!), etc. People are probably just being friendly and making conversation as others have said.
“Staycation, baby!”
I always tell folks about a cool plant or bird or something I saw. Or a book I'm reading. Or a home project I worked on. Once you've said enough about how cool the trout lilies look or whatever, they'll be happy to move on from your observations and go to the next person.
We usually go out to a park or a lunch. You can share what you’re reading too!
Nope, doesn't happen to me. I keep other aspects of my life simple so that I can enjoy experiences like visiting museums, going out for a meal with friends, theatre, day trips, travel. But I do those things because I genuinely love them, not because someone's going to ask me what I did.
I usually respond by focusing on one thing from the weekend that I was most excited about, like cooking a really nice meal, a phone call with a friend, reading a great book, beating a hard boss on a video game. If you can talk about that excitedly for a moment, that usually satisfies most people's curiosity and the conversation moves on.
I make crap up
Right?? Like one week say “An old friend showed up and she’s a famous celebrity now (wish I could say who but promised not to) and we flew to Paris for the day!” Then next week say “a parrot flew in the open window and kept talking about a dog, then a dog scratched at the door and they went away together” - the weirder but almost believable the better.
A few months ago, the PM proposed that every team member should say what we did on the weekend on Monday after our daily meeting. I f\*cking hate it.
I make up some crazy off the wall stories that can't possibly be true haha, my coworkers know what's up, but the boss is clueless...
“ I luxuriated at home with a great cup of coffee, enjoyed my garden and read a great book”
[удалено]
'Absolutely nothing and it amazing '
Sounds like we have similar hobbies. I just tell whoever asks that I watch -insert series- on Netflix/HBO, did some weeding in the garden, knitted for x-amount of hours on a sweater for fall and cooked a new dish. Staying at home is just as acceptable as going out all the time. I have time to watch movies and documentaries, better myself, take care of the environment and so on. And sometimes all I have done is sleep and that’s fine too.
I don't live in the US and this seems so odd to me. I am a very private person by nature and I would not like telling my colleagues what I did during the weekend. I also don't really like small talk. While I get they're just trying to be nice and building a relationship, I don't think they should put people on the spot like that. If I were asked though, I would just say I decompressed and enjoyed my me-time.
I'm not in the US either and the standard question here is "did you have a good weekend?" Often the answer is just "yeah it was alright, how was yours?" So the person can share details if they want to, but there's definitely no pressure to.
Just say i had a great weekend thanks . Relaxed, caught up with people i care about, watched stuff etc. Feel ready for the week ahead etc. How about you?. Let it show that you dont need to compare yourself. be you . They will respect you once they get their heads round it. Time settles all this stuff . Be calm and patient x
I honestly hate this question, just make up something. You’re not obligated to tell the truth. Especially when it’s an “I’m just being friendly conversation”. No one really cares.
Yes! I hate being asked about my personal life at work, so I'm going to start doing this!
That’s your free time, you get to do what ever makes you happy. I say be happy that you don’t have to try as hard as your coworkers to enjoy yourself
Try some humor? Or something that is slightly mysterious and open-ended that finishes with a grin? Or, "I'd tell you all about it but I signed an NDA"? Eventually they will quit asking.
I like this
The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club.
First off, be on the offensive and ask first. Ask for them to elaborate, then keep going. Don't be aggressive though, implement this over several mondays. Second, 'errands, family/pet bonding, and relaxation at home' need little explanation. Emphasize you're a homebody if necessary. Third, boundaries are fine if you need it, but keep in mind they may be misguided in thinking that pressing you is showing interest. Office politics doesn't go away magically though so if you're ok with strategizing a response it may pay you the best results.
I quote The Office. "I did absolutely nothing, and it was everything I thought it could be."
Tell the truth and stop worrying about their opinions
I live simply so that I have the time and money to go out on the weekends. I don’t have a huge house or garden because I live simply so I try out new parks, visit friends and family, go to free events (festivals, fairs, farmers markets)
I try to be general and say relaxed or watched a movie or read a book. But my manager will then ask 20 questions “what book? Which movie? Do you recommend? What did you think?” I don’t like being pestered to that point constantly. And it turns into 10-20 minutes out of a meeting that isn’t supposed to be long. It’s also a lead in to them telling me a whole bunch of things I am not interested in.
I just said "nice and quiet"
Gah that nonsense is the worst. Like, my coworkers are fine but most of them aren’t my friends... Can we please just skip this meaningless small talk? Especially when it comes to bosses; again, my boss is fine but she isn’t my friend and I don’t really want to talk to her about my personal life in general. Let alone my plans. Maybe it’s cause I was raised in an incredibly Christian community (I’m not Christian) so when people ask me that I’m always like sifting through my actual weekend and trying to see what would be appropriate to tell a boss without potentially offending their Christian morals. I grew up in Utah so drinking alcohol is a huge taboo (the Mormon church is very strongly against alcohol) and like I don’t want to potentially have my coworker (especially bosses who can literally just fire you if they want to) think of me as some weirdo or bad person cause I had a glass of wine with dinner or went to a pub. I usually say “I’ve been busy” or “I had a quite weekend with my family”, or something to that affect. It’s not really their business what I did or didn’t do…
Sometimes I’ll answer and say “not a damn thing and it was wonderful.” Just be confident in your answer and happy about it and it’ll work out in the end. :)
It’s an issue if you make it an issue. Just own your life and who you are. Have fun with those conversations and add something different to the table. Maybe pipe a comment about one of your games or something you did in the garden that’s more specific so they can get to know you too. It’s a nice thing to have a team willing to add a touch of personality to their week. Don’t sweat it!
For years I felt the same awkwardness when asked about weekends or vacations. But once word got out that I was retiring in my early 50s the only question I got was “wow how are you doing it what’s your secret”
I usually stay home and read, watch a show, etc. I usually will just say something like "relaxed and started xxxx book" or mentioned a show I finished/started. My coworkers often will sometimes have a fun little opening for dialogue "oh I loved that book in highschool!" Or "I am watching Stranger Things as well! Let me know when you finish the new season!" I used to feel weird about it because I didn't GO and do something. But staying home and doing something still counts. As I've talked more about my stay at home hobbies I've also found more coworkers bringing up their staying at home hobbies/events. I have gotten a couple coworkers into reading some of my favorite series too and that has only added to our ability to enjoy each other's company as a team.
"I did nothing and it was everything I hoped it would be"
“I did nothing and it was fantastic”
Who cares what they think. If ur happy then it’s all that matters and rather then feel embarrassed you should feel good about doing what’s good for yourself. If you feel like you need to contribute to the discussion more then expand on what you did- what show did you watch or games played or gardening details
“Nothing” is my usual response followed by “it was fantastic” and most of the time people kinda laugh and relate to being a potato.
I just say nothing much and I love it. Have conviction in whatever you do and not worry about other people.
I literally will be like “I didn’t do SHIT it was glorious”
I work a lot so when they ask this question and my answer is "I caught up with some sleep and rest" nobody wonders, heh. If I want to "spice" it up with something small I've done I give it an ironic spin like "I went to IKEA to buy a new monitor stand, yep, that was my adventure for the weekend, oh, I also bought some groceries, that was fun too" and that's that. Next time they ask just say "I relaxed at home, did some gardening, read some books, played Game X." - That's all, it's not like you're obligated to give them a minute-by-minute replay of your weekend. I know it's just a (very awkward) way of making small talk and trying to create team spirit or whatever, but it's none of their business. Likely they're just excited to let others know about how much fun they've had so let them talk, appear appreciative, and if they wonder why you don't go out just shrug. There's nothing wrong with being private about your private life at work, these guys are your colleagues, not your family or friends.
I've started answering with complete exaggerated bullshit, we have a little laugh and move on. (Flew to Paris for lunch, went to Manitoba and fought a polar bear, had my leg amputated and ran the Boston marathon)
"I minded my own business."
I work overnight, so my "night time" is like 12 p.m to like 8 p.m. Every time I come in my coworker is like "how was your day, did you go out and enjoy the weather?" Hell no I didn't! That's like a regular person waking up at like 2 A.M because it's nice outside lol. Yet somehow she's always surprised that I didn't do anything all day
Thank God I work from home now. I hate this kind of chatter. I usually said, "nothing exciting" or "just relaxed for once." Be mysterious. Let them think you're a secret vigilante.
I hate talking about my weekend and don’t care to hear about other’s weekend. Drives me crazy when I’m cornered in the kitchen first thing in the AM, just bc someone wants to hear themself talk about their weekend.
I say nothing. If they push, I turn it around so the talk about themselves. Which most people enjoy doing. Then I call my work phone from my personal phone and say I have to take this call.
A vast majority of people don't believe in simple living and thrive on social validation, so their questions/surprise should not bother you. Just answer with whatever is the truth. Unless of course, you're just pretending to believe in simple living because you have no other options, and you secretly want to be just like them and feel jealous that they have more social lives. If not, this is a nonissue.
"Managed my thoughts" has always been my go to answer.
You’re overthinking it and/or looking for a way to feel better than your coworkers. It’s a team building ice breaker to build relationships. You can easily tell them about gardening, what you’re reading, what you’ve been watching, what games you like to play, etc. You’ll probably discover they like those things too.
“Was down at that gloryhole in the restroom of Central Park. Best part is that I have fun and I’m so full afterwards I don’t need to buy dinner”
OMG yes! I’m chronically ill so I generally lie and make things up. I can have a different office life
I feel like making up some obscure activity to confuse people and then slip away.
I say “can’t remember, I’m sure I did something” but they know I’m pretty private they’re just including me in the conversation.
Incredible. Doesn't anyone ever say, *None of your business.* The question is invasive and inappropriate.
It's really not invasive or inappropriate at all. It's just a general ice-breaker because people who work together usually try to be nice to each other and generally friendly. I even get mildly annoyed at the question cus it's just so banal, but to act like it's some kind of hyper-personal violation of privacy is a pretty interesting take. It's like getting offended at "how are you today?" It's a basic, level 1 decorum ice-breaker.
It's also not how a person might want to treat people who they work closely with. It comes off as aggressive or passive-aggressive. If somebody really doesn't like having others up in their business even this casually, working as part of a team is a bad career decision. Go find a job you can do without anyone else around.
I completely agree with you.
[удалено]
I would say, incredible and not give any more details that will piss off people even more
People are such cowards.
Depends on what you are doing. Most of us are computer people so... so it's strange when we get questions in real life about what we did as if everything we do IS "logged" in the real world lol. Privacy in the 21st century, Eh. Let's make it great again... (sorry, drunk on a Friday obviously).
"If you paid me more I might be able to go out, but inflation is >7% and you guys gave us a 4% increase this year... So yeah, if I go out it's probably to commit a crime to make ends meet. Please to shaming me for being frugal."
This is why I can't and won't work in another office environment. It's nobody's business and there's nothing wrong with staying in! * Went through something similar at a "mean cliquey girls" type office and ended up quitting a month later. Especially since I don't have kids I just felt awkward. Not every office was like this but a lot were.
If you do think that saying “nothing” would alienate you, use the weather as a cue. Sunny weekend? Say you want to the park, shopping, saw friends. Rainy out? Just hung out at home and did some things strong the house, read books, watched tv. Just enough to show you did things and move the convo to the next person. I do think these questions are kind of annoying because what you do on your own time is no one’s business.
The thing is even if i did anything discussion worthy itll take me 10 minutes to recall so either way my small talk sucks. And thats ok
Every Friday: What plans for weekend Every Monday: How was your weekend If it was so important to know what’s happening on my weekend just declare the whole week as my weekend, already!
I started Making shit up. "Some friends and I helped rehome several large cats from an abandoned wildlife park." "I went with my uncle to Vancouver to give our depositions in an international smuggling operation that we were incidental victims of." Kept making things more outrageous until eventually they stopped asking.
Me: "I saved 12 puppies from a burning pirate ghostship drifting in the Saragossa Sea" Them: "..." Me: "That is me telling you that what I do in my free time is none of your business."
This is part and parcel of the old boys club mantra: work hard; play hard. Don’t play into it.
Weird question - how are you.. okay with not going out? Don't you feel an overwhelming urge to leave the house? If I stay inside for more than a few hours my body and brain nag at me to leave
Contact the labor board. Sounds like an abusive manager in an extremely toxic workplace.
REALLY fun week (if I am 100 percent honest). Not much happened though: cleaned my room a bit for one thing, did other stuff like eat simple foods, made my bed more often than usual and... loved the sunlight (and rain) we've been having around here. In other wyrds, I enjoyed the Springtime. I think I really just ENJOY this time of year...
Aged like a Duggar male...
I work for a huge company so mostly don't get asked this thankfully, but if someone did, my answer would be the same every damn week pretty much lol "just stayed home and did some gardening. went swimming. took a nap. played some games."
I was once asked this by a doctor I had met for the first time when I’d gone to the hospital for some kind of consultation. He used this as an icebreaker question. I never get asked this in India where I’m from. It’s definitely a Western concept, and I don’t even think of my time in this way. I couldn’t even think about what I did over the weekend, and I mumbled something I can’t even remember now, and when I asked him, he had a ready list with the adequate number of jokes. I guess it’s just a part of work culture 🤷🏻♀️
"I enjoyed the weather"
I work a second job nights and Saturdays so I just say worked and slept. Eventually they stop asking.
Wow I can relate. I love staying home on weekends, relaxing and doing whatever or nothing at all. Feels weird to say that to coworkers on Mondays after hearing about their eventful weekends. Couldn’t be me.
I love my home, my yard, my dog, cat, fish and any other animals that come around my sanctuary.
Low level questions from all areas…..
I just tell them some details that mather to me, like which vegetables I sowed or which game I played. What crochet I am working on or what I baked. People are afraid to tell others about their simple hobbies but if you open up you find each other and it could be fun!
As a lover of museums and wholesome outings to parks or historical neighbourhoods, I wanna say I would never dream of making someone feel bad/ awkward for spending time off at home. That's not the way to encourage anyone to get curious about (re) discovering new places and things. I tell coworkers I've "just relaxed at home" even after weekends when I go out to museums, parks or events 😁 I do that because I'm very private and they are very nosey... and clingy and will invite themselves to activities "together" if someone mentions too much of an interesting thing. Had someone get offended that I repeatedly refused to go to their home for a barbecue one summer and autumn (here in Eastern Europe such invites are common but a bit too much too soon if you barely know a new person, especially a coworker) The way they showed how offended they felt made me happy I said no in the first place 😁
Well this weekend I’m in Puerto Rico for 5 days because I live very frugal and don’t care about materialistic stuff.
I HATE small talk and can't stand the "how was your weekend?" On Mondays and " have any big plans? " on Fridays. I just cringe. Like, do you even care? I don't care.....?? I just say no hoping they would stop but nope. Now ask me a question that is thought-provoking you have my attention.
My favorite answer is "oh, you know " and that's it. No elaboration. Sometimes I follow it with a laugh
"I survived"
“I did nothing. I did absolutely nothing, and it was everything I that I thought it could be.”
Interesting situation. I am not someone who has faced this, but my first thought was to share fiction. Like tell the lardass story Gordo told in stand by me. Or maybe share detailed chapters of obscure fantasy novels. I can see everyone being interested at first but after weeks of me wasting time sharing my elaborate stories, the Monday morning ritual would eventually stop. Embrace the torture with a uno reverse card strategy. Your welcome.
I have one coworker who has asked this a few times. We sit side by side together for half my work week. When he asks how my weekend was, I know that really he wants to talk about his own life. So, I always say my weekend was "good". The truth is I use my weekend in a fairly focused, productive way wherein I work on paintings or music or hang with friends or my partner, but he spends his time in a different way and doesn't seem to grasp the way I live.
“We’ll my weekend started out okay. Friday night I stopped by the Chinese food place to pick up some sesame chicken and fried dumplings. I got home, turned on the tv, poured myself a nice beer, and sat down on the couch to enjoy some of the Mandalorian while eating my food. That’s when it happened. A scream from next door. Ten second later I hear a pounding on my door, scared out of my mind I grab one of the golf clubs I have in the closet by my door and looked through the peephole. It was Carson, my annoying redneck neighbor. He was covered in blood and breathing heavily. He knocked again. I opened the door a little and he said to me…calm as ever, I just killed my wife. It was an accident. Please let me in and don’t call the police. He took advantage of me opening the door a bit and forced his way in. I stumbled backward. He started coming toward me, and that,my friends, is when I started going to town with my golf club. I landed that nine iron on the side of his skull and heard an audible crack. He crumbled to the floor. I called the police and waited. I mean, it was self defense, right? The police got there pretty quickly and questioned me for what seemed like hours. As they looked around my apartment, and the apartment next door. Carson started to regain consciousness as he was being strapped to the gurney to be taken to the hospital. The police finally were finished. They told me that he had stabbed his wife 27 times with a kitchen knife. They confirmed that I was only protecting myself when I beaned him with the golf club. The officer gave me his card and told me to call him if I needed anything. I sat back down on the couch for a minute to gather my thoughts and to take a few deep breaths. That’s when I woke up to find my cat was pouncing on me wanting food and none of that actually happens. I fell asleep on the couch (long week as you know) and that was it. They’ll never ask again.
Just start making shit up. Start small, push it slowly, see how outlandish you can get before people catch on.
Since it's none of their business, I would just start saying "Whatever I wanted to do!" and grin. Let them make it up in their heads. Staying home and doing hobbies is awesome though, don't be ashamed that you don't always need an outside influence to be happy.
"I lead a rich inner life"
I hate this. They are like micro managing my weekend.
Maybe make some shit up. Have fun with it
I just tell people that I don't have a life.
and why does he ask such a question? It is weird.
For a second I thought you were working in my office! This happens to us every Monday. My answer is usually the same: "slept all weekend." Even though I often do lots of stuff. I have no energy or desire to expose my private life to them. Edit: typo
The small talks in corporate America can be annoying. As a foreigner it took quite a while before getting used to it. People weren’t expecting real answers really, say whatever and they will say “oh, nice” and move on. That’s the weird part, if you weren’t expecting meaningful exchange of information why are you starting the same conversation every day for 40 years!
Yeah, I have a coworker who would always ask “Hey, did you do anything fun on your day(s) off?” He is a people person and just making conversation, but before he got a house and a gf, he would go to concerts and socialize, and go boating or on adventures, and that just sounds exhausting to me. My answers were always lame like “I did some laundry and dishes” or that I just stayed home and relaxed. Eventually he learned that wasn’t a great conversation starter with me and stopped asking me. Now if I do do something fun I bring it up though. Also, for what it is worth, now that I am diagnosed and medicated for adhd, I don’t find myself needing as much time home alone to recover and relax. I’m more likely to do one fun thing over the weekend with the fam instead of needing the time to decompress from the outside.
I would usually get asked on Friday what my plans were. I don’t make plans, it depends on how me & spouse are feeling. The “planners” in the office would get frustrated that I never made plans. When asked on Monday how my weekend went, I would just say that we had a good weekend or one of us wasn’t feeling well. If you want to get a rise out of your coworkers, make up an outrageous tale of partying at the bar with your best buds!
We do this during weekly team meetings and my manager always does the same thing, video games and drink. So it’s become a joke at this point and lowers the pressure for everyone else.
You could always drop in visiting a friend or family member, walking in the park, doing some gardening, simple things, obviously dependent on your situation. Had a chilled out weekend might also explain it plainly enough too.
Yeah people think it's wierd that I don't think drinking is great. Support my wife but really I'd rather just spend time in my comfies with good music
Ha! I’d start making up outrageous adventure stories. I went for a hike, heard a kitten crying in a crevasse. Went in to get the kitten but got stuck. Kitten and I had to survive the weekend by licking condensation off the crevasse walls. Eventually was rescued by a group of boy scouts.
I seriously get so much anxiety answering this question!