'A powerful argument, and practical advice, on the importance of reclaiming your leisure time to live a happier and more fulfilling life' Gretchen Rubin, New York Times bestselling author of Better Than Before and The Happiness Project Years ago Katrina Onstad was an au pair in France. Every Sunday, as best as she could tell, France shut down. No one worked; no one shopped for groceries, or did any kind of shopping. It felt like a ritual, sacred and culturally protected. Now, her weekends are more like a laundry list of to-do items dashed off between hockey training, doing actual laundry, checking emails, working on an assignment, and on and on. She began to do research to see if she was alone in feeling like weekends are almost non-existent anymore. As she dug further, she realized that this feeling was almost universal. Filled with rich research and stories, as well as her own struggles, Katrina takes us through the negative impact that losing our downtime has on all areas of our lives. She'll show us how some people and companies are already taking steps to eliminate the relentless 7-day-a-week availability that modern work life seems to require. Not anti-technology, rather this is about a return to the ritual of weekend.

After years of unsuccessful attempts at conceiving a child, Ana and James become parents overnight, when a terrible accident makes them guardians to 2 1/2 year-old Finn. Suddenly, two people who were struggling to come to terms with childlessness are thrust into the opposite situation - responsible for a small toddler whose mother's survival is in question. Finn's crash-landing in their tidy, urban lives throws into high relief some troubling truths about their deepest selves, both separately and as a couple. Several chaotic, poignant, and life-changing weeks as a most unusual family give rise to an often unasked question: Can everyone be a parent?

'A powerful argument, and practical advice, on the importance of reclaiming your leisure time to live a happier and more fulfilling life' - Gretchen Rubin, New York Times bestselling author of Better Than Before and The Happiness Project Encroaching work demands - coupled with domestic chores, overbooked schedules, and the incessant pinging of our devices - have taken a toll on what used to be our free time: the weekend. With no space to tune out and recharge, every aspect of our lives is suffering: our health is deteriorating, our social networks (the face-to-face kind) are dissolving and our productivity is down. The notion of working less and living more has given way to the belief that you must be 'on' 24/7. Tired of suffering from Sunday-night let down, award-winning journalist Katrina Onstad pushes back against this all-work-no-fun ethos. Onstad follows the trail of people, companies and countries vigilantly protecting their time off for joy, adventure and meaning, and digs into the history, positive psychology and cultural anthropology of the great missing weekend. The Weekend Effect reveals that taking back those precious forty-eight hours is the key to increasing joy, creativity, productivity and success. It will be your persuasive, practical and much-needed guide to reclaiming your time off and, ultimately, saving yourself.