To hate this question?

[BlossomOnTrees]

'What are your plans for the weekend?'
I never really do anything majorly exciting and always feel like people are thinking that I never do anything of interest.
Just me?

My standard reply "nothing exciting"

Most people just want to talk about themselves, it's very easy to move this one on. "I haven't decided yet, how about you?" and let them prattle.

Naaaa “what are you having for lunch” is the most pointless one.

My partner is autistic and hates this type of office chit chat. He finds it quite draining and it perplexes him that this sort of thing is seen as polite and generally well mannered interaction.

I tell people I'm doing nothing at all and I'm extremely excited about that.

I know it’s only small talk etc but I don’t like it either! Nor, “did you do anything nice over the weekend?” on a Monday morning!!

I work in a small office and get asked this most weeks - I rarely do anything worth mentioning! Sometimes I make stuff up.

It's perfectly okay to say that you did a perfectly normal thing. Like seeing a family member. You don't have to have climbed Everest over the weekend. It's not a competition.

It's a boring question, people expect a boring answer.

Depends, I've always got plans but if you're happy not having any then you shouldn't care about the question. So maybe you're not happy, do you want to do more on weekends?

@beigebrownblue

If people don't care, why bother asking/

Like that 'how are you?
thing. The words come of our of some peoples mouths but they dont' want to know.

This, its the fact that it just spills out and not really meant that irritates me. I can't understand why people need to fill silence with stuff they don't mean or aren't actually interested in. If I'm leaving work on Friday 'see you Monday' or just 'see you later, bye' which ever polite and to the point, job done.

@VladmirsPoutine

My partner is autistic and hates this type of office chit chat. He finds it quite draining and it perplexes him that this sort of thing is seen as polite and generally well mannered interaction.

I'm with him on this! I just don't see the point of it either. I don't think it's need to be polite at all.

@StrawberrySquash

It's perfectly okay to say that you did a perfectly normal thing. Like seeing a family member. You don't have to have climbed Everest over the weekend. It's not a competition.

I agree. Mostly people are doing the same thing but it is interesting when someone talks about doing something out of their ordinary. Mr Smith who normally just mentions shopping or gardening says he is doing a flower arranging course. Mrs Jones says she is going on a new to her walk.

To me it is part of seeing colleagues as more than just the job they do. If you dont want to say what you are planning then just say 'nothing special'.

I get the same with when I book annual leave, my answer now is just 'not being here'

Just another example of boring small talk isn’t it? I hate it too.

Yes - I think it's one of those questions people just ask for conversational filler, nobody actually cares about the answer.

I ask sometimes as I'm generally interested in what people I like are doing at the weekend. I asked my friend at work this and she said that she's going to this vegan restaurant. Opened the conversation up. The question means I can learn about my friends at work and also gives me ideas for things for me to do.