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syuumatu ha sigoto no koto wo ki ni sinaikoto ni suru.

週末しゅうまつ　は　仕事しごと　の　こと　を　気き　に　しないこと　に　する。syuumatu ha sigoto no koto wo ki ni sinaikoto ni suru.
On weekends, I will decide not to worry about work.
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Questions & Answers about syuumatu ha sigoto no koto wo ki ni sinaikoto ni suru.

Why does 週末 take the topic marker は here? Is 週末は like saying “as for weekends”?

Yes. 週末は sets weekends as the topic of the sentence: “As for weekends …”

In Japanese, time expressions often take は to mark what time frame you’re talking about:

  • 週末は 家にいます。
    “On weekends, I stay home.”

So here, the sentence is basically:
“As for weekends, I will decide not to worry about work.”
Nuance: “When it’s the weekend, this is my policy.”

What’s the difference between 仕事 and 仕事のこと? Why not just say 仕事を気にしない?

仕事 is “work” itself.
仕事のこと is “things about work / work-related matters / work stuff.”

In 仕事のことを気にしない, the のこと makes it more natural because you don’t usually “worry about” a concrete object; you worry about matters related to it.

  • 仕事をする – to do work
  • 仕事がある – to have work
  • 仕事のことを気にする – to worry about work-related things

週末は仕事のことを気にしない sounds like:
“On weekends, I don’t worry about work stuff.”
Using just 仕事を気にしない is understandable, but 仕事のこと feels more idiomatic here.

What exactly does 気にする mean, and how is it different from 心配する or 気になる?

気にする means “to mind / to worry about / to care about (in a concerned way).”
You actively let something bother you.

  • そんなこと気にしないで。
    “Don’t let that bother you / Don’t worry about that.”

Compare:

  • 心配する – to worry in the sense of anxiety or concern, often about safety, outcome, etc.

    • 子どものことを心配している。
      “I’m worried about my child.”

  • 気になる – something gets on your mind, you’re curious/concerned; passive feeling.

    • あの店、ちょっと気になる。
      “That shop has been on my mind / I’m curious about it.”

  • 気にする – you actively care or let it bother you.

    • 周りの目を気にする。
      “To worry about / be self-conscious about others’ eyes (what others think).”

In this sentence, 気にしない = “not let it bother me,” “not worry about it.”

Why do we need しないこと instead of just しない? What is こと doing here?

こと is nominalizing the verb phrase 気にしない (“not worry”), turning it into a noun-like phrase: 気にしないこと = “the act of not worrying.”

This is necessary because of the pattern ～ことにする, which needs a noun-like thing before にする.

Think of:

  • 食べること – the act of eating
  • 勉強すること – the act of studying
  • 気にしないこと – the act of not worrying

Then you get:

  • 気にしないことにする – “I will make it (my decision) to not worry.”
    → “I’ll decide not to worry / I’ll choose not to worry.”
What does the pattern ～ことにする mean exactly?

～ことにする means “to decide to do (something)” or “to make it one’s policy/choice to do (something).”

Structure:

  • [dictionary form / negative form] + ことにする

Examples:

  • 明日から毎日走ることにする。
    “I’ll decide to run every day starting tomorrow.”
    (I’m making this my new decision.)

  • 今日はお酒を飲まないことにする。
    “I’ll (decide to) not drink alcohol today.”

In your sentence:

  • 気にしないことにする
    “I’ll decide not to worry / I’ll make it a point not to worry.”

So 週末は仕事のことを気にしないことにする。
= “On weekends, I’ll decide not to worry about work (stuff).”
Nuance: a conscious choice or personal policy, not just a neutral statement of fact.

What is the nuance difference between ～ことにする and ～ことにしている?

  • ～ことにする: “I (now) decide that I will do X” (or not do X).
    → A decision being made now or about to be applied.

  • ～ことにしている: “I have made it my habit/rule to do X.”
    → An ongoing policy or habit.

Compare:

  • 週末は仕事のことを気にしないことにする。
    “(From now / this time) I’ll decide not to worry about work on weekends.”

  • 週末は仕事のことを気にしないことにしている。
    “I make it a rule not to worry about work on weekends.”
    “I have this habit/policy of not worrying about work on weekends.”

The second sounds more like a standing routine or established rule.

How does ～ことにした differ from ～ことにする in nuance?
  • ～ことにする (present/future): decision made now / general decision.
  • ～ことにした (past): decision has already been made; you’re reporting it.

Examples:

  • 週末は仕事のことを気にしないことにする。
    “I’m (now) deciding that I won’t worry about work on weekends.”

  • 週末は仕事のことを気にしないことにした。
    “I’ve decided (already) that I won’t worry about work on weekends.”

So ～ことにした is like “I’ve decided” in English, with a bit of completed action feeling.

Can you change the word order, like 仕事のことは週末は気にしないことにする? Is that okay?

Grammatically, yes, Japanese allows flexible word order because of particles:

  • 週末は仕事のことを気にしないことにする。
  • 仕事のことは週末は気にしないことにする。

Both can work, but the nuance shifts:

  • 週末は仕事のことを…
    Topic = weekends; “On weekends, regarding work, I won’t worry.”

  • 仕事のことは週末は…
    Topic = work (stuff); “As for work stuff, on weekends, I won’t worry (about it).”
    It subtly contrasts with other times or other “things” (e.g. “as for work stuff (compared to other stuff)…”).

The original word order is the most natural for “On weekends, I don’t worry about work.”

Could we use 仕事を気にしないことにする instead of 仕事のことを気にしないことにする?

You could, and it would be understood, but 仕事のことを気にしない is more natural.

Reason: with 気にする, the object is usually some “matter / issue / thing about X,” which is normally expressed as Xのこと. So:

  • ✓ 彼のことを気にしない。 – I won’t let him bother me.
  • ✓ テストのことを気にしすぎだよ。 – You worry too much about the test.
  • ✓ 仕事のことを気にしない。

Using plain 仕事を気にしない isn’t wrong, but it feels rougher or slightly off; 仕事のこと is the natural idiomatic choice.

Does 気にしない here mean “not care at all” or more like “try not to think/worry about it”?

In this context, it’s closer to “not let it bother me / not worry about it” rather than “not care at all (in any sense).”

  • 気にしないで can be “Don’t worry about it,” not “Don’t care at all (be cold).”

Here:

  • 週末は仕事のことを気にしないことにする。
    → “On weekends, I’ll decide not to let work bother me / not worry about work.”

There’s an element of intentionally not dwelling on it, not of being completely indifferent or irresponsible.

How would I say the same thing more politely?

You can make the verb する polite:

  • 週末は仕事のことを気にしないことにします。
    “(I) will decide not to worry about work on weekends.”

If you’re reporting a decision already made:

  • 週末は仕事のことを気にしないことにしました。
    “I’ve decided not to worry about work on weekends.”

You might also add 私は if you need to be explicit:

  • 私は週末は仕事のことを気にしないことにします。
Can I just say 週末は仕事のことを気にしない without ことにする? Is the meaning different?

Yes, you can say:

  • 週末は仕事のことを気にしない。

Difference in nuance:

  • 気にしない (plain):
    → “I don’t worry about work on weekends.”
    Simple statement of tendency/habit/fact.

  • 気にしないことにする:
    → “I (am deciding / will decide) not to worry about work on weekends.”
    Emphasizes a conscious decision or newly adopted policy.

So ～ことにする adds a stronger sense of “this is my decision/choice,” while the version without it just describes what (usually) happens.