Don’t Treat Friday Like a Throwaway Workday
Are you falling into one of the biggest productivity slip-ups of your career?
Friday rolls around, and your brain goes into automatic weekend mode. Or maybe, you’re simply “getting through the day” and have already resigned to the fact you’re not getting much done.
This is a silly mistake, folks! Don’t treat Friday like a “throwaway workday!”
Fridays are pivotal in the overall completion of your week and success for next week. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to take full advantage of your Friday; be intentional and proactive.
Block out your calendar on Friday afternoon and dedicate it to ending the week on your terms.
Avoid meetings, calls or external lunches, unless absolutely necessary. Set your sights on getting to anything you didn’t accomplish during the week.
Seek out a private area or or work space; make sure it is a space where you won’t be distracted or interrupted by colleagues. Also, let your team know you’ll be unavailable for the afternoon.
There are always a handful of things, you didn’t quite get to. Take a look at your to-do lists and calendar from the week– has anything been overlooked?
Fill in the blanks of what was forgotten and give it your full attention now; prioritize the most important actions to set you up for success next week.
If you’re having trouble identifying your top three to-dos, ask yourself: What must get done before the end of the week AND what will set me up for success next week?
Time to clear out the emails you’ve been avoiding all week! They sure can pile up!
Some wear their over-cluttered inbox as a badge of honor, but, I believe clearing out my inbox before the weekend, gives peace of mind and a fresh start on Monday.
Skim through your messages and decide what must be answered straight away and what requires more attention. For things needing more attention, let the sender know you’ve received their message and will revert back with a more in-depth, thoughtful reply next week.
Don’t force yourself to rush through emails, just to clear it out. Better to be thorough and let your colleague know, you’ll come back to it next week.
The most essential step to setting yourself up for a successful next week is creating an action plan.
Consider your action plan, like a “master” to-do list, broken into a few parts:
Your list can be customizable to your needs; think critically about all aspects of your career or business, as well as personal life. For example, authors should schedule time dedicated specifically to writing!
Don’t put your action plan off till Sunday night or Monday morning; the week’s events are still fresh in your mind. Capitalize on that and make it a strong start to next week.
Taking full advantage of your Friday gives you an edge for next week and a weekend of peace.
There’s a great sense of accomplishment from finishing the week with no loose ends or pressures for Monday; especially when you’ve laid out your objectives and “master” to-do list for next week.
With all that hard work and preparation, why not clock out early? Come 4PM, it’s weekend time!
Relax, decompress, unplug from work and enjoy yourself! It’s incredibly important to take time for self and your loved ones, so you can re-energize and ignite your passion for next week!
Still BUSY being BUSY? Let’s work together to get you back on track to writing your book, achieving your goals and sharing your story!
I can’t wait to hear from you!
Image attribution: https://pixabay.com/en/black-friday-friday-black-sale-1059924/