On Friday, the weekend looms and staying focused can be difficult. If you ask your average employee, he or she will probably tell you that Monday is the most productive day of the week while Friday is the least. This state of mind is conditioned into us from a young age! Ask any school teacher, and he or she will also tell you that on Friday, all bets are off.
The problem with this mentality is that Fridays can end up leaving you feeling unfulfilled. When you procrastinate and let work pile up, the day drags and guilt builds, as do feelings of dread for the week to come. On the flip side, a super productive day feels great.
You know the feeling; when you blink and it’s five o’clock. When you check everything off your list and then some. When you just know you’re killing it. There’s no reason Friday can’t be like that!
Here are some tips to make Friday your most productive day of the week:
1. GET ALL THE LITTLE STUFF OUT OF THE WAY
In any role, there is going to be a certain amount of administrative work and small to-dos. These types of tasks are perfect for a Friday. Though you may not have enough juice left to tackle big projects on a Friday, there’s no reason you can’t get all the niggling little things out of the way. This will give you peace of mind, and the freedom to focus on the big things come Monday!
2. SCHEDULE YOUR TASKS IN HALF HOUR INTERVALS
When you allot a specific amount of time to each little task, you’re less likely to dawdle and get distracted. There is a sense of urgency that comes from watching the clock count down. This can help you focus and check all those bite-sized tasks off your list. Taking a five-minute break in between each interval will also give you a little breather and time to regroup.
3. COLLABORATE AND BOOK MEETINGS
Friday is a great day to talk things through with your team mates and connect with clients. Everybody’s feeling pretty good on a Friday, so it’s an ideal time to collaborate. While meetings can feel like a distraction on other days, on Friday, they make time go by quicker in a productive way. Getting feedback, brainstorming for a project and just touching bases is time well spent.
In the end, Friday can be just as productive as any other day of the week. It’s all about using your time wisely and knowing the types of tasks you can realistically accomplish after a long week of hard work. Though you may not be disrupting markets or solving massive problems on a Friday, you can set yourself up to successfully tackle the big stuff come Monday!
Remember: “Make a Friday a day to celebrate work well done that you can be proud of knowing that you just didn’t put in time to the next pay check.” — Byron Pulsifer
Feel like you got the productivity skills to excel in a career? The Acquisition Group has a career fit for you!
