It’s been a tough week. Calls. Meetings. Deadlines. And you finally see it. The end is near. Yes, Friday has arrived. Whew! I don’t know about you, but by the time I hit the end of the work week, I’m spent. My mind is already thinking about how I’m going to spend the weekend. Don’t tell my boss, but I don’t really consider Fridays to be very productive. Sound familiar?
While Fridays feel different from the rest of the week, they don’t have to be a waste. In this issue of Promotional Consultant Today, we share a few tips from Fast Company author Laura Vanderkam on the best ways to spend your Friday workdays, along with a few others of our own.
First, Vanderkam says to pace yourself. Be realistic in assuming that Fridays are not the best days for the 4 pm strategic planning session. People are tired and mentally checked out. Simply acknowledge this and don’t force something that’s just not going to happen. Use this time for other types of conversations—such as processes, new expense report policies, etc.—conversations that don’t require deep thinking.
Have staff meetings on Fridays. Instead of having your staff meetings on Monday mornings, why not have them on the Friday before the next work week? Make them fun by celebrating the current week’s successes and then look at what’s coming up the next week. As Vanderkam points out, “It’s a great time to talk about the future.” Plus, it takes away the anxiety that happens on Sunday nights of not knowing what’s coming up.
Vanderkam says to schedule one-on-one meetings on Fridays. Since Fridays are generally slower, they’re excellent days to make this happen. It’s a good time to discuss both short-term goals for the next week or two as well as career steps. Plus, since there tend to be fewer meetings on Fridays, there’s less of a risk of having to cancel the one-on-one meeting due to work emergencies.
Use Fridays to accomplish the easy stuff. If you aren’t prepared for activities that require a lot of brain power on Fridays, then tackle the brainless stuff. Do those dreaded expense reports. Knock out that staff scheduling. Make those follow-up calls.
Vanderkram suggests creating a list of these activities as you run across them throughout the week, so you have your Friday to-do list ready to go at the end of the week—again requiring no brain power to create.
Finally, create some Friday team rituals. I worked for one company where everyone wore their favorite team jerseys on Friday. Another company had Friday breakfast hour. Whether it’s team lunch Fridays or another fun activity, build in some simple Friday fun to help people transition into the weekend.
On that note, from PCT, make it a great Friday!
Source: Laura Vanderkam is the author of several time management and productivity books, including I Know How She Does It: How Successful Women Make the Most of Their Time (Portfolio, June 9, 2015), What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast (Portfolio, 2013), and 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think (Portfolio, 2010). She blogs at www.lauravanderkam.com.
