This post is being written on a Friday afternoon.
The millions on millions of us who work Monday through Friday, leaving the office on Friday afternoon is like crossing the finish line at a marathon. Tears might even be shed.
No wonder, then, that worldwide productivity is so low on Fridays: Everyone is counting down the minutes to their weekend.
Unfortunately, though, a lot of bosses are not loosening deadlines just because their employees cannot wait to leave the office.
So how do you stay productive when your mind is already on your couch watching Netflix?
A recent article in The Muse offered a great 4 Step plan to be more productive on Fridays:
- Schedule smaller tasks
- Plan conversations and meetings on Friday
- Plan the following week
- Use the Pomodoro system
Thinking about the weekend = limited concentration on work = prolonged procrastination.
If projects are not chunked into smaller, more manageable tasks, chances are the project will not even be started. Limited attention and prolonged procrastination are further exacerbated when you spend the whole day sitting in your chair staring at the clock. Number 2 in the list addresses this in that, even though many do not want to hold meetings of any importance on Fridays, getting up from your desk and walking around the office or walking with coworkers to talk about certain tasks helps break up the day and increase your body's blood circulation.
Speaking of breaking up the day, the Pomodoro technique is a timing system that breaks up your day into 25 minute increments such that you feel the pressure of time running out and feel compelled to complete much more than you might have left to your own devices. It gives structure to a mind that is wandering freely through the eminent forest of free time.
Speaking of mental structure, planning your next week can be a great way to bridge the productivity gap between Friday and Monday. It is a quite uncommon practice, but it takes minimal time and provides great mental relief come Monday morning when you are back in the office.
Though it is not necessarily a project that you were tasked to complete that Friday, it is still a helpful way for your mind to reflect on what you have completed, what is yet to be completed, and the order in which the subsequent tasks ought to be prioritized, which decreases the amount of time spent on Monday morning getting organized and planning for the day.
It also makes you feel more accomplished and organized as you leave the office on Friday.
What do you think?
How do you stay productive and push through your Friday?