How Successful People Make the Most of Friday
It’s finally here: Friday. You made it through the workweek and have arrived at the day you’ve been looking forward to since Monday.
Successful people know that Friday is just as important as any other day of the work week—and, they use it to their advantage to ensure that they wrap things up and head into the weekend on the right note. How exactly do they do that? They start by implementing these tips:
They tackle bigger projects
Friday might seem like an odd day to start something new. After all, shouldn’t it be a time when you’re wrapping up all of those loose ends from the days prior? Yes, Friday’s great for that. But, successful people know that it’s also a fitting time to get rolling on a larger project. When it comes to your work week, Friday is typically the quietest day you’re going to get—there are fewer emails, fewer meetings, and often even fewer people in the office. Use that to your advantage by zoning in on a bigger project you need to start!
They do the hardest thing first
You know that Friday is a day you’re feeling a little low on motivation to begin with. This is why it’s best to make the most of your time on Friday mornings—when your desire to be productive hasn’t quite plummeted to its lowest point. Those big projects from the step above that you’ve been pushing to the back burner since Monday morning? Start with those right away in the morning, and then save Friday afternoon for more mindless tasks like cleaning out your inbox.
They draft emails
Why is Friday so quiet for emails? Well, numerous studies have shown that it’s actually the worst day to send an email—meaning you probably aren’t going to want to use your time to crank out a ton of meaningful messages on that day. However, that doesn’t mean you need to resign yourself to an email-writing marathon on Monday. Instead, write the emails you need to get done and then just save them as drafts. You can send them on Monday (or Tuesday—which is the best day to send emails!) with very little work required.
They plan for next week
Successful people know that adequate planning is crucial to getting things done. So, many of them use Fridays to plan out their following week and set themselves up for success. Grab your calendar and a notepad and make a list of the major things you want to accomplish over the course of the next week. Having that handy will keep you focused on the big-picture things, and help you avoid getting too distracted with the fires that need to be put out.
They change their view
A shift in your perspective can also be helpful when aiming to use Friday to your advantage. It’s far too easy to fall into the trap of viewing it as the end-cap of the week—it’s a throwaway day of sorts, when you don’t expect to be all that productive. But, ultimately, Friday is a full day—and, it’s just as much of a workday as any other. So, get yourself out of that vicious cycle of viewing it as a day when you can make a halfhearted attempt at real, productive work. The sooner you can shake that mindset, the more motivated you’ll feel at the end of the week.
