Friday Afternoons Could Be Your Most Productive

It’s far too easy to start the weekend early. Even if you’re still in the office until five (or later) on Friday afternoon, it’s easy to mentally leave early. No meetings, more time on Facebook, check email without focusing on the important stuff, etc.

The biggest problem with this behavior (and I’m as guilty as anybody) is that it bleeds important work into to the weekend. There’s stuff you could have been doing, and instead of doing it right away you work on it Saturday morning. Or try to get caught up Sunday night before the new work week. At minimum, it stays on your mind and nags at you when you could be focusing on family or other activities/hobbies that refresh you for the busy week ahead.

What would happen if Friday afternoons, from 3-5, became your most productive time of the week? What if you closed the door, poured yourself a glass of wine or Scotch, and focused in on 1-2 important projects? Get them done before 5:00, and they’re off your plate (and your mind) for the next two days.

Better yet, carve out some of that time to plan for the following week. What’s on your schedule, what are your priorities, what are the 2-3 things you need to focus on first-thing Monday morning? Come up with your game plan Friday afternoon (you may be surprised how quickly you can do it), and the entire weekend (including Sunday night) could be yours again.

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Matt Heinz is principal at Heinz Marketing, a sales & marketing consulting firm helping businesses increase customers and revenue. Contact Matt at matt@heinzmarketing.com or visit www.heinzmarketing.com.