Fridays are an odd day at work. You’re looking forward to the weekend, but before that, you have to get through the next eight hours. And those eight hours are a slog, you’re far from productive, with you and your cubicle buddy constantly wishing the day away so you can skip work and enjoy the happy hour.
While the Friday spirit is contagious, it’s critical to make the most of the final day of the workweek, so you don’t have to clean up your mess first thing on Monday morning.
No matter how much you enjoy your job, being productive when the weekend is only a few hours away can be a challenge.
So, how can you be productive on Friday?
To address your concerns, we asked a few brilliant productivity experts for their best advice on how to stay laser-focused on a Friday afternoon.
Let’s read on!
Table of Contents
Tips to be productive on a Friday
If you make an effort to increase your productivity before leaving the office for the weekend, you can do a lot to raise overall workplace productivity. Here are X easy-to-implement productivity ideas to help you enhance office productivity on Friday:
Work on less demanding tasks
Fridays can be overwhelming for many professionals because they have to juggle between the thrill of the weekend and the constant pressure of accomplishing the daily tasks.
A great way to be productive on a Friday is by saving up the easiest and most effortless tasks for the day.
Most workers are so exhausted from all of their hard work during the week that they are completely depleted by Friday. This, however, does not imply that you must look at the clock for the next eight hours until you can go back home. Instead, you must make the most of this time and complete basic yet significant tasks that you saved up for the weekend. You can even catch up on some reading, invest in heavy R&D, and brush up on your writing skills.
Starting a new project on a Friday is not a good idea. It can be challenging to have the focus and mental capacity to wrap your brain around a new project after a hectic week. Whether it’s completing your weekly report, decluttering your workstation, or organizing your overflowing inbox, Friday is the day to tie up the loose ends that surface over the week.
Schedule weekly meetings
Every manager understands the need to invest time in team members and their reports at least once a week. Fridays are ideal for accomplishing this because they are often slower. Plan a series of coffee gatherings that include both individual and group meetings. Discuss the big picture of employees’ careers and whether they’re satisfied with their current situation.
Most people have fewer commitments on Friday, making it a more relaxed way to end the week. Use these meetings to sum up the previous week and make plans for the coming week. Meetings should ideally be scheduled in the morning or early afternoon. No one wants a Friday afternoon meeting to be late, causing the weekend to start late.
In a nutshell, Friday seems to be the perfect day to hold meetings, check on work, have a personal chit-chat with your team, and address important issues.
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Catch up on your reading
Fridays are ideal for personal career development or corporate research and development. You can get into your reading with little to no distractions because it’s relatively quiet.
Probably the best way to be productive on a Friday is to catch up on your reading and research work preparing yourself for the week to come.
As a manager, you’d have been meaning to read various articles, websites, books, and other research material, but it’s possible you couldn’t make the time.
To read:
- Choose one item.
- Make it a point to read for at least an hour each day.
- Review what you’ve read when the hour is up to see if you’re ready for another reading round.
Review the week
Another great way to turn your Friday into a productive weekday is by reflecting on your weekly work.
Determine what went well this week and begin planning for the following. Friday check-ins, such as automated status updates and a comprehensive calendar, can help you reflect on the week that has passed and chart a course for the coming week.
By analyzing the work you did across the week, reviewing your team’s work, analyzing progress, and measuring weekly productivity, managers can make their Friday a success. This can further help managers have a successful team and individual meetings allowing them to discuss their performance in detail.
This not only helps managers be productive on Friday, but helps prepare better for the coming week, analyzing the pace of work, and thus, improving the overall weekly productivity.
Take frequent breaks
We are usually more productive in the first half of the day before hitting a snag in the evening. Re-energizing with a short 5-minute break or an enthusiastic stroll every two hours is an excellent way to avoid an afternoon slump. Even a 20-minute walk is known to improve cognitive performance significantly. You’ll return to your desk feeling revitalized, energized, and ready to take on the afternoon.
Breaks have been shown to reduce workplace stress, and the less stressed you are at work, the simpler it is to get things done. Fridays can be overwhelming for professionals, and hence, taking frequent breaks can help boost productivity.
Therefore, taking breaks throughout the day can help you better manage your stress while also increasing your productivity.
Map out a plan for Monday
It is true that no productivity tip will motivate you to knock out your to-do list on a Friday. However, this does not preclude you from planning all of the tasks you wish to complete the following week. So take some time to sit down and sketch out your plan.
Another great way of being productive on Friday is by planning for the week ahead. Starting to plan for Monday is one of the most efficient uses of your time on Friday, especially in the afternoon. Planning out your week ahead of time will help you get a head start, and it will assist you in getting your affairs in order and give you a clear picture of what to expect.
Starting to plan for Monday is one of the most efficient ways to use your time on Friday, especially in the afternoon. Spending some time planning out your week will help you get a jump start on your week, and it will assist you in getting your affairs in order and give you a better grasp and control of what to expect the following week.
Invest in some downtime
If you can’t stop yourself from making weekend plans throughout the week, make sure you leave adequate time in your schedule. You might use this time to look up the top eateries in your region or build a list of errands to complete on Saturday. Whatever you decide to do, make sure it does not conflict with your work schedule!
When you’re running on fumes, it’s critical to arrange downtime. If you’re not making any progress at work, turn off the computer for 30 minutes and concentrate on your goals and achievements. Scheduling some downtime will help you maintain a healthy work-life balance, which will improve your overall job happiness.
How does ProofHub help increase productivity on a Friday?
ProofHub is an amazing tool that can definitely help you work better on a Friday.
ProofHub is an excellent project management and team communication solution that helps teams keep track of their work in one location and increase efficiency. It’s a centralized platform that allows teams to see their daily obligations in real-time and cut through the clutter.
ProofHub makes it easy for managers to keep track of how much time is spent on each assignment, who is working on what, and how the entire project is progressing, and it does it on a silver platter. By allowing everyone to focus on the same goal, ProofHub’s shared workspace helps teams engage successfully and generate extraordinary results. ProofHub eliminates the need for several apps to share updates, collaborate, communicate, and handle tasks.
Discussions, notes, Gantt charts, to-do lists, calendars, milestones, timesheets, and other tools are accessible. With ProofHub’s reporting tool, project managers can create custom reports and track resource use and project progress. Users can have a group and one-on-one discussion with team members and clients. Further, the proofing tool helps approve and critique the work with the help of a markup tool.
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How do I motivate myself on Friday?
Friday will end up being just like every other day before it. You can bank that time does not wait for anyone, so remember that time is on your side no matter how difficult things seem to be. You can begin by choosing easy and less-pressuring tasks for a Friday and finish them to the best of your ability. Taking breaks and getting to know your team better is also a great activity for Fridays.
Wrapping up
I now look forward to Fridays because the weekend is finally here and because it’s the ideal time to learn new skills, strengthen existing relationships, and plan for the following week. Improving your overall productivity on Friday can prove to be highly beneficial for the individual as well as the company.
Following the ideas above will help you conclude the week positively, and you will enter the weekend comfortable and separated from work, knowing that you have everything under control!
FAQ
Fridays are generally a chill day at work but that does not mean I should not work. Everyone can get work done on a Friday provided you have the will. ProofHub is a brilliant online project management tool that combines your team members, projects, and clients together in one place. It comes with various features and an affordable pricing.Does anyone get work done on Friday?
How ProofHub Helps You Be More Productive?
