WEBVTT - The New Corner Office: Don’t write off Friday afternoons

0:00:05.680 --> 0:00:10.200
<v Speaker 1>Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the New Corner Office,

0:00:10.800 --> 0:00:13.760
<v Speaker 1>the podcast where we share strategies for succeeding in the

0:00:13.840 --> 0:00:17.920
<v Speaker 1>new world of work, where location and hours are more

0:00:17.960 --> 0:00:22.439
<v Speaker 1>flexible than in the past. Today's tip is to not

0:00:22.840 --> 0:00:27.560
<v Speaker 1>write off Friday afternoons. Yes, many people are sliding toward

0:00:27.600 --> 0:00:30.120
<v Speaker 1>the weekend at that point, but whether you're in a

0:00:30.160 --> 0:00:33.680
<v Speaker 1>traditional office or not, with a few new habits, you

0:00:33.720 --> 0:00:37.040
<v Speaker 1>can turn Friday afternoons into some of your most productive

0:00:37.040 --> 0:00:41.960
<v Speaker 1>hours of the week. Back before social distancing measures moved

0:00:42.040 --> 0:00:45.760
<v Speaker 1>whole organizations into the virtual world, working from home was

0:00:45.800 --> 0:00:49.400
<v Speaker 1>often a perk dulled out to people who had proven themselves.

0:00:50.280 --> 0:00:52.720
<v Speaker 1>It would be doled out once a week, and inevitably

0:00:52.880 --> 0:00:58.520
<v Speaker 1>on Fridays. Why Fridays because Fridays are almost universally perceived

0:00:58.800 --> 0:01:01.920
<v Speaker 1>as the least product of day of the week. The

0:01:02.080 --> 0:01:04.800
<v Speaker 1>thinking was that people who worked from home would not

0:01:05.080 --> 0:01:08.200
<v Speaker 1>really be working, and so if you were going to

0:01:08.240 --> 0:01:11.200
<v Speaker 1>lose a day, well, best to lose Fridays, since the

0:01:11.200 --> 0:01:15.399
<v Speaker 1>opportunity cost would be lower. As someone who's worked out

0:01:15.400 --> 0:01:17.880
<v Speaker 1>of a home office for decades, I think this is ridiculous.

0:01:18.680 --> 0:01:21.600
<v Speaker 1>I've also coached people in general to ask for Wednesdays

0:01:21.720 --> 0:01:24.080
<v Speaker 1>as they work from home day, since if you've got

0:01:24.160 --> 0:01:26.840
<v Speaker 1>a terrible commute, it gives you a nice midweek break.

0:01:27.720 --> 0:01:30.399
<v Speaker 1>But in any case, Fridays have never gotten a great

0:01:30.400 --> 0:01:35.119
<v Speaker 1>reputation from a getting work done perspective. But as all

0:01:35.120 --> 0:01:37.800
<v Speaker 1>sorts of routines and work styles are getting shaken up,

0:01:38.360 --> 0:01:42.400
<v Speaker 1>I think it's a great idea to revisit Fridays. Here

0:01:42.440 --> 0:01:44.479
<v Speaker 1>are a few things you should build into your Friday

0:01:44.520 --> 0:01:50.600
<v Speaker 1>afternoons in order to turbocharge your productivity. First, take some

0:01:50.680 --> 0:01:55.200
<v Speaker 1>time to plan on the week ahead. Don't wait for Monday,

0:01:55.400 --> 0:01:58.840
<v Speaker 1>don't even wait for Sunday, that's your weekend. Instead, take

0:01:58.920 --> 0:02:01.520
<v Speaker 1>some time on Friday to think about what you want

0:02:01.560 --> 0:02:04.640
<v Speaker 1>to accomplish during the next Monday to Friday work week.

0:02:05.400 --> 0:02:08.600
<v Speaker 1>What are your top priorities. What steps can you take

0:02:08.639 --> 0:02:11.800
<v Speaker 1>toward your long term goals. Make a short list of

0:02:11.840 --> 0:02:15.359
<v Speaker 1>these important but not urgent tasks and schedule them into

0:02:15.400 --> 0:02:19.720
<v Speaker 1>your week. Then think about what has to happen logistically.

0:02:20.600 --> 0:02:23.280
<v Speaker 1>How can you make sure that by next Friday you

0:02:23.320 --> 0:02:28.520
<v Speaker 1>have accomplished whatever goals you've set for yourself. Then take

0:02:28.560 --> 0:02:30.480
<v Speaker 1>a few minutes to look at what is already on

0:02:30.560 --> 0:02:33.840
<v Speaker 1>your calendar. Sometimes we get scheduled for things that are

0:02:33.880 --> 0:02:37.960
<v Speaker 1>no longer a top priority. Friday afternoon is a great

0:02:38.000 --> 0:02:40.960
<v Speaker 1>time to get clarity on whether these things still need

0:02:41.040 --> 0:02:44.639
<v Speaker 1>to happen. Don't wait until your two pm conference call

0:02:44.720 --> 0:02:48.200
<v Speaker 1>starts on Tuesday to recognize that it's a waste of time.

0:02:49.360 --> 0:02:52.120
<v Speaker 1>Think about your personal life too. Do you need to

0:02:52.200 --> 0:02:55.880
<v Speaker 1>juggle kids zoom classes with your own video conferences? Can

0:02:55.919 --> 0:02:58.920
<v Speaker 1>you schedule in a family walk or a virtual happy hour?

0:02:59.840 --> 0:03:01.680
<v Speaker 1>You and your spouse need to sit down and talk

0:03:01.720 --> 0:03:05.720
<v Speaker 1>about your finances. All of this deserves a place in

0:03:05.760 --> 0:03:08.160
<v Speaker 1>the schedule. By having a plan in place for the

0:03:08.200 --> 0:03:10.440
<v Speaker 1>next week, you can feel much more in control of

0:03:10.480 --> 0:03:14.160
<v Speaker 1>your time and your life, something that's even more important

0:03:14.200 --> 0:03:17.640
<v Speaker 1>in these turbulent times. If you work with a team,

0:03:17.720 --> 0:03:20.800
<v Speaker 1>I'd also recommend having some sort of social ritual to

0:03:20.919 --> 0:03:24.280
<v Speaker 1>close out the week. For those who are usually in offices,

0:03:24.800 --> 0:03:27.920
<v Speaker 1>a late Friday lunch could work. If you schedule this

0:03:28.000 --> 0:03:30.760
<v Speaker 1>at one thirty or two. Most people will drift out afterwards,

0:03:30.760 --> 0:03:33.280
<v Speaker 1>but so what. They'll work until two or so and

0:03:33.320 --> 0:03:35.800
<v Speaker 1>then have a nice way of celebrating what everyone has done.

0:03:36.680 --> 0:03:40.240
<v Speaker 1>If you're virtual, you can do this celebration by video chat,

0:03:40.960 --> 0:03:43.640
<v Speaker 1>give everyone a chance to talk about their victories and

0:03:43.720 --> 0:03:47.080
<v Speaker 1>to give shout outs to other people. If you work

0:03:47.080 --> 0:03:50.160
<v Speaker 1>by yourself, you can still do this. Look over your

0:03:50.160 --> 0:03:53.440
<v Speaker 1>priority list for the previous week, the one you created

0:03:53.440 --> 0:03:58.320
<v Speaker 1>the previous Friday, and celebrate all you accomplished. Hopefully it

0:03:58.400 --> 0:04:00.960
<v Speaker 1>was a short enough list that every thing is crossed off.

0:04:01.720 --> 0:04:04.880
<v Speaker 1>But by having some ritual to close out Friday with

0:04:04.920 --> 0:04:07.480
<v Speaker 1>a celebratory drink if you'd like, or with a ten

0:04:07.480 --> 0:04:12.119
<v Speaker 1>minute journaling session, you'll feel a sense of completion when

0:04:12.120 --> 0:04:15.560
<v Speaker 1>work can be done at anytime and any place. This

0:04:15.720 --> 0:04:19.360
<v Speaker 1>sense of closure can go a long way toward maintaining

0:04:19.400 --> 0:04:24.320
<v Speaker 1>times for rest as well. How do you spend Friday afternoons.

0:04:24.800 --> 0:04:27.919
<v Speaker 1>You can let me know at Laura at Laura Vanderkam

0:04:28.440 --> 0:04:33.400
<v Speaker 1>dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening,

0:04:33.880 --> 0:04:40.599
<v Speaker 1>and here's to succeeding in the New Corner Office. The

0:04:40.680 --> 0:04:45.039
<v Speaker 1>New Corner Office is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts,

0:04:45.320 --> 0:04:48.880
<v Speaker 1>visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get

0:04:48.920 --> 0:04:49.719
<v Speaker 1>your favorite shows.