Speaker 1: Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the New Corner Office,
Speaker 1: the podcast where we share strategies for succeeding in the
Speaker 1: new world of work, where location and hours are more
Speaker 1: flexible than in the past. Today's tip is to not
Speaker 1: write off Friday afternoons. Yes, many people are sliding toward
Speaker 1: the weekend at that point, but whether you're in a
Speaker 1: traditional office or not, with a few new habits, you
Speaker 1: can turn Friday afternoons into some of your most productive
Speaker 1: hours of the week. Back before social distancing measures moved
Speaker 1: whole organizations into the virtual world, working from home was
Speaker 1: often a perk dulled out to people who had proven themselves.
Speaker 1: It would be doled out once a week, and inevitably
Speaker 1: on Fridays. Why Fridays because Fridays are almost universally perceived
Speaker 1: as the least product of day of the week. The
Speaker 1: thinking was that people who worked from home would not
Speaker 1: really be working, and so if you were going to
Speaker 1: lose a day, well, best to lose Fridays, since the
Speaker 1: opportunity cost would be lower. As someone who's worked out
Speaker 1: of a home office for decades, I think this is ridiculous.
Speaker 1: I've also coached people in general to ask for Wednesdays
Speaker 1: as they work from home day, since if you've got
Speaker 1: a terrible commute, it gives you a nice midweek break.
Speaker 1: But in any case, Fridays have never gotten a great
Speaker 1: reputation from a getting work done perspective. But as all
Speaker 1: sorts of routines and work styles are getting shaken up,
Speaker 1: I think it's a great idea to revisit Fridays. Here
Speaker 1: are a few things you should build into your Friday
Speaker 1: afternoons in order to turbocharge your productivity. First, take some
Speaker 1: time to plan on the week ahead. Don't wait for Monday,
Speaker 1: don't even wait for Sunday, that's your weekend. Instead, take
Speaker 1: some time on Friday to think about what you want
Speaker 1: to accomplish during the next Monday to Friday work week.
Speaker 1: What are your top priorities. What steps can you take
Speaker 1: toward your long term goals. Make a short list of
Speaker 1: these important but not urgent tasks and schedule them into
Speaker 1: your week. Then think about what has to happen logistically.
Speaker 1: How can you make sure that by next Friday you
Speaker 1: have accomplished whatever goals you've set for yourself. Then take
Speaker 1: a few minutes to look at what is already on
Speaker 1: your calendar. Sometimes we get scheduled for things that are
Speaker 1: no longer a top priority. Friday afternoon is a great
Speaker 1: time to get clarity on whether these things still need
Speaker 1: to happen. Don't wait until your two pm conference call
Speaker 1: starts on Tuesday to recognize that it's a waste of time.
Speaker 1: Think about your personal life too. Do you need to
Speaker 1: juggle kids zoom classes with your own video conferences? Can
Speaker 1: you schedule in a family walk or a virtual happy hour?
Speaker 1: You and your spouse need to sit down and talk
Speaker 1: about your finances. All of this deserves a place in
Speaker 1: the schedule. By having a plan in place for the
Speaker 1: next week, you can feel much more in control of
Speaker 1: your time and your life, something that's even more important
Speaker 1: in these turbulent times. If you work with a team,
Speaker 1: I'd also recommend having some sort of social ritual to
Speaker 1: close out the week. For those who are usually in offices,
Speaker 1: a late Friday lunch could work. If you schedule this
Speaker 1: at one thirty or two. Most people will drift out afterwards,
Speaker 1: but so what. They'll work until two or so and
Speaker 1: then have a nice way of celebrating what everyone has done.
Speaker 1: If you're virtual, you can do this celebration by video chat,
Speaker 1: give everyone a chance to talk about their victories and
Speaker 1: to give shout outs to other people. If you work
Speaker 1: by yourself, you can still do this. Look over your
Speaker 1: priority list for the previous week, the one you created
Speaker 1: the previous Friday, and celebrate all you accomplished. Hopefully it
Speaker 1: was a short enough list that every thing is crossed off.
Speaker 1: But by having some ritual to close out Friday with
Speaker 1: a celebratory drink if you'd like, or with a ten
Speaker 1: minute journaling session, you'll feel a sense of completion when
Speaker 1: work can be done at anytime and any place. This
Speaker 1: sense of closure can go a long way toward maintaining
Speaker 1: times for rest as well. How do you spend Friday afternoons.
Speaker 1: You can let me know at Laura at Laura Vanderkam
Speaker 1: dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening,
Speaker 1: and here's to succeeding in the New Corner Office. The
Speaker 1: New Corner Office is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts,
Speaker 1: visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get
Speaker 1: your favorite shows.