Happy Friday Everyone!
It’s that time again and to celebrate we’re going to explore why everyone’s favourite day of the working week has such a bad reputation for unproductivity. Whilst we’re all familiar with the idea of ‘winding down for the weekend’; are Fridays genuinely unproductive or simply, just more relaxed?
Throughout this post we’ll be taking a look at findings from three recent surveys before outlining four fabulous tips to make your Fridays fantastically productive.
Unsurprisingly, two of the three UK-based organisations researched, listed Friday as their least productive day of the week in terms of ‘tasks created and completed’. Furthermore, over 50% of respondents believed that productivity is at its lowest point between 14:30 and 17:00. Interestingly, the third company ranked Friday as its SECOND most productive day behind usual suspect, Tuesday. A combination of a less hectic schedule, a lack of distractions such as meetings and reduced stress levels were the key reasons behind their end of week output surge.
Have you got that productive #FridayFeeling yet? Fear not, here are those four fabulous tips to end your working week on high:
Clear the Decks – Fridays provide a great opportunity to tie up any loose ends and complete those niggling tasks that you haven’t managed to get around to all week. When you arrive at the office on Friday morning, create a ‘to do’ list of everything that you’ve been putting off and check them off one by one. There’s nothing like kicking off the weekend with a sense of accomplishment!
Complete the Most Difficult Task First – Sometimes it can be hard to get going on a Friday morning, after all, you’ve reached the end of a long, hard week and you’re ready for a break. Once the most difficult task is out of the way, it’s all plain sailing from here on in.
EMBRACE the Dreaded Friday Afternoon Slump – Despite their best efforts, many employees are statistically less productive and more prone to procrastination on Friday afternoons. To combat the slump, set aside Friday afternoon for tasks that are more invigorating or enjoyable. If you have any new projects on the horizon, use the time for brainstorming and creative thinking.
Plan Ahead – Trust me, you’ll thank yourself for this on Monday morning! Just before you merrily skip out of the office to start your weekend, use your last few minutes at work to prepare for the week ahead. It doesn’t have to be chapter and verse, simply make a note of your top priorities, fast approaching deadlines, upcoming meetings or anything else that you may wish to include. Come Monday, you’ll already be ahead of the game!
With Ceequel® Employee Management Software, your most productive day of the week is EVERYDAY!
If you would like to learn more about our award-winning time and attendance solutions, please contact ELF Productivity.