A Sunday Well Spent Brings a Week of Content ~ Proverb
Last week I shared with you the concept of “No Meeting Mondays.” So I can start the week off right and get things done, I do my best to resist any meetings on Mondays. In order to ensure that come Monday I’m in fact making the most of my time, I’ve gotten in the habit of one other important practice, one I call: Follow-up Fridays.
Because I’m usually pretty beat by the end of the week, maintaining productivity on Fridays is usually a challenge. Prior to having a family, this wasn’t a big deal because I could “make up” for lost time over the weekend. Now, because I want to save my weekends for family, long-standing friends, faith, and self, it’s crucial I make the most of my work week right up to the very end.
Notwithstanding that I need to figure out how to maintain my energy level through Fridays, for now, I block off time in the afternoons to follow up on open items and set the stage for the following week. This activity doesn’t require a whole lot of mental energy provided I actually schedule it in in my calendar, and it’s something I manage to do just about every week regardless of where I am or how tired I feel.
Three ways this process has benefitted me:
- Because I’ve got it scheduled on my calendar every week, I never find myself looking to “kill time” as the day draws to a close.
- By formally “closing out the week,” not only am I able to enjoy my weekends and recharge, but I no longer get Sunday night panic attacks like I used to.
- “Follow-up Fridays” serves as the perfect compliment to “No Meeting Mondays” because when Monday rolls around, I am primed for productivity and getting the right things done.
Your staff will also benefit from the process because they will be spared from contending with the product of your late Sunday night ruminations (er, panic attacks). Indeed, nothing like a slew of 2 am emails to take your staff off their game come Monday morning.
Next week, I’ll share the specifics of the formal process I use to close out my week. Until then, so you can put work “on hold” and enjoy your weekend, consider scheduling some time tomorrow to follow-up on open items and set the stage for next week.
In the meantime, I’ll leave you with “Hard Work” in which Christopher Paul Stelling notes:
Only one thing needs remembering if we’re all to be fine – that’s to work real hard, try not to complain, till that sweet love makes me whole again.
The song, which I’ve left you with below and have added to the ever expanding and eclectic Manufacturing Peace of Mind™ playlist, is off of Stellings fantastic album Labor Against Waste. Be a great album to take along on a summer roadtrip!
Cheers…xian
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