Time Management – Be Productive Even Though It’s Friday

If you’re suffering from a Friday slump, you’re not alone. Many of us find the last day of the working week a bit of a struggle, particularly those of us who work in offices with a Dress Down Friday culture and are already in our weekend clothes. It’s surprising how much of a difference a change of clothes can make!

Anyway, slump or no, you still have 20% of the working week to go and it’s time to pull your socks up and make the most of it. That may seem like we’re being harsh but, really, we want you to be able to start your weekend at 5pm sharp. What are your plans? Pub? Shopping? Family time?

Whatever this weekend has in store for you, be productive this Friday and get as much time off as possible.

4 Tips for Friday Productivity

• It’s too late for this one today, but try it from next week. Adjust the time you leave home in the morning (and possibly the office in the evening) to avoid as much traffic or public transport congestion as you can. Don’t waste time travelling.
• Try to avoid planning meetings for Friday afternoons. Use the time to tie up loose ends and finish off the week’s tasks and projects instead.
• Make the most of the quieter day to get more done. Having fewer people in the office and on the telephone means you will be subjected to fewer distractions. Always use this to your advantage.
• Finish Friday afternoon by planning for next week. Not only will it round your week off nicely, it will also make Monday morning a slightly less bleak prospect!

Don’t think this doesn’t apply to you if you don’t work a standard 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday job. 5pm on Friday may not be that magical “start of weekend” time, but applying these tips to the last day of your working week will be just as beneficial if it’s a Tuesday, Wednesday or Sunday!

cushion the impact  provides award winning personal and virtual assistance and customised lifestyle management for hard working and hard living individuals and small business owners.  We know there aren’t enough hours in the day, so let us help you live an organised, efficient, & fulfilling life. Take a deep breath & call us today.  Your personal service awaits!!

 

Time Management – Top 5 Tips for Avoiding Pre-Holiday Stress

With Susan having spent the past few days getting work in order before the schools break up for the summer, we thought now was a great time to re-visit this blog from June 2013.

It’s almost time for the schools to break up and thousands of us to take off on our annual summer holiday. Is the anticipation of the holiday you have been planning for months matched by panic about not getting everything done at work, forgetting to pack something essential or turning up at the airport on the wrong day? When you have as much as this on your mind, it is easy to slip into panic mode and we all know very little is achieved when that happens.

Of course, there are some people who don’t seem to experience pre-holiday stress but, in our experience, most people suffer from it to some degree. What you worry about will vary from person to person but the tactics for banishing the worry are applicable to all.

Our five top tips for avoiding pre-holiday stress should help to make the days leading up to your holiday a far less painful time. Our regular time management blogs and newsletters can help you keep on top of things too, sign up here.

Prioritise

No matter how fantastic your time management and organisational skills are, you are likely to find it difficult to get everything done before you turn on your out of office message and set off on your travels.

This is fine.

You don’t need to do everything on your lengthy to-do list, but you need to do the important tasks.

Prioritising your work will let you see what absolutely must get done, what can wait until you get back, or be delegated to a colleague or virtual/personal assistant or lifestyle manager (who might that be?!).

Be strict with yourself – what really must get done before you leave?

Delegate

That prioritisation activity leads nicely on to your next stress-avoidance technique – delegation.

Nobody is a super-hero and there is no shame in passing tasks to someone else, sometimes someone who is better suited to dealing with the tasks. Once you have decided what is most important, sort them into those you must do yourself and those which can be delegated.

Next, for each task, decide who can help you, who would benefit from helping you and who would appreciate more experience? Either ask someone in your office or delegate to an outside organisation (we hear there’s a great company called cushion the impact which can help!).

Go Easy on Yourself

You might find it tempting to work straight through in an attempt to get everything done before you leave but it doesn’t help. Working too many hours will leave you tired, unmotivated and unproductive. Take regular short breaks to refresh your mind and renew your energy, even five minutes to grab a cup of tea or walk around the office can make a considerable difference. 

Avoid Distractions

If you’re like the majority of our clients, you are torn on your last day of work before a holiday. On one hand, you want to finish as much work as possible but, on the other, you (and hands up, we can be like that here too!) are already mentally on holiday and don’t feel like focusing on work.

Sadly, as you are still at work, you do need to get things done. While you are in that pre-holiday mood, you will be more easily distracted than normal so make sure to remove anything which could be used as a procrastination tool.

Switch your mobile phone to silent and put it in a drawer; turn off your email notifications (do that anyway); use an application to block your access to Facebook, Twitter – whatever it takes to make you work, do it!

Create Another To-Do List

This is not one to get done during work time (and it is definitely not one to be used to procrastinate!) but making a note of everything you need to pack and do before you travel will make your preparations run more smoothly.

Whether you prefer to jot your ideas on a sheet of paper, type a note on your smart phone; a checklist makes everything easier.

If you have developed your own strategies for coping with pre-holiday stress, we would love to hear from you.  Please leave a comment below or drop us a line to let us know how you manage that dreaded last day in the office.

cushion the impact  provides award winning personal and virtual assistance, customised lifestyle management, small business support and time management help for hard working and hard living individuals and small business owners.  There aren’t enough hours in the day, so let us help you live an organised, efficient, & fulfilling life, at home or at work or both! Take a deep breath & call us today, your life will change.