6 Essential Things To Do On Friday To Make Monday Morning Manageable

Wrap-Up the “Close-Outs”

While I wouldn’t recommend launching any big projects on a Friday, the end of the week is the perfect time to get closure on open projects that are essentially completed. Send out your final reports, ask for client feedback, file away the project documents, and do whatever else you need to do to clear the work from your slate.

Clean Up Your Computer

I may be alone in this, but I hate desktop icons. And of course, I download everything to my desktop. If I don’t stay on top of it, by the end of the week, I have a huge mess on my desktop to weed through. Friday can be the perfect time to delete the unneeded files and organize the valuable downloads, so you can clear your desktop and make room for the next week of incoming info.

Get a Handle on Your Inbox

Try to execute all of the action items sitting in your inbox on Friday. Many times, the pending e-mails you have waiting for your attention will take only a few minutes to act on. Then you can get them out of your way and off your mind for Monday.

Plan for the Following Week

You probably have a pretty lengthy list of projects and tasks in the works at any given time. It’s not realistic to plan to get everything done at once. Instead of rolling all of your tasks over to the next week, take time to plan and schedule your time so you can create a manageable work plan. This will also help you to create more focused and productive time when you return to the office after the weekend.

Make a List of the Biggest Priorities for Monday

Once you have your plan for the following week, separate out the most important things that need to be done on Monday. Then put the rest of the list away until those items are taken care of, or you reach the end of the day Monday. Then regroup and create a revised list for the next day.

Send Out Status Messages

Touch base with clients who may be waiting to hear back from you before you shut down on Friday. This quick status update, letting the client know where you are with the project and when they can expect to have more from you will alleviate some of the Monday morning pressure to bring everyone up to speed.

How do you wrap up your work week so Monday morning isn’t a total drain on you?