5
Things To Do This Weekend To Make Monday The Most Productive Day Of The Week
Setting yourself up
for a productive workweek doesn't mean squeezing more work in, it can be about
daydreaming and sleeping in.
Want to be more productive? Tried and true advice often includes
making detailed lists, setting aside blocks of time, and minimizing
distractions, but when it comes to the weekend, productivity experts say those
tasks can and should go out the window.
"One of the best ways to
actually be primed for a great week ahead is to take the time to
recharge," says Lori Scherwin, founder of the management and productivity
consulting firm Strategize That. "When we
enjoy our weekends, we go back to work refreshed, focused, and feeling more
balanced and less resentful."
During the week, we look to company policies that help us with
work-life balance, but on the weekend, you’re in control. Here are five things
you should do to set yourself up for a productive workweek:
Issues that you face and problems
that you have will still be on your desk Monday morning, says Debbie Good,
clinical assistant professor of business administration at the University of
Pittsburgh’s Katz Graduate School of Business.
And leaving work at work has an added benefit of time and
perspective: "If you do have issues to resolve and are unsure how to
handle them, sleep on it for the weekend," she says. "Just like when
you have writer’s block and sleep on it and the next morning the words just
flow, so too will the resolutions to your problems if you step away from them
for the weekend."
The optimal amount of sleep for
energy and wellness is seven to eight hours each night, according to the study published in the medical
journal Sleep, but more than 40% of adults report are getting
less than that each night.
We’re not getting sufficient rest, and that affects our
productivity, says Good. "Work on getting your six to eight hours on the
weekend," she says. "You will find yourself refreshed and ready to be
productive come Monday morning."
Weekends are the time for
high-quality recharging activities, says productivity coach Nicole Bandes. "This may look like a favorite hobby or even vegging out in
front of the TV, as long as it is done with intention," she says.
"Taking time for ourselves allows us to feel more relaxed, less stressed,
and more prepared to take on the week to come."
"Taking time for ourselves
allows us to feel more relaxed, less stressed, and more prepared to take on the
week to come."
Vacations rejuvenate us, adds Good. "Let each weekend be a
mini-vacation. It will relax you and make you ready to return to a productive
workweek," she says.
Spending time with family and friends will often give you an added
boost; the people we care about are often a refuge, says Good. "They
refresh us and make us ready to face another week of work," she says.
While recharging is the point of weekends, you will set up your
week for success by creating a plan, says Bandes. "What will you
accomplish this week that will move you toward your personal and professional
goals?" she asks. "Without a great plan, it is easy to get
overwhelmed and fall into reaction mode instead of being proactive with your
time."
Keep yourself on track for
productivity throughout the week by taking 30 minutes on Sunday night to set
goals for the week, suggests Sam McIntire, founder of Deskbright, an online
learning platform that teaches work skills.
"Tune out of work so that
you ultimately tune in better."
"Write these goals down on a Post-it note or piece of paper
that's clearly visible from your desk," he says. "And when you find
yourself wandering or spending time nonproductively, return to your list to
remind yourself what you should be working on. Oftentimes, the simple act of
writing down goals helps direct your attention and keeps you sharp all day
long."
Scherwin prefers taking an hour on Friday afternoon to plan for
the next week rather than letting this task spill into the weekend. "It
may sound counterintuitive, but it works so well—tune out of work so that you
ultimately tune in better," she says.
Weekday activities are often
"deep in the weeds," managing the day-to-day and measuring time in
hours or days, but weekends are a great time to pull back, says Frances
Schagen, founder of the online networking community Business Owners Success Club.
"Think in terms of months, even years," she says.
"We have to continually remember why we are doing what we are doing. We
can only do long-range strategic thinking when we think in longer time
scales."
Schagen recommends combining
long-term planning with short-term leisure by going for a hike while thinking
strategically from a high-level perspective. In fact, a study done at
Stanford University found that walking boosts creative thinking.
STEPHANIE VOZZA
https://www.fastcompany.com/3060260/your-most-productive-self/5-things-to-do-this-weekend-to-make-monday-the-most-productive-day
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