It’s Friday afternoon and the weekend seems so close, but yet so far away. For many working moms, Friday bring both anticipation of some downtime and anxiety about everything still left on the to-do list.
Today, we focus on three tactics our contributors use to help them end the week on the upswing:
– Write it down.
– Wrap it up.
– Walk it out.
Write it down. Yes, there may still be things hanging around on that to-do list you started on Monday, but there are probably even more things on your mental list. Do a brain dump and get everything that you are hanging onto from this week onto paper or in a digital list. You can include the to-dos that haven’t yet been to-done, as well as all the other items you can recall when you take a minute to stop and think. Having all of your tasks documented will allow you to sort them into things you need to knock out before the weekend and things that can wait until next week.
Wrap it up. Once you have your final list in hand, take a look at any items that need to be prioritized and do those first. Then attack anything that looks like it will take 20 minutes or less. Sometimes crossing a few smaller to-dos off the list can help us feel a sense of accomplishment and can give us some momentum to keep going during those last few hours of the work week. If you can swing it, it also helps to get in the habit of protecting an hour in your calendar each Friday to clear out anything small that’s been hanging on. You can often finish up three or four things by just protecting that one hour.
Walk it out. Whether you can sneak in a short break in the morning or afternoon, can schedule a walking meeting, or can allocate part of your lunch time, you will feel refreshed and ready to focus once you have some steps in. Grab a co-worker to talk and walk, or go solo and put on some music or take in the sights. Even a short break from the computer and your normal work environment can have a remarkable impact on your attitude.
Cheers to finishing another work week! Let’s send it out on a high note.
~ Colleen
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