7 Productivity Tips for Friday Afternoon Career Advancement
It’s Friday afternoon and you, along with many of your peers and colleagues, are watching the minutes tick by on the clock until you can escape for the coming weekend. It’s a time for administration and all those tasks that have dropped to the bottom of your to-do list, with anything but the most pressing matters left until the start of the new week.
But in spite of the reputation Fridays might have as the least productive day of the week, it doesn’t mean they should be a total loss.
We’ve put together some productivity tips to turn your Fridays into a powerhouse of productivity and help you end your week on a high note. Try implementing even a few of these, you might be surprised at how much you can accomplish before the weekend arrives.
1. Complete Smaller Tasks
With the weekend stretching in front of you, you might feel less inclined to start a big project. You are not alone.
it’s common for your appetite for work to decrease on a Friday. To mitigate the ‘lazy Friday’ phenomenon, spend your day knocking out small jobs. Or, if this isn’t an option, break down bigger tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks. This will give you the satisfaction of completing tasks and feeling accomplished. You can even create a list and tick off tasks as you complete them.
Reviewing your ticked-off to-dos will serve as a positive reminder of all that you’ve achieved throughout the day.
2. Invest in your Professional Development
Carve out a little time for professional development by looking into conferences, workshops, or networking events you can attend in the coming months. This might include enrolling in an online course that interests you or aligns with your career goals.
Or take your learning online to platforms like Coursera, Udemy, or LinkedIn Learning, all of which offer a variety of topics, from career development to leadership. If you are not able to commit time to a course, consider joining professional forums or online communities related to your field. Simply participating in discussions can provide many valuable insights to support you in your career.
3. Reflect on the Week That Was
Fridays are a great time to reflect on your week’s accomplishments and set new goals for the following week. Perhaps you negotiated better terms or pricing with a supplier. Maybe you identified areas to reduce costs or add value. You might have even introduced new efficiencies or process improvements.
Reflect on some of the strategies that worked and how you can replicate them. You could do this solo or bounce ideas around with a colleague. Regular micro-goal sessions like this, even informally, will help you stay motivated during the following week.
4. Plan out the Next Week
Another productive way to end your week is to take those micro-goals and start planning for the upcoming week.
Tackling your to-do list on a Friday might not be appealing, but taking a moment to sit down and map out your tasks for the next week will pay dividends on Monday. Ask yourself what items or materials you might need, what meetings need to be scheduled or if there are any small items you can tick off to make it easier to get started next week.
Doing this will allow you to start Monday with a clear agenda, knowing exactly what you are doing and what needs to be completed. This way, you can be strategic about your time and energy, ensuring a focused and productive start to the week.
5. Spend at Least 10 Minutes ‘Playing with AI’
AI systems are improving every day, growing in power and capabilities at an exponential rate. With AI, particularly generative AI, having the potential to be applied in many areas of business, getting good at working with AI is going to be an important skill in the next few years – for work, education, and life too.
But you can’t do that if you don’t get on top of the learning curve, and keep up to date with AI’s many evolving use cases. Take at least ten minutes out of your week to experiment with AI and learn how it can support you in your role. If you’ve been putting this off, know that AI systems have gotten more capable and easier to use – even just over the last few months.
Chat GPT is a great platform for getting advice, summarising meeting transcriptions, generating ideas, discussing strategies and creating content. However, there are lots of other playful entry points. You can create songs, images, recipes or just have a conversation with the voice mode of an AI system. Playing with AI for just 10 minutes will allow you to see exactly what AI can and can’t do, how it can support you, where it falls flat and discover new ways you can use AI to improve your daily life.
6. Check in on LinkedIn
This might be something you slot in early in the week or do throughout your working days, but checking in on LinkedIn as your week is winding down will ensure you haven’t missed a beat. You could use this time to research job market trends and roles in procurement (and any advertised jobs that would help you on your career journey).
Or expand your professional network by sending connection requests with personalised messages to colleagues, industry leaders, and professionals you’ve met at conferences or events. Or simply just like, comment, and share relevant content to remain visible on the platform.
7. Prep your Workspace for Monday
Do future you a favour and give your workspace a quick tidy. Take a few minutes to declutter and set up for the following week by charging any devices, watering your desk plants and wiping down your desk. Sort through any loose papers, file important documents, and discard what you no longer need. This small effort on Friday will create a welcoming environment so you can start the next week on a positive note.
Don’t let Fridays get the better of you! Use these tips to boost your productivity and finish the week strong, while setting yourself up for a smooth and productive start to your next week.
