This is to help you picture a happy destination at the end of each week. When you finish working 5 days, you’ll get to rest for 2 days, and when you think of these 2 days like a vacation, you’ll start to think, “what do you need to get done before heading off on vacation?” Having this mindset will help you set priorities and get the most important tasks, including the remaining tasks from previous week, done. Sometimes, it might mean that you have to work ahead of schedule to keep things moving while you’re gone.
1. Think of weekend like a vacation
This is to help you picture a happy destination at the end of each week. When you finish working 5 days, you’ll get to rest for 2 days, and when you think of these 2 days like a vacation, you’ll start to think, “what do you need to get done before heading off on vacation?” Having this mindset will help you set priorities and get the most important tasks, including the remaining tasks from previous week, done. Sometimes, it might mean that you have to work ahead of schedule to keep things moving while you’re gone.
Try to set aside time each Friday to work or plan ahead for the following week on what you’re going to do. Doing this will help you feel more relaxed on Sunday with a sense of (stocked up) progress that you’re not behind on your work. Oftentimes, the reason for thinking about work during weekend is due to heavy workload and the feeling of not having enough time to finish everything. Take Yuri Elkaim, the founder and CEO of Healthpreneur, for instance. He takes it as far as to write out all of his emails on Friday before for the following week to save himself time.
2. Create next week’s to do list and to don’t list
Sunday scaries or the anxiety of facing the upcoming work week often comes from thinking about all the tasks that you have to complete. By planning ahead and prioritize your next week’s tasks can help, which you should also schedule a rough deadline in advance to keep yourself on track. The benefits of using a to-do list is that it helps you focus better, stops you from multitasking, and become more productive at work. At the same time, it helps you see a clearer picture on what you have to do to get each task done. Another useful tool is an online calendar which can be used as a reminder for the tasks that need to be completed.
On the other hand, using a to-don’t list can also be helpful. A to-don’t list is a list of unimportant things or the things to let go of because they’re time-consuming and not beneficial to your overall work. Listing out what not to do is a good reminder to prevent yourself from wasting time.
3. Set and achieve micro goals
Setting micro goals for each week can help you achieve bigger goals easier such as big projects. The first step is to include these micro goals into your to-do list. You can start by listing out bigger tasks or projects that need to be completed as the main bullet points, and under these main bullet points, you can list out sub-bullet points on the steps that you need to take to get things done such as who to contact, what information is required, etc.
As these micro goals is the key to achieving bigger goals, it’s important to plan carefully on how to spend your time on Friday. The most productive way to spend your Friday is to complete the prior week’s goals and set micro further goals for the following week. For any tasks that can be completed ahead of schedule, it’s best to do so. When you’re able to achieve micro goals at the end of each week, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment, which can help put your mind at ease on the weekend. The most important thing to remember is to set a clear boundary between your work and personal life, and make sure that you give your best at work because when you do, you’ll be able to complete more tasks and have more time to do other things.
4. Set your shutdown time at work
It might be difficult to set a clear work-life boundary, especially for those who are still working from home as there’s no one to track or monitor your work like at the office. Therefore, having self-discipline and time management skills are essential to increasing your productivity at work. Being able to be productive at work can help you complete your tasks faster, but of course, everyone has good days and bad days. When having bad days, you might not be able to be as productive at work as you’d hope, which is alright because resting can make all the difference.
Working 8 hours a day or more can make you feel exhausted, so setting specific working hours, be it at home or at the office, can prevent you from getting stuck in the loop of overworking and overthinking about work. For instance, if you plan to stop working at 7.00 pm, stick to it and turn off all the notifications related to work such as emails, online platforms or Line.
However, it should also be mentioned that there may be times when you may not be able to finish work precisely on time because you have an urgent task coming in. In this case, adjusting your mindset, finding time to rest or setting time for breaks during the day, or working at a place that you like can help make you feel better at work.
References
JobThai (2021, Aug 30). “เลิกงานแล้ว แต่ทำไมสมองยังคิดถึงแต่เรื่องงาน.” https://blog.jobthai.com/career-tips/เลิกงานแล้ว-แต่ทำไมสมองยังคิดถึงแต่เรื่องงาน#1.%20Default%20Mode%20Network%20ในสมอง%20ทำให้เผลอคิดเรื่องงานตลอดเวลา.
Mautz, Scott (2019, July 26). “3 Things to Do at Work on Friday to Ensure You Have a Low-Stress Weekend, According to These Hyper-Productive CEOS.” Inc.com, Inc. https://www.inc.com/scott-mautz/3-things-to-do-at-work-on-friday-to-ensure-you-have-a-low-stress-weekend-according-to-these-hyper-productive-ceos.html.
About the Writer
Duanmanus Waraphaskul
Mental Health Consultant
M.A. Psychology in Education, Teachers College, Columbia University
