How to Wrap Up Your Friday, So You’re Ready for Monday    

It’s a common problem. You spend all of Friday looking forward to the weekend — and then waste a good chunk of your weekend worrying about getting back to work on Monday. How can you break this cycle?

First, it’s important to realize that you aren’t alone. One LinkedIn survey showed that eight out of 10 workers experience a phenomenon known as the “Sunday scaries” — a rush of anxiety that comes as a new workweek comes into view. This creates unnecessary stress and undermines your ability to enjoy your time off.

One way to minimize this dread comes from finding the right job. A top recruiter, like SmartTalent, can connect you with positions that represent a perfect fit with your skills and background. Reach out to SmartTalent to find jobs you’ll look forward to doing every day.

Even in the ideal position, a sense of unpreparedness can fuel the Sunday scaries. You can chip away at this anxiety by ending your workweek with a few habits that set you up for the following week. With that in mind, here’s how to wrap up your Friday, so you’re ready for Monday:

Schedule Some Friday Preparation Time

Don’t overbook your Fridays. A packed schedule will leave you stressed and unprepared headed into the weekend. Instead, leave a few hours open to finish up the week’s pending work and prepare for next week. This will give you some flex time to apply as needed.

Try to Finish Your Weekly To-Do List

Are there any lingering goals that you wanted to complete this week? You might not be able to tie up every loose end in the final hours on Friday. But some of your late-week flex time could help you keep items from carrying over to Monday.

Look Ahead to Next Week’s Calendar

Make a game plan for next week. Check-in on your calendar and see what items are hovering on the horizon. This will let you set priorities as you begin looking ahead.

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Get Organized

During a hectic week, things can get disorganized. Your computer has dozens of tabs open. You have partially finished reports just waiting for a final polish. Notes and other documents are waiting to be properly labeled and stored.

Going into the weekend, clean up this mess, both for physical paperwork and digital files. Here are some specific tasks to consider:

• Clean out your inbox
• Finish any pending paperwork
• Organize documents/files
• Tidy up your physical space

Review Progress on Your Long-Term Goals

Fridays shouldn’t just be about closing out your weekly work and looking ahead to the next five working days. Take stock of your longer-term goals as well. This includes larger projects for your employer, as well as your broader career ambitions. Chart how well you progressed over the previous week, and think about how you can accelerate your momentum next week.

Set Objectives for Next Week

You’ve reviewed your scheduled events for next week and assessed your long-term goals. Now, you can build a concrete plan around those items. You can begin to sketch out a to-do list to begin tackling on Monday.

This will necessarily be a preliminary outline (you need to stay flexible about whatever comes next week). But this preliminary schedule will give you a solid starting point, so you can hit the ground running come Monday morning.

Enjoy Your Weekend

Once you hit quitting time on Friday, look for some fun activities to fill your weekend. Even if you need to do a little business, don’t make Saturday and Sunday a complete extension of the workweek. Get some rest and relaxation so you have the optimal headspace heading into Monday.

SmartTalent makes it easy to enjoy both your weekend and your workweek. You’ll find the perfect match for your skills and background, pushing your career forward by increasing your professional satisfaction.

Contact SmartTalent today to discover your ideal landing spot.