Seven simple tips to prepare for a positive and productive week ahead
Since the pandemic, the working world has shifted with many people still working from home or in a hybrid setup, this means that we’re not so focused at the start of the week on the commute but are more likely to think about how to get the most out of the hours available.
Here are seven easy ways to ensure that you have a brilliant week ahead wherever you are working from.
1. Be clear about how many hours of work you really have available and plan accordingly
With a digital or good old-fashioned paper spreadsheet, methodically work through your list of items to complete and give them realistic deadlines. Rate each project in order of importance and then work your way through the list to see realistically how long each task will take looking at each of the elements involved. The few minutes it will take you to run through each project will mean that you can be clear about how much time you must spend and may need to get rid of a task completely if it’s not productive to your project or you may need to shift items back to the following week.
2. Make sure that you include downtime every day
It may be tempting to power through the week and reward yourself at the end of it but guaranteed you’ll be too tired to even care when that time comes around. Every day be sure that you have put an hour aside to completely unwind and focus on yourself. This does not mean putting the washing out or loading the dishwasher, this is time that you spend relaxing whether that be seeing friends, painting a watercolour, reading another chapter or two of your favourite book or getting through the next episode of your latest TV series. It is important for positivity and creativity to unwind completely so that you don’t get burnt out and that you feel refreshed and looking forward to the following day.
3. Take time to physically clear away clutter
Even if you have no problem at all working with papers and files surrounding you it is always in your peripheral vision. By sorting papers into files and finding a dedicated place for them you will save a ton of time in the long-term by being able to put your hands on what you need. In fact, once you start sorting through them you may find you actually don’t need those items at all and they can be recycled. A clear space will be less distracting and reduces stress and disorganisation which can lose you precious time from your working week.
4. Go in with a positive mindset
Start the week as you mean to go on and if there is a task you are dreading, set enough time aside to tackle it early. The reason for this is that it will be like ripping off a plaster, it’s painful for a few moments and then you forget about it. Plus you’ll find that the satisfaction of having completed it will fill you with such positivity that the rest of the week will instantly seem much easier. If you are unsure about working on something that seems to be stumping you or draining all your energy, talk to a trusted friend or coach who can look at it with fresh eyes and make some suggestions of working on it in a way you hadn’t seen.
5. Set up healthy habits
When work is stressful it’s tempting to start eating or drinking what we know we shouldn’t whether it’s for a sugar kick or to unwind. However, this just ends up as a distraction and by making a positive effort to look after yourself will mean that you will maintain higher levels of energy needed to get through the week. This can be taking more exercise, making sure you drink sufficient amounts of water or take a bigger interest in the ingredients in food and try to cut down on items, such as sugar, that can give an instant boost but then a crash which makes motivation harder. Be sure to factor in 10 or 15 minute breaks throughout the day to stretch or take a walk just to get the circulation going and think about something else for a moment, a change of pace and scene often leads to the most creative thoughts popping up.
6. Work out a time management system that works for you and your lifestyle
There are companies that impress on staff that they alone are responsible for their working day and how it looks if they deliver the results needed on time. There are others that need staff to check in regularly for updates and debriefs. It depends on what you feel comfortable and most productive with. If you know that you do well working in short bursts then look at something like ‘The Pomodoro Technique’ which involves setting a timer to work for a ‘Pomodoro’ stretch of time which is 25 minutes per session. Once each Pomodoro is complete you take a short break of five minutes. Then once you’ve completed four of these Pomodoro sessions in succession you take a longer break of 15 mins.
Alternatively, there is something like Time Blocking where you work out how long a project will take and then give it a specific time of day to be completed. This helps not to be distracted and can be easier to visualise when looking at the to-do list.
Another technique is The Eisenhower Matrix, which is where you split the tasks into four different areas running from urgent to not important. This means that you can start with the important and impactful projects first and focus your time and energy on tackling them so that you know they’ll be completed on time.
7. Always have something to look forward to at the end of every week
Even if you love your job more than life itself it’s important that you separate work from home otherwise it will feel like a constant routine with no beginning or end. By making the effort to set up something fun and relaxing to look forward to, such as going to a play you’re excited about, an evening catching up with friends or just an hour in the bath uninterrupted, you will feel fantastic when you get to that time knowing that your relaxation and fun is setting the reset button which can only work towards a brilliantly productive week to follow.
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