3 Ways to be Productive During a Short Work Week
The short work week. The double edge sword.
Who doesn’t love having an extra day to sleep in, spend time with family and friends, or travel? As much as we love that extra day off, when we return to the office it still feels like a Monday. It can oftentimes take a little bit to get moving but we can’t waste time because we are already a day behind. No worries. I outlined a few things that you can try to implement into your day to stay on point and on schedule.
Three ways to make the most of a short work week
1. Knock out the emails
Emails are one of the things that can consume a large part of our time. It is difficult to stay focused and get through all of them in a timely fashion. A while back, I read a story on how a c-level executive handles emails upon returning from vacation or a long weekend. She puts all her emails in a folder and never looks at them. She said if someone needed her bad enough, they’ll email her again. Makes me laugh thinking about that. If only I could survive with that strategy. Till then, take an hour, go to a quiet place, put on your headphones and knock out your emails. Move emails that aren’t a priority to a folder and deal with them at a later time.
Shop Blazers
2. Put away your phone
Our phones are distracting. If you don’t have to be on your phone for work, put it away. It’s impossible to concentrate when you have alerts consistently going off. I know it’s hard to be away from your phone and believe me, I get separation anxiety as well. But try it for thirty minutes or even an hour and just start hammering away at work tasks. It will get easier over time, I promise.
3. Make a LIST
Before heading out for the night, make a list of the things that need to be done the following day. Again, prioritize the things that must get done as soon as you get into the office. When you walk into the office the next morning, start working your way through that list! Anything that doesn’t get done, be sure to add it to the next day’s to do’s. Don’t get into the habit of saying, “Oh, I’ll just do that tomorrow.” We all do it, myself included. However, if you consistently push tasks forward, it will just make life much more difficult trying to stay on top of everything.
Shop Trousers
Would love to learn some of the ways you make the most out of a four day work week. Please share in the comments below!
WHBM Blazer | Topshop Cami | WHBM Trousers | Chanel Bag | Christian Louboutin Heels
Shop this Look
xo, Olivia
Love the detail on those pants, Olivia! Great tips–but geez, who the heck does this c-level executive work for that they can just put their emails in a folder and forget them??? LOL It reminds me of when I worked at Michael Kors and one of my co workers told me about their “someday” folder, which is where they put emails that they planned to respond to “someday”, which basically meant never! I was shocked! And then my shocked quickly turned bad when I realized I had emailed them on multiple occasions and never got a response. From them on, I did things old school and picked up the phone, but always followed up with an email for my own paper trail 😉 lol
Hi Fallon! I hear ya and I too subscribe to picking up the phone whenever possible! Eliminates so much back and forth online.
This work look is amazing, Olivia! Love your tips too. My work week is EXTRA short – as in 1 and a half days – since I’m leaving for London tomorrow 😉
Pink Champagne Problems
Thanks Dana! Have so much fun! I miss London.
These are great tips. I’m all about lists! I also like to block off times on my calendar for when I need to get through emails or my to-do list(s) with minimal distractions.
P.S. – I love reading your career/work-life insights. It makes your blog even more relatable!
Thanks so much! Yes, I do the time blocks as well. Usually first thing in the morning and the last 30min-hour before I go home.
Love this look! Now I want a white jacket as well!
But seriously, I could never make a ‘someday’ folder! 😛
I know. The “someday” folder can be daunting but time sometimes forces my hand. Emails drive me crazy.
New to your blog Olivia and loving it! Can’t believe I just only found it !
One of the things I do to keep my productivity at top level is ‘eat that frog’ every morning (for breakfast….eww). Getting done with the most important things for the day first thing in the morning works great for me.
Two reasons. 1. I’ve got my s**t done. 2. Gives me this sense of achievement early on in the day which is a great motivation for the rest of my day.
Here were my two cents 🙂
PS: I just made a ‘reply someday’ folder ha ha, feeling so relieved for some reason lol
Hi Shubi!! Welcome to the blog!!
Oh, can you motivate me to get back to the gym (crying face!). Agree, achievement is a great motivation. Love your two cents! Thanks so much for sharing. It’s a good motivation.
Aahahaha. Yea, just get them out of the inbox. Fresh start. I try to keep my inbox down to 15 emails before I go to bed. That’s why I think it’s ok to email some if you haven’t heard from there, you never know what happened to your email.
Have a wonderful day and please come back and chat anytime!!
xo, Olivia