Finish your work week strong with these productive Friday habits! These are eight things to do on Friday that will pay off and improve your life in more ways than you can imagine!
Another Friday of yet another stressful week rolls by, and you just can’t wait to plunge into the weekend. You’re so tired you don’t even want to think about anything more than binging your favorite show on Netflix. (Fine, maybe it’s just me, I’m the loser!)
Well, if you desperately want to get your life in order, start a new Friday routine. It might be the end of the work week, but Friday can be a great opportunity to start fresh.
Any day is, but today, we’re focusing specifically on Friday habits that will help you gain clarity and release stress. This way you can fully enjoy your weekend instead of worrying about next week’s to-do list.
1. Review last week
Did you do a presentation in front of your whole company that you think didn’t go well? Or maybe you had a big fight with your partner? Or, on a more positive note, perhaps you got a new job offer?
You probably already have some goals in place, well, Friday afternoon is an excellent time to assess your progress. How did you do? Have you started going to the gym three times a week as you planned a while ago? Did you finally sign up for Spanish lessons? Have you been working on your business?
Whatever happened from Monday to Friday, take some time to reflect on it. What were the wins, what were the losses? Is there something you learned from these experiences?
2. Express gratitude
Add being grateful and saying so to the list of productive Friday habits! This one can transform your well-being.
Expressing gratitude can be beneficial for you in many ways. For example, people who count their blessing experience more positive emotions, feel more satisfied with their lives, and even sleep better. All of these outcomes could impact your relationships and professional development positively.
So when you’re reviewing last week, make sure to take notice of the good in your life. Whether you write in a journal or mentally in your head, it doesn’t matter. The act of gratitude and appreciation is important. If you find out that you enjoy doing this, you can make this a daily practice too!
3. Establish goals for next week
After finishing your gratitude practice, choose three to five things you will focus on during the next week. This is, in my opinion, among the must-do productive Friday habits!
Setting short-term goals, like on a weekly basis, will improve your focus, clarity and motivation! Having weekly goals are a great way to deal with procrastination too. Smaller tasks are much easier to complete than bigger ones which may seem daunting. It’s also easier to track your progress this way.
4. Make a to-do list
Now take those goals you identified earlier and break them into tasks. These will make up your to-do list and get you closer to everything you want to accomplish.
It’s essential to do a step-by-step plan and follow through to achieve success.
After finishing the list of tasks, pick the top 15 (that would make three a day) you think are the most important for you. Don’t forget that there are only 24 hours in a day, and sleep is NOT to be sacrificed. So it might be a good idea to prioritize. Next, break down the list into ‘must do’ tasks and tasks you would do if you had the time. Schedule these into your calendar and set up reminders if you think you might forget some of them.
5. Make a meal plan for next week
Being busy doesn’t mean you have or get to skip eating healthy. In fact, the more stress you have, the more important a good diet is for you to keep those stress hormones under control.
Planning your next (family) meal may take more time than cooking it. This is where having a meal plan or at least a dinner plan helps.
If you do it on Friday, you can go grocery shopping during the weekend and then save time during the week. Then, when you come home from work, you can immediately start cooking or, better yet – do some meal prep beforehand.
6. Plan something fun for next week
Yes, planning fun things will probably be among your favorite productive Friday habits as well! It sure sounds exciting, right? Let me tell you what I mean here.
Think of what would be fun to do next week, during the workweek. Try a new restaurant, go to the theater or catch up with a friend who you haven’t seen recently. Doing different activities will give you a little mid-week break and help you add more things to your gratitude list the next time you make one! When you do something fun during the week, you can start the next day feeling refreshed and with a new perspective. You can also plan weekend activities, whatever you want.
To make this a reality, buy your tickets on Friday or schedule the dinner with your friend and book a table. This way, you’re less likely to opt out when the time comes and you’re feeling lazy or tired.
7. Try something new
When I was younger, Friday night would be about eating out and having drinks with friends and other people my age. And honestly, it was fun, but didn’t quite feel right. It didn’t feel fulfilling. Because it was the same thing every time, even if we’d go to different places with different people.
Now that I’m tired at 11 pm, I prefer to do other things on Friday. Like a good Pilates or barre class in the evening, especially after a stressful week.
Gym sessions, SPA, tennis lessons, a dance class, cooking classes or a pottery workshop are some great options for your Friday evening.
Whatever you choose, doing something that you usually don’t do could become a great productive Friday habit that can improve your life in many different ways – socially, intellectually and physically!
8. Organize your home
If you have any extra time on Friday, use it to get organized at home, so that you can start the weekend off feeling clear and relaxed. This is important since it has been proven that clutter and lack of organization in a home can cause extra stress and lead to symptoms of anxiety.
Whether you need to focus on a work task or your weekend leisure activities, it’s challenging when you’re surrounded by chaos. It directly impacts your brain function and makes it more difficult for you to process information. By cleaning up, you’re eliminating that stressor!
More Healthy Habits To Start
Now you may not have the time and energy for all eight of these productive Friday habits on a single afternoon, but just start with one or two that you can fit into your schedule!