Don't Let Your Work Week Sabotage Your Week-End

Sabotage your week-end – Photo credit: madamenoire.com

I wrote about how your hectic week-ends are actually ruining your career. Well, the opposite can also (and does very much) happen…How many times have you ended the week on a frazzled note due to time and resource mismanagement during the week? And how often have you spent your week-end wishing you handled that project or this meeting better?

While we may think our personal and work lives are largely separate, in reality, the two just really happen to be one continuum. Hence the concept of work-life integration (which in my opinion makes much more sense than the elusive work-life balance). In other words, mis-managing one almost always results in more or less screwing up the other (put mildly)…

1. Have a plan (or an outline, something…)

Blocking off some time at the beginning of the week to plan the agenda for the week is one of the most effective, if not the most effective, way to manage your work week. Prioritize the urgent tasks, plan to complete at least one full project, and set some deadlines for yourself.

2. Limit multi-tasking!

Notice I didn’t say avoid multi-tasking altogether. I strongly believe women are wired to some degree for multi-tasking, and it’s part of what makes us efficient. However, too much multi-tasking can have the unpleasant effect of starting a lot and not getting as much done! So save your multi-tasking skills for more repetitive, less important tasks, and challenge yourself to complete at least one entire project during the week!

3.Stay on top of management!

Notice management’s uncanny ability to spring up a last-minute project on you mid-day on Friday? Or how your manager will ask you a random question on a report you submitted a few days ago (and as a result, the report needs to be “slightly” edited). Yes, it happens, and no, it’s mostly not your fault. I learnt only on the art to “stay on top of management” to limit last minute surprises (which mostly seem to pop up on Fridays). Provide frequent status updates, check on submitted projects, and generally keep the lines of communication open to avoid surprises (and week-end headaches…)