Some days, every minute is spoken for. Other days? Well, work feels like it expands to fill the available space.
Friday tends to be my mop up day. I mostly leave it open, so it can absorb anything I don’t get to earlier in the week. I also tend to keep a running punch list of little things that I’ll batch together on Friday. I can plow through these with focus and purpose…or I can spend a lot of time on Twitter in between them.
To avoid the latter, I’ve started planning some early finish fun. If I get through the list before the kids are home from school, I can do something I might not normally do during the workday. Read a book. Work on a puzzle. Now that the weather’s nice, it might be a little adventure — a walk somewhere new, a longer run.
The goal is not necessarily to rush through things (though sometimes that might be justified). It’s just to provide an incentive to get stuff done so I can then have some real fun, rather than the procrasti-fun that tends to stretch work out. I’ve got a place in mind to go walk this afternoon if I manage to figure out how to get a Real ID driver’s license and renew my school volunteer clearances (I don’t have to finish both – just have appointments made and such), and pay some invoices, so wish me luck!
What do you do for early finish fun? What motivates you to finish fast?
In other news: Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes for my mom! She appreciated them. And yes, my father scored points for the public words of affirmation (here and on Facebook). I was also told that it was good I chose the photos I did, and not the one of them in swimsuits from the 1970s, which I love, but I am not allowed to share.
Reading and spending time with family and friends motivates me to finish fast.
@Kat – always good to end the workday for that!
If I finish early on Friday, I get to read Laura Vanderkam’s RSS feed posts from the week 🙂
@Jammy- woo hoo! I heartily approve of that incentive 🙂
I suppose this works for salary employees, but for me, finishing early = less pay, since I’m paid hourly. So when I finish work early, if my work day’s not done yet, I seek out another task (although I usually already have several at the ready). i.e. Finishing early = you get to do MORE work!
But that’s OK, at least I get paid, and the money is something I try to use to enjoy more time with friends and family (paying for maid service, paying for experiences, etc.)