5 Ways To Beat the Friday Afternoon Slump

It’s Friday, and your brain is fried from a week’s worth of meetings, assignments, and ongoing projects.

If there’s anyone who understands the Friday afternoon slump, it’s the Career Girl Daily team. But fear not, we’ve got you covered with 5 ways to make it through until the weekend:

#1 Stretch.

Find a bathroom or empty conference room and stretch your legs and arms in an effort to “wake up” your body. If you have a usual workout routine, do the stretches you use to warm up—this will alert your body that it’s time to focus.

#2 Make Monday’s To-Do List.

This might seem counter-productive, but making your to-do list for the following week forces you to clearly evaluate your goals for today. This will also ensure you’re not frustrated by the end of the day, wishing you had gotten more work done. Some jobs can’t be finished in one afternoon. On the other hand, if you see a lot of small work tasks lining up, get started on those ASAP for a better start to the next week. Plus, it’s a present for future-you: Mondays are a lot easier when the workload is already organized!

#3 Use Your Weekend as Motivation.

Those amazing plans you’ve got going on this weekend won’t feel as great if a deadline is looming over you. Think about it as, the more you get done now, the more you’ll be able to enjoy the weekend. “Work hard, play hard” is a cliché for a reason!

#4 Give Yourself a Break.

Do something special to give yourself a break (many studies have shown that the employees who produce the best results are the ones who take breaks when needed).

Bring back a cupcake when you’re on lunch and make time to eat it before the day ends. Listen to a song you love with headphones on. Read something that has nothing to do with work for 5 or 10 minutes at your desk (might we suggest bookmarking Career Girl Daily in your browser?) The rest your brain needs will allow you to turn back to your assignments re-energised.

#5 Minimize the distractions.

While listening to music or indulging in a treat might be a great way to give your head a break, some activities will suck you in, checking personal email endlessly or online shopping are usually bad ideas. When you feel yourself being distracted by something mind-numbing, copy and paste the URL into an email you have open on your desktop, and send the email to your personal account at the end of the day.