Insights

Productive procrastination: counting down to the weekenD

It’s been a good week. You’ve been efficient. Your to do list is done. But suddenly… it’s Friday afternoon. It’s too late to start a new project – but too early to start watching the clock. So how do you keep busy enough to make the time go by, without looking like you’re stalling? Well thank goodness its Friday because we’ve got a list of things you can do to tick that time along.

Water the office plants

Indoor plants reduce stress and encourage creative thinking. So take some time to find your green thumb. Caring for plants is a great way to enhance your office environment, get yourself moving, and gives you chance to talk with your colleagues – without looking like you’re just looking for a natter.

Spring clean your inbox

It’s the perfect time to finally unsubscribe from all those webinar invites, or to actually look at those reports you downloaded months ago. You never know what you’ll find but perhaps, if you dig deep enough, you’ll find inbox zero.

Engineer a standing desk

“Sitting is the new smoking,” according to many public health campaigns. So take charge of your wellness and hack your workspace into something that’s better for your back – and will probably make your workplace health & safety coordinator very happy.

Feng shui your workspace

Once your workstation is good for your body, you’ll want to make sure it’s good for your mind and soul too. Feng shui is about arranging your surroundings to attract good energy. Maybe you don’t buy all into it – but without a doubt what’s outside affects how you feel. Optimise your desk for an even better week.

Redesign the kitchen signs

From tatty signs about name tags on lunch boxes to polite reminders to clean up – the kitchen is full of communications. Over time they get splattered, torn and tatty. Why not use this time to create kitchen signs worthy of a graphic designer – and carefully laminate them. Cleaner kitchen, cleaner mind.

Research things

Management loves to see initiative so use this down time to do some research. Perhaps that’s looking into a companywide Ride2Work day or choosing a charity to run a bake sale for. Something that makes the business meet its CSR goals or be more inclusive. Or, you could start looking at ways to enhance your professional development. Evaluate your company’s existing programs, research new courses and skills on offer. Use this time to lay the foundations for a better future you.

Organise your calendar

Good time management is a critical skill – and organising your time in a way that is clear to you helps facilitate that. By lining up your next week in advance, you’re creating the environment for another successful week.

Start a bullet journal

It’s heralded by productivity gurus as the best way to manage your time, but good, effective bullet journals require a bit of set up. And people really take them to extremes of organisation. Use this time to create a journal that is aesthetically pleasing – and will inspire you to stay on track.