Your Monday self is just never going to be very happy or productive, argues Jeremiah Dillon, head of product marketing at Google, in a piece at Fast Company this week. For that matter, don’t expect too much of your Friday self, either. On certain days, creative work just comes more easily than on others, argues Dillon, sharing an email he sent around to his Google colleagues that outlines his best advice on how to make time for creative tasks at work.
And one of the best ways to do this, he writes, is to recognize that the week follows a particular rhythm, and plan accordingly. Here’s how Dillon outlines the week, borrowing loosely from research by psychologist Debbie Moskowitz at McGill University:
Monday: Energy ramps out of the weekend — schedule low-demand tasks like setting goals, organizing, and planning.
Tuesday, Wednesday: Peak of energy — tackle the most difficult problems, write, brainstorm, schedule …
Thursday: Energy begins to ebb — schedule meetings, especially when consensus is needed.
Friday: Lowest energy level — do open-ended work, long-term planning, and relationship building.
For more on that, you can watch this short video, although maybe this is a task best saved for your lazy Friday self.
