Getting the jump on the week

Matt Blair
Aug 28, 2017 · 2 min read

Tuning into the big picture is a vital part of streamlining my job and focusing on my priorities. If I let myself get mired in busywork, then I’ll be back to doing menial, meaningless work in no time.

The temptation to do this is especially strong on a Monday morning. The emails and jobs have piled up over the weekend, and it makes sense to dive back into them. But doing so without a road map is a bad way to go.

I recently read an old blog post about head start Mondays. The idea is to dedicate Monday to whatever activity is going to make the rest of the week more effective.

“What I do on Mondays totally depends on what’s happening each week,” writes Belle B. Cooper, “but the idea is that I can choose to do whatever will give me a head start on Tuesday when my work week officially starts.”

Few of us have total control of our working days. I’ve got a standing meeting on Mondays, and a few repeating tasks I have to do each day. The rest of the time, I have to be at least somewhat responsive to new requests and jobs.

Still, I’ve got some time every Monday in which I can tackle some high-level thinking and doing. Making the most of that time is the key to moving my job forward, instead of just checking boxes. Even an hour or two at the start of the week help me ensure that I put the rest of that week to good, focused use.

I’ll bet you’ve got a chunk of time like that at your disposal today. Not only that, but I’ll bet you’ve got a good idea how to use it. It could be a project to start, an idea to nurture, or a conversation to stop avoiding.

Whatever your instincts tell you that thing is, trust them and do it. At the end of the week, you’ll be glad you did.

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