How often do you wind up working on the weekend? If you’re an office worker with a regular 9-to-5, the answer should ideally be, “Rarely or not at all.”
In reality, however, anything you don’t get done during the week winds up being addressed on Saturday or Sunday. That means less time with friends and family, and less time to deal with the business of running your life outside of work.
In this week’s roundup, we look at how to get stuff done on Friday and get back your weekend, plus see a reading list of psychology books every businessperson should know, and find out how LinkedIn can do more than just help you find your next job.
Kat Boogaard at The Muse: How to Make Friday Your Most Productive Day of the Week (Well, Almost)
“Like everybody else, I love to complain about Monday. It’s only natural, really. As that dreaded day that immediately follows the weekend, it’s the logical scapegoat for everybody’s dread,” Boogaard writes. “But, when I take a few minutes to think about it, I don’t really hate Monday all that much. In fact, it’s usually my most productive day of the week. I fire off emails. I make lists. I organize big projects. I identify a foolproof method for achieving world peace.”
Friday, on the other hand, feels like the pregame for the weekend. For many workers, that means it’s basically a wash, productivity-wise — but it doesn’t have to be. These tips will help you take back the last day of your workweek and get the weekend back for actual relaxation time.
Jessica Stillman at Inc: 9 Psychology Books Every Businessperson Should Read
“At the base of it, business success is about people — making the right connections, understanding motivation, guessing what others will do next, and accurately evaluating those you meet,” Stillman writes. “Which is why knowing some basic psychology can be so valuable for professionals of all stripes.”
The best way to learn is to read up on the subject. Stillman’s reading list offers books that shed light on how people think, what motivates them, and how to form better habits.
Susan P. Joyce at Work Coach Café: 3 Bad Assumptions About LinkedIn
Even experienced LinkedIn users can fall into the trap of assuming that the network is only for job searching (and for laying the foundation for future job searches). But LinkedIn offers a lot more than just networking.
For example, Joyce points out, it provides free reputation management.
“You have an online reputation. LinkedIn helps you manage it,” she writes. “Unless your job is being a spy or someone who must be invisible, LinkedIn is the foundation of your online reputation management — a key element for anyone who works today, whether that work is hedge fund manager or administrative assistant.”
In fact, she says, Google often lists LinkedIn profiles on the first page of search results, which means that a job seeker’s profile might be one of the first things a hiring manager sees, when he or she Googles their name.
Find out what else LinkedIn can do, in Joyce’s post.
Tell Us What You Think
What’s the best career advice you’ve read this week? Tell us about it in the comments, or join the conversation on Twitter.
Leave a Reply