#1  Get in Early

Cut back on the partying Sunday night and get to bed early.  Shower right before going to bed so that you don’t have to do it in the morning (unless you’re one of those types that can get all pigpen while they sleep).  Lay out all your work clothes ahead of time.  You want your monday morning to be as friction free as possible.  That way, you just wake up, get dressed, and hop in the car.

Getting into the office early sounds counter intuitive, but you’d be surprised the amount of work you can get done before other people show up and inevitably interrupt you.  If you get in at 6am, you can probably focus a lot of your energies and be done with most of your work by 10am – that way you can goof off the rest of the day and relax.

#2  Get a Head Start – Make Use of Fridays

Friday is generally a goof off day for most people who have developed a TGIF mindset.   Take advantage of your fridays and finish any particularly nasty tasks on your list.   Return calls and clean out your email inbox.  Once you’ve put a sizable dent in your workload, make a list of 3 to 5 todo items and leave it on your desk to tackle monday morning – that way you can start work right away instead of wondering what needs to be done next.

#3  Improve Your Space – Clean Up on Fridays

No one likes coming in to a messy office or cubicle.  Take a few minutes before you leave on Friday to tidy up.  File or toss documents.  Clean off your desk.  Do some dusting.    Leave a note on your door requesting that the cleaning lady vacuum.   Plug in an air freshener – whatever it takes to make it that much more pleasant.   Leave a box of cereal on your desk and preload the coffee maker.  Having breakfast ready on Friday means you’re not scrambling for food Monday morning.

Hopefully this a simple enough routine for you to pick up.  How you start – and end – your week makes a huge impact on how much you get done during the week.