The Least Productive Time Of The Week
We’ve all heard of the Monday Blues, but what about the Friday Blues? According to a recent study by Texas A&M University, Friday afternoons are the least productive time of the week for workers. Now I don’t know if it’s the blues or we are just half in half out ready for the weekend. We all know that feeling when the clock strikes 3 pm and the weekend is within reach. But before you start celebrating TGIF, let’s get our work done!
The study was done by Texas A&M University They analyzed the computer usage data of 789 employees over a span of two years. The researchers looked at typing speed, errors, mouse activity, and other computer-related movements and things. What did they find? Well, they found that computer use increases throughout the week, peaking on Thursdays, and then drops significantly on Fridays. Makes sense.
On Mondays through Thursdays, workers type more words and have more mouse movement, clicks, and scrolls. Then Friday hits and they become less active in the afternoons and make more typos. Another thing they found out is that the number of tasks workers complete increases steadily from Monday through Wednesday and decreases on Thursday and Friday.
We all feel it, right? So, why does this happen? It could be because workers are experiencing burnout from the long work week but I believe it’s because mentally we are already in weekend mode. Our body is at work but our mind has a headstart of the weekend.
But what can employers do to combat this decline in productivity? I don’t know if there is a fix to the problem. Maybe you can schedule more fun projects toward the end of the week to keep you interested and motivated!
Friday afternoons may not be the best time to tackle those deadlines or long to-do lists. But we are all in this together. Think the quicker you get your work done the quicker your weekend can actually start! Happy Friday friends!