Don't let the sun go down on your Friday problems

I have a dream in my Project Managment career: to work hard and achieve a lot during my working hours, but live stress free when I'm not at work.

I'm sure we all share this dream.

Recently I've had a couple of weekends where things at work have been troubling me, and I've had to sit through 2 days of non action before roaring in to the office on Monday morning to do something about my problems. These weekends have been no fun for myself or my family, and I'm sure I have a few grey hairs (what's left of it anyway) due to my worrying.

A guy I worked with in the UK (who was a lot more experienced in the ways of the world than I am) once said to me, "Don't ever let the sun set on an argument with your partner. Always make sure that you both go to sleep with no animosity towards each other".

Wise words.

In thinking about this, the attitude detailed here is one that my wife and I subscribe to without any effort or intention. We're a normal couple: we cherish our time together but occassionally we have the odd argument. Normally over something stupid.

I can't recall a time though that we've ended the day without saying sorry and sorting out our differences. This leads to a stress free sleep, and a clean slate to start the next day on.

Going back to my Friday problems, I have now made a pact with myself to do everything within my power to ensure that no problems are left hanging on a Friday afternoon. I'm doing this to stop having stressful weekends and to get a better focus in my job.

This is going to be hard for a variety of reasons. Not all problems can be solved within a set time frame. Friday afternoons are generally when people start to wind down, so getting things done may be difficult.

I'm sure that with a concerted effort though, I will no longer come in to the office on a Monday morning and expect a raft of emails demanding my head. Formulating an action plan for the next week on a Friday afternoon will mean that I can hit the ground running for the new week. Dumping all these ideas on a Friday afternoon means that I don't need to think about them on the weekend.

It may just be a case of putting in a phone call to Mr. Client saying "Hello sir, I know that you're still waiting on X from me. I'm still working on it and you will have it on Monday. Is that OK?". Sure, the problem is still there. But with the client informed of the current status, and an action plan in place to getting it done, there is no need to ruin my weekend stressing about work.

I'm interested in your thoughts on this topic........