Shane Arthur, an executive coach based in the United States, is telling clients to stop working on Sundays and to avoid scheduling meetings for Monday mornings, arguing the habit does more harm than good.
Writing for Business Insider, Arthur explained how reshaping a weekly schedule can boost effectiveness. He said the widespread belief that people must prepare for work on Sunday evening to have a successful week is simply wrong.
Why Monday mornings should stay free
Arthur said people should not dive straight into work or book meetings for 9 a.m. on Mondays, and above all should avoid holding meetings first thing.
He said he can schedule things on other days of the week, but Mondays are protected space for him. He acknowledged there are rules people have to follow, but said at minimum the first hour of every Monday and the last hour of every Friday are essential.
A Friday ritual to close out the week
The coach also said he uses Friday afternoons to review the past week and prepare for the next one.
He said he tries not to take calls on Friday afternoons, and if the weather is good, he walks in the woods. He looks back over the previous week day by day, checking whether anything still needs to be done, then looks ahead to the coming week to see what needs preparing or confirming. He described the exercise as a kind of general tidying up.
Putting the most important tasks first
Arthur advises his clients to identify the most important tasks of the day and do them first. He said some people get so absorbed in calls that they finish the day with important tasks still undone, then end up doing them at home in the evening.
He said the goal is for everything to run more smoothly, adding that a well organised, structured 35-hour work week always beats a chaotic 45-hour one.
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