What Is The Best Day to Take Off Work?
The best day to take off work would be ALL of them. Monday to Friday every single week. Sadly though we can probably only grab an occasional day from time to time.
Friday is probably the best day to take off from work but there are pros and cons for whichever day of the week you choose. This article examines each day in more detail.
Originally written from the point of view of simply taking a day off, this page may also be useful to those considering working part-time, or flexible work from home mixed with office attendance days. Which days to attend the office, what pattern is preferable.
Friday is probably the best day to take off from work but there are pros and cons for whichever day of the week you choose. This article examines each day in more detail.
Originally written from the point of view of simply taking a day off, this page may also be useful to those considering working part-time, or flexible work from home mixed with office attendance days. Which days to attend the office, what pattern is preferable.
A Whole Day Off Work
A day off work is a welcome thing. It may be required to do non-work chores such as a car service or a visit to the dentist. Maybe it is an indulgent way of taking a break.
Whatever the purpose there are often good reasons to take occasional single days off work as part of a precious holiday allowance.
This article discusses which days of the week are best for a day off. It is written by someone who used to work a standard Monday to Friday, nine to five office job and remembers those special free days fondly. I have rated each day from my personal preference.
The day off is a bonus in working life. A chance to get things done, unwind and simply not have to be at work for a single, beautiful, precious day.
Let's pick the right one.
Whatever the purpose there are often good reasons to take occasional single days off work as part of a precious holiday allowance.
This article discusses which days of the week are best for a day off. It is written by someone who used to work a standard Monday to Friday, nine to five office job and remembers those special free days fondly. I have rated each day from my personal preference.
The day off is a bonus in working life. A chance to get things done, unwind and simply not have to be at work for a single, beautiful, precious day.
Let's pick the right one.
Monday
Monday has to be the worst working day of the week surely? That feeling of going back to work after a nice weekend break. Your body clock has started to reset to a more normal time of waking and Monday means it gets all upset again.
Just when you thought you had another few hours of sleep the alarm goes off.
Monday can be an essential recovery day if you have had a particularly fun or exhausting weekend. So taking Monday off is very tempting.
However, if you manage to drag yourself in to the office at least everyone else will feel the same way. So it should be an easier working day. Easy enough to keep your head down and recover from the weekend in the air-conditioned hush of your cubicle.
Your return to work on Tuesday after a Monday off will feel worse than usual. Your colleagues are already into the swing of the working week and the assignments and mails will no doubt be piling up.
One fun benefit of taking a Monday off is that it shifts your perception of the working week. So Tuesday feels like Monday, Wednesday like Tuesday and so on - until Friday and the weekend comes as a complete surprise. It feels like a short week.
Tip. Don't go in on Saturday by accident.
Rating: 4/5
Just when you thought you had another few hours of sleep the alarm goes off.
Monday can be an essential recovery day if you have had a particularly fun or exhausting weekend. So taking Monday off is very tempting.
However, if you manage to drag yourself in to the office at least everyone else will feel the same way. So it should be an easier working day. Easy enough to keep your head down and recover from the weekend in the air-conditioned hush of your cubicle.
Your return to work on Tuesday after a Monday off will feel worse than usual. Your colleagues are already into the swing of the working week and the assignments and mails will no doubt be piling up.
One fun benefit of taking a Monday off is that it shifts your perception of the working week. So Tuesday feels like Monday, Wednesday like Tuesday and so on - until Friday and the weekend comes as a complete surprise. It feels like a short week.
Tip. Don't go in on Saturday by accident.
Rating: 4/5
Tuesday
Along with Thursday, Tuesday is an in-between sort of day. The working week has properly started. There will be tasks to do, emails to answer and the general daily grind is well underway.
It does not seem the best idea to use a day of holiday having spent Monday getting back into the working habit.
Rating: 1/5
It does not seem the best idea to use a day of holiday having spent Monday getting back into the working habit.
Rating: 1/5
Wednesday
Wednesday is an interesting day for a day off. A mid-week break which is a civilised kind of idea.
Imagine a working life that consisted of working for a couple days, then a day off, then another couple of days followed by the weekend. That would be far more acceptable than Monday to Friday.
Curiously, when we take a day off, we often fill it with other tasks. But there is a world of difference between something YOU decided to do and working under instruction.
So a mid-week break that splits up the days is worth considering.
Rating: 3/5
Imagine a working life that consisted of working for a couple days, then a day off, then another couple of days followed by the weekend. That would be far more acceptable than Monday to Friday.
Curiously, when we take a day off, we often fill it with other tasks. But there is a world of difference between something YOU decided to do and working under instruction.
So a mid-week break that splits up the days is worth considering.
Rating: 3/5
Thursday
Another in-between day – Thursday is a tricky day to have off. You can’t fully wind-down if you have to drag back into the office on the Friday.
With better organising you should take Monday or Friday off and turn the weekend into a three day break.
Rating: 1/5
With better organising you should take Monday or Friday off and turn the weekend into a three day break.
Rating: 1/5
Friday
Taking Friday off, avoiding the worst day for commuting and enjoying a long weekend is surely the perfect answer.
Not so fast! Although Friday is one of the most popular days for taking time off work it may not always be the best.
Friday means colleagues and bosses are looking forward to the weekend, winding down and leaving early. It is often a casual dress-down time too. There should be less emails and last minute panics on a Friday making it one of the easiest days in the office.
So working a Friday may not be so bad.
On the other hand it is nice to get through the Monday to Thursday days of a working week and look forward to an early finish and a nice long weekend. Which is why most people choose it.
The Friday versus Monday debate is a difficult one. An early start to a three day weekend or a chance to recover from the weekend with a delicious Monday off.
Tip. Solve this problem by taking Friday AND Monday off.
Rating: 5/5
Not so fast! Although Friday is one of the most popular days for taking time off work it may not always be the best.
Friday means colleagues and bosses are looking forward to the weekend, winding down and leaving early. It is often a casual dress-down time too. There should be less emails and last minute panics on a Friday making it one of the easiest days in the office.
So working a Friday may not be so bad.
On the other hand it is nice to get through the Monday to Thursday days of a working week and look forward to an early finish and a nice long weekend. Which is why most people choose it.
The Friday versus Monday debate is a difficult one. An early start to a three day weekend or a chance to recover from the weekend with a delicious Monday off.
Tip. Solve this problem by taking Friday AND Monday off.
Rating: 5/5
Choosing Mixed Days For Office Attendance And WFH
A typical flexible arrangement might consist of 2 or 3 days in the office and 2 or 3 days working from home. Perhaps with flexibility if important meetings are required. It may be the business decides to have core attendance days when everyone is in the office although Covid has meant that fully staffed offices are unlikely in the short to medium term.
The obvious 2 or 3 days on site are Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday leaving long weekends without commuting. Some may prefer doing MTW-- or -TWT-. The important element is the days on site are consecutive. --WTF is a less popular choice because it is hard to get going that late in the week and everyone disappears early on the Friday.
The reason why consecutive days work well is the discipline of early starts and early bedtimes when commuting. On off days are never good for shift workers, and not so good for office workers either.
Interestingly, if you like patterns and stuff, working MT--F gives you two weekends a week!
The obvious 2 or 3 days on site are Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday leaving long weekends without commuting. Some may prefer doing MTW-- or -TWT-. The important element is the days on site are consecutive. --WTF is a less popular choice because it is hard to get going that late in the week and everyone disappears early on the Friday.
The reason why consecutive days work well is the discipline of early starts and early bedtimes when commuting. On off days are never good for shift workers, and not so good for office workers either.
Interestingly, if you like patterns and stuff, working MT--F gives you two weekends a week!
Downsizing Your Week
During the pandemic many people discovered a life outside of work. Where the daily commute and stress of office attendance faded away for a while. Work from home, Zoom meetings - a more informal and relaxed way of living.
As people reluctantly drift back to work it is a good time to reassess your life goals.
Do you need the 5 day week anymore? Could you downsize your salary and enjoy a better life on less work, and less money?
Money is one part of life. It need not be the main part.
As people reluctantly drift back to work it is a good time to reassess your life goals.
Do you need the 5 day week anymore? Could you downsize your salary and enjoy a better life on less work, and less money?
Money is one part of life. It need not be the main part.