Tag: Productivty

It’s Black Friday and I’m working. It’s not that I have to work — I’m self-employed and can choose my own schedule — it’s that I find this a great day to get things done. Now, to be fair, I’m an American in Switzerland so it’s a regular day (as was Thanksgiving) here. But almost all my HR clients are in the U.S., so they aren’t working. My son has work, and my daughter is recovering from a Thanksgiving Day wisdom tooth extraction, so it’s not like we were having a big family shopping trip or anything like that.

But if we weren’t traveling over Thanksgiving, I’ve always opted to work on Black Friday, and save my vacation time for other days — even when I worked corporate. Here are five reasons why working on a day when most white collar workers are eating leftovers and grabbing deals. (Granted, if you work in retail, getting this day off is super hard to do!)

Here is why:

1. Communications slow down. No dings from Slack. A few emails here and there. It’s mostly quiet. As someone who is easily distracted, having a day with fewer distractions to get things done is a blessing.
2. December is an important month. While gift certificates for HR consulting and webinars don’t typically appear in people’s stockings (although I’d be happy to make one for you if you’d like to buy), companies still have much they need to accomplish before the ball drops. This gives me a leg up on being ready for a busy December.
3. December is a busy month. While my kids no longer have Christmas concerts I need to attend, I am the production manager for our local Christmas Panto, which plays in December. On top of that I have parties and improv performances that take up a lot of time. Working today gives me a bit more time to work around those things in December. 
4. I have way too much stuff as is. While I am in Switzerland, the Black Friday concept has arrived here. Yes, there are bargains to be found, no I don’t need any of them, unless an airline wants to put tickets on sale. Running to stores to snag deals on things I don’t need isn’t really a deal.
5. The messages I send out don’t get lost. Since my client and vendor base is in the U.S., most of them have today off, but if I send out an email today it is likely to be seen by those who are working. Sure, a marketing email might be lost by Monday, but I’m reaching a core audience by working today.

This list, in no way, shape, or form, should guilt you into getting work done today if you don’t want to. Take time with your family. Take time to eat pie. Shop ‘til you drop! If that is what works best for you and your business and your life, do that.

But don’t feel guilty spending a bit of time working if that is something that will make your life better. 

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