Days Have Feelings, Too

I get to spend a lot of time talking to people, and doing a lot of listening. I love that about my job. Over the last year or so, I have noticed that the different days of the week have definite feelings to them. I suppose really these are moods of the people with whom I am talking, but I have translated it into the feelings of days as they span people and are quite consistent to the day of the week.

Everyone is grumpy on Monday. It’s not a good time to think about new things or look ahead, unless it’s about planning the week. People seem to be heads-down in work, mourning the end of the weekend, feeling overwhelmed and trying to get their hands on what the week holds.

Tuesday is when people are more open to thinking about new things, making plans and considering new options. Same for Wednesday and Thursday. People have gotten into the swing of the week, schedules and tasks are pretty clear and the mood of people on these days is consistently positive.

Then comes Friday. It astounds me how often meetings on Fridays get cancelled when I am scheduled to talk to someone about something that is new to them. I would place it at more than 90% (with remarkable consistency). Plus, Friday seems to be the day when emergencies happen and people get pulled into last-minute meetings and conversations. People are winding down, wrapping up and looking forward to the weekend ahead. If a work call or meeting doesn’t fit into this mode, more likely than not, it won’t happen. Fridays are great days for conversations about current projects or general discussions. But brand new things? Nope, better wait ’til Tuesday.

I like the saying, “Stop the struggle. Keep the effort.” In that vein, I am now riding the wave of this set of observations, no longer struggling to schedule things on days that just don’t work. This is just how it is.  I know that I can look forward to some really great conversations in the middle of every week—and on those days, that’s where I focus my effort and energy.