Close the week before you open the next

Closing the week means spending a short block of time clearing loose ends before Monday starts, instead of carrying last week's mess straight into a new one. It is different from planning ahead, which looks forward instead of back.

Most owners jump straight into the new week with old threads still open, and those threads quietly pile up until they become the thing that eats a whole afternoon later. A short close-out habit keeps the pile from forming in the first place. I keep a short list for this myself, and closing it out on my last day of the week is the difference between starting Monday clear-headed or starting it already tired.

Try this today: before you leave work on your last day of the week, spend a short stretch replying to anything you have been avoiding and writing down what is unfinished. Start the new week with a clean list instead of a hidden one.