We’re in the middle of a short work week. Lots of people are taking Black Friday off to make it a four-day weekend, and lots more will slack off tomorrow to travel and to make those last-minute shopping trips for cranberry sauce, stuffing and hors d’oeuvres.

So how do we make the most of this short week at a time when it seems like no one else is picking up phones and answering emails? Here are a few ideas:

1. Back up your data — When was the last time you backed up the important data on your hard drive? Come on, you know you’re overdue: That Blue Screen of Death is just lurking over there in the corner waiting for your weakest moment.

2. Create a status report for yourself — Whether you’re handling multiple tasks for a single employer or juggling a variety of jobs for multiple clients, take a step back from your work and create a line-item list of what needs to be done and the tasks necessary for getting there. Seeing your ToDo list articulated this way helps you wrap your head around what needs to be done … and makes it all seem just a bit less overwhelming.

3. Read that business book you’ve been meaning to read — If you’re like me, you have a stack of business books you’ve been meaning to dig into sooner or later. It’s sooner. Pick one and go for it.

4. Clean the useless files off your hard drive — Actually, you ought to do this before you address number one above. Take the time to go through your hard drive and delete those folders and files you no longer need. If you think you’ll need them someday, burn a few data DVDs. Remove those programs you installed two years ago and haven’t used in 23 months.

5. Learn something new — Now that you have that Google Wave invitation, take the time to view the instructional videos and play with it. Set up that LinkedIn group you’ve been meaning to create. Download and play with Hootsuite. All those cool Web things you’ve been hearing about and wanting to try? Pick one (or two or three) and … well, try them.

6. Update your spyware and adware software — It’s not just about Norton or McAfee. Make sure your Ad-Aware and Spybot and others are updated. (Here are a few software suggestions.) Scan your system. in fact, do this after you do number four above and before you do number one.

7. Relax and recharge — In the long run, it’ll probably make you more productive. So have another turkey leg and a third piece of pie. Enjoy!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 at 9:31 am and is filed under Rants 'n' Such, This 'n' That.