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It was Friday last week. Black Friday, to be precise.
If you were in the U.S., you might have been reading this from a half-empty office—or maybe you wisely took the day off. The markets were only open for half a day, and for many advisory firms, it was one of those quiet days that snuck by without much fanfare.
Fridays hit differently, don’t they?
Back when I was deep in the creative trenches of wealth management and wealthtech, Fridays were the day those “Hey, I’ve been meaning to reach out” emails started flooding in. People suddenly realized, “Oh yeah, I should grow my business,” as the weekend loomed.
Everywhere I’ve worked, Fridays have their vibe. But here’s the thing—most teams? They don’t do Fridays intentionally.
It’s like a cultural pulse check—a window into how a company operates.
So here’s the big question: What if Fridays weren’t just another day? What if they were designed to drive success?
What if, instead of treating them as a catch-up day or an unofficial start to the weekend, we reimagined Fridays as a day to work smarter? A day to innovate, focus, and do the things that truly move the needle.
Fridays Don’t Have to Be a Throw Away
Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson nail this idea in their book It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work. They talk about creating calm, intentional work rhythms—and how chaos shouldn’t be the natural state of business. One of their standout ideas?
“Focus on the work that matters most, not the work that’s screaming the loudest.”
Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
How often do we spend Fridays scrambling to respond to the scattered mess in our inboxes or problems?
What if we flipped the script?
Here’s another gem from the book:
“Work is like a heartbeat. It’s not about flatlining or spikes, but steady, sustainable rhythm.”
Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
Fridays could be that steady, deliberate heartbeat—a time to zoom out, think big, and solve problems that don’t fit into Monday-to-Thursday chaos.
A Fresh Take on Fridays
Here’s how I think we can use Fridays differently:
1. Deep Work Days
What if Fridays were “library rule” days? No meetings, no Slack interruptions, no fire drills. Just have a quiet, focused time to tackle your most meaningful work.
No meeting days don’t work if your Executive. Sorry.
This is designed to give your team relief from you (or me).
2. Make an Impact
Instead of checking off busy work, ask yourself: What’s the one thing I could finish today that would make my week feel complete? Then do that.
Your Friday might be a time to wrap up the week by checking what you’ve accomplished and ensuring everything you set out to do is done. It’s also the perfect opportunity to plan, focusing on what will have the biggest impact in the upcoming week.
3. Think Big
Borrow a play from companies like IDEO. Use Fridays to reimagine systems, test out new ideas, or have the conversations you’ve been avoiding.
Perhaps Fridays are when you work on your company. When you and your leaders get together to think differently, to find inspiration, or to revisit prior topics that get swept away by the normal triaging you do each day.
4. Reclaim Calm
Fried reminds us that chaos isn’t a badge of honor. Fridays can be an antidote—a time to breathe, reflect, and reset before the next week starts.
One thing I recommend for a Friday is to change where you work. Just disrupting the pattern of your office or location can have a dramatic impact on your inspiration, creativity, and ability to refocus — all while escaping the mundane routine you’re used to.
5. Post Your Wins
One of the worst things we all do is fail to take time to account for our wins, where we are going, and what we are continually working to deliver.
Whether you are a large company, an in-office company, a hybrid company, or a fully remote company, tools like Loom are dramatically simplifying how you can communicate in all of these areas.
What if you asked each department lead to record a 90-second Loom video of their wins, challenges, and what's next before 1 pm ET each Friday?
Loom has a great mobile app in addition to its desktop version, so there is no reason not to use it to create great, simple internal content.
What sort of influence and inspiration would that be for your team?
How would this impact how we approach the rest of our week and look forward to Fridays?
Your Challenge for Next Friday
Here’s a small challenge:
Next Friday, block out two hours. Turn off your notifications. Shut your door. And spend that time on something that matters—brainstorming a new strategy, fixing a broken process, or tackling a project that’s been sitting on your “someday” list.
Fridays don’t have to be an afterthought. They can be the most valuable day of your week.
Looking for More Inspiration?
If this resonates, I highly recommend It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work. It’s packed with intelligent, practical ideas for rethinking our work and finding calm in the chaos.
One of my favorite takeaways.
“Good work cultures eliminate distraction. They don’t glorify being always on.”
Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work
Fridays are the perfect time to embrace that mindset.
Let’s transform Fridays.
Related: Stop Seeking Approval: Start Building Your Movement