There are seven days in a week and one of the days most people look forward to is Friday. Friday is a day that lies between Saturday and Thursday. It is the fifth day of the week in countries that make use of the Monday first convention. However, in countries that use the Sunday first convention, it is the fifth day of the week. There are many divergent views regarding whether it is a weekday or a weekend and this is generally subject to the location of the earth. Therefore today we will attempt to find out if Friday is a weekend or a weekday. The term Friday gets its origin from an old English word which meant the day of Frige. This was associated with an old convention linked with the German goddess Frigg and the Roman goddess Venus.
Is Friday a Weekday?
Friday is generally considered as a weekday in most countries of the world. And in some countries, it is the last day of the weekend. For instance, in Bahrain, Friday is the first day of the weekend while Saturday is considered the second. While in Iran, it is the last day of the weekend while Saturday is seen as the first day of the working week. Countries like UAE, Bahrain, and Kuwait use the Friday to Saturday weekend system. Friday has generally seen as the last working day in the western world and another place. In such places, the weekdays run from Monday to Friday and the weekend starts from Saturday to Sunday. There are quite several places where Fridays are considered as half working places in the world. But in America, Friday is just another working day of the week.
What Is The Origin Of The Days Of The Weekday?
Moon’s day or Monday was initially named the dies lunae. It is from there we got Lundi in French and Lunes in Spanish. Monday gets its name from the moon and the Norse god Mani and Diana the goddess of childbirth and hunting. Tuesday, on the other hand, is a day dedicated to Mars and is known as dies Martis to the Romans.
Wednesday is also referred to as Mercury’s day and called dies Mercurii in the Latin language. It is also referred to as Mercredi in France and the Italians call it Mercoledi. Thursday is known as the day of Jupiter also referred to as dies Lovis to the Latinos. The name Thursday may not be unconnected to the fact that both Thor and Jupiter were gods of lightning hence “Thor’s day”. Friday, on the other hand, is designated as a weekly Venus holiday and is referred to as dies Veneris in the Latin language.
Saturday on the other day is Saturn’s day and it is known as Samedi in French and Sabado in French. It is the only English weekday that is linked to a Roman god. Sunday, on the other hand, is the day of the Sun.
Religious Observances For Friday
Friday means different things to people of different religions. For the Christians, Good Friday is a day that comes before Easter. It is a day set aside to celebrate the crucifixion of Christ. On this day, the Roman Catholics are generally refrained from eating meat from warm-blooded animals. In Islam, Friday is regarded as a holy day of worship. On this day certain things are observed such as the attendance of congregational prayer in a mosque. This is why in some countries, the week often begins on Saturday and terminates on a Thursday.
In Hinduism, there are special observances reserved for this day for the mother goddesses. This day is very vital for married ladies who practice Hinduism. This is the day they worship God. The Jewish Sabbath starts at sunset on Friday. There also exists a custom requiring the Jews to engage in a fast on the Friday of Chukat.
How Can I Make My Fridays More Productive?
It’s normal to find most people complaining about Mondays. The reason for this is that it is the day that immediately comes after the weekend and as such is seen as a fun spoiler for most people. But some people view Mondays as their most productive day of the week. This will help you come to work feeling refreshed and energized.
Most people, however, view Fridays as an extension of their weekends. This thus makes the level of productivity on this day to be rather questionable. It is even more difficult when you work for yourself. If you are not careful enough, you may end up doing the things you ought to do on a Friday on the weekends thus bringing disequilibrium to your schedule.
Here is a breakdown of what you can do to maximize your Fridays:
1. Always have a plan
There is no short cut to becoming more productive on a Friday, but that does not mean you can’t get things organized. It is therefore smart that you take out time to plan out what you want to be done for the following week. You need to know what exactly it is that you want to accomplish for the following week. It is therefore important that you take out some quality time to draw out a map of what it is you want. Having a plan for the week to come usually makes the tasks ahead easier to accomplish. Knowing what it is you want to get done helps you to eliminate waste of time and resources.
2. Always tackle the smaller tasks first
No matter how hardworking you may be, Fridays are certainly not days you want to handle the big projects. The list of things to do always seems to be more of a challenge when you are sure you will not be at your desks for two other days ahead. The key to maximizing your Friday lies in learning to complete the smaller tasks as this should help you get a constant sense of satisfaction by the end of the day. There is also a greater sense of drive and purpose when you know that the project you are working on would not overwhelm you and drain you of your energy.
3. Get meetings scheduled
Not everyone is a fan of meetings as they view meetings as capable of breaking the workflow of the day. This is why Fridays are a good time for meetings especially because Fridays are days when people feel chained to their desks. Meetings provide you an opportunity to express yourself and talk. You should, therefore, schedule as many meetings, calls, and even appointments for Fridays. These platforms give you a platform to accelerate your Fridays and head quickly into the weekend. Meetings are indeed a good catalyst for speeding into the weekend.
4. Work in a quiet place
It is always smart for you to have a place where you can retreat to and get your tasks done as quickly as possible. Doing this should maximize the day and minimize the unwanted distractions that may affect the quality of your Friday.
5. Make changes
Friday is often the day when most people have a cheerful disposition to things and occasions. This is why you should try and make some modifications to your daily routine on Friday. You could begin by avoiding people who may have a way of sapping your energy with whining and rumor-mongering. This means that you should move closer to people who inspire you one way or the other. You may also use it as an opportunity to learn more by shadowing your colleagues and even attempt to know more people and make new friends.
6. Be more kind
You may opt to grow in kindness and usefulness by offering to assist your colleague or boss. Because you may have covered a lot of grounds between Monday and Thursday, Friday may offer you a unique privilege of spare time. But instead of devoting this time to ventures such as Tweeting and Facebooking, you could opt to be useful and earn favors by assisting someone in the office. It may seem like a small thing but it sure would go a long way in boosting your reputation.
Another important hack you may want to consider would be to make your Friday an email-free day. By avoiding emails on Fridays, you are bound to get more work done. Several large companies have banned the use of internal emails on Fridays for several reasons. First of all, it encourages more use of the office phone line. It also ensures that there is a reduction in digital clutter while promoting more interaction among the workers.
Last Line
Is Friday a Weekday? The answer is, therefore, you to see! Fridays are as awesome as any other day depending on your disposition. Different people in different parts of the world view it quite differently.
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