Minute With Mallon: Front-Load Your Week
Welcome to Minute with Mallon!
Something I Taught:
Years ago, I called a friend on a Tuesday. He didn't answer. What I needed to talk about was "important." But he did call me back on Wednesday.
I know you'll never believe this, but I can sometimes be somewhat of a Smart A--! Try to act surprised, would ya? 🙄🤷♂️
So I said, “Well thanks a lot, Paul! Really appreciate that call back yesterday, my brother!” 😏
He’s not like me—he’s polite—so he said, “I’m so sorry, Robert. Let me tell you what I do on Mondays and Tuesdays.”
On Mondays, he would go work out first thing, then get to work around 7 a.m. Monday was “people day!” Paul had nine department heads under him, and every hour on the hour he would meet with another one. They would talk about everything that was going on in their department... hiring needs, numbers, production levels, etc.
He’d usually leave work around 6:30 p.m. It was a long day, but by the end of it, he had a full grasp of what was going on in the business.
Tuesdays, he would get to work about 6:30 a.m. He called Tuesdays “head down day.”
No one got to Paul on Tuesdays. He would have a long list of things to work on and would generally work a 12-hour day. But he got a ton of stuff done because of the lack of distractions.
Wednesdays and Thursdays he would work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
And Fridays he would get to work at 8 a.m. and leave at 12:01 p.m. to start his weekend.
"Robert, I get about 60 to 70% of my work done on Mondays and Tuesdays. Wednesdays and Thursdays are easy, and Friday is a piece of cake."
When he told me this, it kind of blew my mind. He got to celebrate every week with two and a half days off for the weekend.
That conversation changed the way I worked. From then on, I started stacking my toughest work and longest days on Mondays and Tuesdays. Now, Tuesdays through Thursdays are fully booked with coaching clients, and I take Fridays off completely.
I truly believe I work the same number of hours as I did when I worked five days a week, but I get a three-day weekend every week.
So how about you? Maybe you can’t take Fridays off, but could you schedule your week so that Mondays and Tuesdays were busy and the rest of the week was easier?
Those first two days of the week you should ideally be feeling rested after the weekend, so you should have the most energy on Mondays and Tuesdays
I’ve told this to hundreds of clients, and many of them just love what this change does for their lives!
What would it look like to front-load your week?
Could you shift more of your energy and effort to Monday and Tuesday—stacking meetings, deep work, or your most important tasks—so the rest of your week runs smoother?
Even a small adjustment could create more margin, reduce stress, and give you something to look forward to by Friday.
Try it for two weeks. See what shifts.
You might just buy yourself a standing Friday afternoon celebration. 🎉
Something to Ponder:
"Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself; it’s thinking of yourself less."
Rick Warren
Something I Learned:
Several years ago I heard James Clear say, "If you're having trouble sticking to a new habit, try a smaller version until it becomes automatic. Do less than you're capable of, but do it more consistently than you have before."
This week I learned of something called Minimal Viable Effort (MVE). Often my clients try to bite off more than they can chew when beginning a habit.
Minimal Viable Effort is the smallest possible action you can take to maintain or build a habit—especially on days when motivation is low—so you keep your momentum going.
It’s about lowering the barrier to action just enough that you still show up, even if the results aren’t perfect or impressive.
A good example? Doing one pushup instead of doing a full workout. That one push-up keeps the streak alive—and often leads to doing more once you start. But even if it doesn't, you've still given the activity conscious time and effort, making it more ingrained.
Something I Saw:
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Hope you have an incredible week!
Robert
