TGIF! 21 Places to Find Your Friday Inspiration

Happy Friday! Congratulations on almost making it through another workweek. Eight hours and counting until it’s truly TGIF!

On Fridays, eight hours can seem like an eternity. Yet, it’s important to end the work week strong. Here are 21 places to find Friday inspiration to get you through to the weekend.

1. Your Morning Routine

Shake up your morning routine to combat your unambitious attitude towards Friday. “Having a good morning kicks off your day on the right foot,” says Fairygodboss writer Ana Cottle. “Try a new coffee shop or treat yourself to your favorite drink at your regular haunt. This might mean waking up earlier, but that extra willpower will go a long way.” 

2. Your Weekly Goals List

Once you get to work, check your to-do list for the week so you can be productive at work. Did you achieve what you wanted or needed to do? If not, dig deep down inside and find the motivation to check off everything on your list by 5 o’clock.

3. Done: A Simple Habit Tracker

Download Done, an app that allows you to set and track goals on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Done lets you set a goal for multiple times a day and is totally customizable so you can get the unique motivator you need. And get this — the app tracks both building habits and quitting habits (i.e. quit being unambitious on Fridays). Here’s a recent review by an entrepreneur: “I love this app. As an entrepreneur, it’s important to me to do equal amounts of programming and biz each week... let alone working out and personal time. Done is perfect for anyone trying to prioritize time!”

4. #FridayMotivation

Follow the hashtag #FridayMotivation on Instagram. You’ll find inspirational posts from people around the globe. These posts will make your day and help you find new and positive entrepreneurs to follow.

5. Quotes

Who doesn’t love quotes? Recently I wrote this article that shares 40 inspiring quotes by women about work and life. These quotes are great to read when you’re in search of motivation, craving success or reflecting on life.

6. Pinterest

Pinterest’s motto is, “When it comes to a great idea, you know it when you see it.” So, create a Pinterest board jam-packed with content that will put you on cruise control through to the weekend. Or, follow an existing career inspiration board, like this one by Work It Daily.

7. Inspiration Grid

Magazines are great resources for ideas. Inspiration Grid is a digital mag that provides a daily fix of creativity, from art and design to typography and branding. By admiring the work of creatives in these categories and more, you might just think of something that will fill up the rest of your afternoon.

8. Brainsparker

9. Coffitivity

10. Your Favorite Playlist

11. Girls’ Night In

12. Zen Habits

Read Zen Habits. Zen Habits is a blog by Leo Babauta, who is your average family man who adopted simple methods to live a happier life. His stories are meant to calm your chaos, and his two million readers suggest they truly make a difference. You can also follow him on Twitter: @zen_habits.

13. Your Desk

Speaking of chaos, what does your desk look like? Take a few minutes to clean your desk. Desk clutter is distracting. Plus, once it’s clean it’s another item you can add to and check off your to-do list.

14. Tiny Buddha

Sign up to get Tiny Buddha in your inbox every Friday morning for posts about happiness, mindfulness, letting go, work fulfillment and more. You can also pre-order Tiny Buddha’s new Worry Journal, which has quotes, questions and coloring pages to help you minimize your anxiety.

15. Doodle

Take a pen, pencil or marker and doodle in your notebook. Studies show doodling relieves stress and can even be rewarding. (Plus, it’s better to doodle on a Friday at your desk than in a meeting!) 

16. Seth Godin

If you’re not familiar with Seth Godin, he launched two companies that were acquired by Yahoo!, and has since been sharing his knowledge of marketing and leadership through his blog, best-selling books and standing room only speeches. I’ve subscribed to his blog for years now and I’m always amazed by the mere fact that he blogs every single day! You don’t have to be a writer, marketer or manager to learn something from Godin. Some of his best articles are fewer than 30 words and open your eyes to look at a situation through a different lens. If you don’t want to subscribe to another blog (although, I highly recommend this one), try subscribing to Godin's podcast.

17. Podcasts

Speaking of podcasts, there are a ton of those too. You probably already have your favorites. Although, sometimes it’s beneficial to listen to new content - especially if you’re stuck in a rut. Here are 33 podcasts recently recommended by Fairygodboss.

18. TED Talk: The 3 A’s of Awesome

Watch Neil Pasricha’s 20 minute talk: The 3 A’s of Awesome and learn his three secrets to living an awesome life. Pasricha is the founder of the 1000 Awesome Things blog, once crowned the “Best Blog in the World” where he blogs about one awesome thing every day. He’s also the New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Awesome.

19. The Future

Whether you've achieved your goals for this week or not, one way to stay focused is to look to the future. Plan ahead and sketch out your objectives and tasks for next week. This will also help stop you from worrying about work over the weekend.

20. Your Bestie or Mom

Call your best friend or mom for a change of pace. Having a conversation with someone who doesn’t work in your office will take your mind off work for a few minutes and can put you in a better mood leading up to the end of the day.

21. Fresh Air

Go for a walk and smell the flowers because there’s nothing more inspiring than fresh air and time away from the computer screen.

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Kristen Farrell is a professional communicator who previously worked in human resources. She shares career lessons and everyday experiences on her blog: kristen-farrell.com. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her running, crafting, or spending time with her husband, Jonathan and cat, Trotsky.