The short answer: Not Mondays or Fridays. Not to say Mondays and Fridays are throwaway days, but this goes to show, that 3-hour all-staff “week in review” meeting is not your best bet on a Friday morning (or ever, because who wants to sit through a 3-hour meeting?). When it comes to conducting important business, not all times are created equal, and you can save your business time and money—and your staff heartache—if you plan for these more productive times.

When to Hold a Meeting

Again, not Monday or Friday. These days often get lumped into a planned (or unplanned) long weekend, so it’s more likely key employees will be absent. Monday employees can be stuck in weekend mode and slow to return, or they may be facing a fresh batch of weekly worries or the rollover from last week’s to-do list. Give them time to adjust. Friday employees have put in a full week and are daydreaming about their weekend plans.

So how about Tuesday? Does Tuesday work for you? Or Wednesday or Thursday? But not first thing in the morning. That means someone has to prepare the day before or come in early, and you should at least wait until your employees have started their third cup of coffee. Oh, and don’t meet at the end of the day, because you’ll see people watching that minute hand tick by until quitting time. And you don’t want to have the meeting right after lunch, because that double cheeseburger makes people feel sluggish. You could always do a meeting during lunch, but then you’d have to pay employees for working their lunch hour (and probably provide food to soften the blow).

What’s an employer to do? A mid-morning meeting, say 10am, gives folks time to greet the day and respond to any fires that may have cropped up. Everyone should be settled and caffeinated. You could also try a mid-afternoon meeting, like 3pm, when people have found their post-lunch stride but aren’t yet eyeballing the clock.

When to Respond to Email

As part of good time-management skills, you shouldn’t be constantly checking your email; you should set aside between two and five times a day to check email and respond. Try to settle every email when you open it, either to type out a quick response, or to write an “I’ll get back to you at X time” email. Checking your email less often tells others that you are busy, but that you will get back to them soon, if not immediately. But it’s also important to be timely for coworkers and clients who expect prompt answers, so if someone does need you immediately, they can call, text, or stop by your cubicle.

So when should you tackle this email? Settle into your daily routine first: review your to-do list, have your coffee, then dig in. Tackling email early in the morning will ensure your email is fresh when the recipient gets to work, and you’ll have a chance to deal with any off-hours messages you received. You’ll also be aware of any problems brewing for the day—no unpleasant surprises. Plus, starting your day with a clean inbox feels productive and good! In the same vein, you’ll want to close with a clean inbox in the late afternoon, leaving yourself enough time for your end-of-day routine.

When to Share New Business Initiatives

Employees will be most excited about new business programs and initiatives when they’re shared at the beginning of the month, and, say it with us now—when they’re shared on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, mid-morning or mid-afternoon. Nobody will be excited first thing Monday morning unless you’re announcing plans to build a Starbucks. And why the beginning of the month? If you drop the big reveal too early, such as late in the month before rollout, interest and anticipation will wear off before the program or initiative even starts.

In Conclusion

Don’t stack the cards against yourself! Choose the days and times that work best for your employees’ schedules and attention spans. Keep track of everyone’s standing meetings to avoid overlap, and be mindful that the key players will be alert and able to attend your (carefully scheduled) meetings.