How to live your life by numbers

Whether you’re starting a romantic relationship or going for a hospital check-up, it is helpful to have a statistical approach to organizing your week.

MONDAY

One way to improve your Mondays: avoid job interviews. Recruitment advisers say employers are more open-minded later in the week. Interviews held on a Monday are also more likely to be the first interviews held for a particular job, which could reduce the chances of success; one study by the 5. 'executive search' industry in the US found that the person who attends the first interview gets the job 17.6 percent of the time, compared to 56 percent for the person who attends the last interview.

TUESDAY

Tuesday is the day to get important jobs done. A study published last month by the US Society of Industrial Psychology said our rational 'left' brain dominates thinking early in the week, better for routine, non-social jobs like refreshing a resume or planning a presentation.

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday is the day for starting a romantic relationship, according to a survey of 8,000 single people by an online dating site. Forty-one percent of respondents to the survey said the best day for a first date is a Wednesday. The reason, apparently, is Thursday. After a successful date both parties get a day’s breathing space, but they don’t have to wait long before a second meeting on Friday night. Additionally, a 'busy' Thursday at work is a convenient excuse to settle the bill and leave.

THURSDAY

The fourth day of the week is the worst day to be admitted to the hospital. A report released last week by the Institute of Public Policy Research found that people who go into hospitals on a Thursday stay longer. The 180,000 people admitted on a Thursday in the past year stayed an average 6.3 days, compared to 5.5 days for a Saturday and 5.3 days for a Sunday. The main reason is that Thursday patients who need just two or three days of treatment are less likely to be released during the weekend, when there is less hospital staff. This 'weekend effect' required an extra 500 beds over the year.

FRIDAY

Thank God it’s Friday - or so they say. The end of the working week should result in celebration, but Friday is statistically a bad day. It’s also an unlucky day, because of superstitions about Friday 13th.

But a fear of Fridays is not always irrational. Statistically, it is the worst day to drive. A study published last November by Continental Tyres found that traffic accidents tend to happen more frequently on Fridays than other days. According to the report, this was due to various factors, including end-of- week tiredness and heavy traffic.

SATURDAY

If Wednesday is the best day for a first date, then Saturday is the day to get married (unless you’re Jewish). Government statistics for England and Wales show that in 2003, 61 percent of the total 270,109 marriages took place on a Saturday (with only 3 percent on a Tuesday - the least popular day).

SUNDAY

For those not at a Jewish wedding, Sunday could be the best day to hit the supermarket. A recent survey by 'field marketing agency' FDS showed that availability of a wide range of products was at its highest (98 percent) on Sundays. Empty shelves are more likely on Mondays when availability fell to a low of 94 percent.