How I Crush My Mondays And Get Control Of The Week
Most people see Monday as the most depressing day of the week as it marks their return to work and routine. Not me!
I LOVE MONDAYS!
Yes, I genuinely do. I am sure I am the first (or maybe second or third) person you have ever come across who sounds THIS excited about the first working day of the week. Trust me — there is something special indeed about a Monday.
Perhaps, because it allows us to reflect on the week that has gone by, and plan essential tasks for the week ahead of us. Or because it gives us another chance to have a more fulfilling and productive week, professionally and personally.
For someone like me, who is all about optimizing her daily routine, Mondays help establish priorities, keep track of goals, limit procrastination, and focus better. When I know how my week will pan out, I am more driven and enthusiastic about starting work and fulfilling all my social commitments, whatever they may be. Mondays help me achieve a winning frame of mind.
I understand most people see Monday as the most depressing day of the week as it marks their return to work and routine after a well-deserved weekend. They get panic attacks on Sunday evenings or generally start feeling low because of how generally chaotic and messy Mondays are.
I often hear my friends and colleagues moan about how short their weekend was and how they need one more day to recuperate. That’s not true for me. Believe it or not — in my six years of work-life, I have never even once experienced Monday Blues, and I am always happy to get back to my not-so monotonous routine after a weekend of fun and rest.
Do you also want to start loving Mondays? Well, you are in for a treat. Here are five tips I follow religiously to crush the first day of the workweek:
1. Have a plan of action.
I understand thinking about work during the weekend is not advisable. But if you can take out 15 to 30 minutes to take a look at what needs to get done in the week ahead, that’s going to be a valuable use of your time.
Personally speaking, I can’t function without a plan of action. I need to know exactly what I am going to do, who I am going to meet, where I am going to go during the week. I am a planner by nature, and I like having everything organized to the ‘t.’
I utilize my Sundays to plan the week. It helps me enter a Monday feeling confident and fully charged. No wonder, I don’t have Monday Blues!
2. Prioritize your tasks.
From paying your phone bill and rent to dropping your kid’s school and submitting a crucial assignment before lunch and speaking to a prospective client, you could have a million things to do on Monday. The worst part is all these tasks are essential and time-bound, which means you need to clone yourself, not just once but four times!
That’s why it is crucial to prioritize. I love having a schedule to follow. It makes me feel sorted mentally. When I know which tasks have to be picked up first, I can accomplish so much more in a restricted period, without wasting my energy on procrastinating.
3. Clean your workstation.
An infographic by Cleaning Services Group, a cleaning service provider, highlights a correlation between tidy workspaces and higher productivity. Their study states that by maintaining a neatly organized workspace, we are more likely to get our best work done and meet targets faster.
I work from home. Even though I have a dedicated study table for work, I often find myself sitting on the bed with my laptop. That isn’t always healthy, but sometimes, a clean bed also does wonders. The point is — wherever you work, make sure the place is spick and span!
4. Jot down your tasks.
As much as I love using Trello and Airtable for organizing my calendar, pen and paper will never go out of style for me. I keep a fat black diary for taking notes about my work assignments, meetings, personal chores, travel, and more.
If you are anything like me and have the habit of journaling everything, you can relate to the feeling of checking things off your to-do list and feeling accomplished! I also think writing brings clarity and helps in prioritizing the tasks.
Try this exercise next time you get overwhelmed with your workload: dump all your chores on a piece of paper, and then order them according to the level of urgency and importance. You will not believe how much this exercise will reduce your stress — especially on a Monday — when everything it is urgent, important, and demands your attention pronto!
5. Don’t get distracted by social media.
Social media is a colossal time-suck, not to mention addictive. It can shape your week, and not necessarily in a good way. So, don’t set the mood by checking your Instagram feed as soon as you get out of bed.
Seriously — the world won’t fall apart if you don’t check what your friends are up to on Facebook or who’s tweeting who on Twitter. That’s secondary.
Instead, enjoy your steaming mug of coffee in peace, with your family. Read the newspaper or a novel. Meditate, hit the gym, cook — do whatever floats your boat and makes you happy!
I love spending my mornings with a hot cup of chai, catching up with my husband before he and I get into work mode. It’s sweet, and the ritual leaves me with a warm feeling. Monday mornings are no exception.
Lead the way with positivity
Even though Monday is the most dreaded day of the week, I always like to focus on the positives and the opportunities it brings. And, so I never associate any negative feelings with it. I deal with my Mondays positively and happily.
How do you crush your Mondays and get ready for the week? Do share your thoughts!
