Poor Monday, The Most Misunderstood Day Of The Week
My Monday errands run was carefully planned. I had it mapped and timed out perfectly. Sadly, part of the scheduling process was to anticipate the “It’s a Monday” excuses. I heard this phrase at three separate locations. It’s something you don’t hear on Friday. Here’s something to consider, your Monday could be someone else’s Friday.
The first stop of was at 10am. I was their first appointment of the day. However, when I showed up, which was also the time they opened, no one was there. While I would expect them at the very least to be there at 10am no one arrived until 10:10am. When the owner and employees did show up they were all in a bad mood. Their moods worsened when no one could find their keys.
They did not plan for scheduled customers and certainly not for the walk-ins their storefront says they “welcome”. I bet the owner used to dream of having customers lined up to come inside. Now that they’ve been open for a couple of years and don’t (or don’t know how) to manage and plan their time the same customers that keep them in business have also become a burden.
Success on Monday starts on Sunday. This is especially true if people can schedule their own appointments over the weekend.
Next stop, doctor’s office. Two women behind the desk were talking and stopped when I walked in, but neither of them greeted me. The receptionist said, “Name.” Am I a prisoner? What happened to, “Hi. May I have your name please?” Then it was “License and insurance card.” Am I being pulled over? I heard a different woman say, “It’s a Monday.” and they agreed. Is it Monday or do you simply have a bad attitude?
Give yourself extra time on Monday to prepare for a busy day. If you work in an office where Monday is typically full of bad news or complaints (insurance, doctor’s office, etc.) try posting a cute (appropriate) joke or offering a free service to your clients. I know of a dentist that offers mini shoulder massages while you wait!
Final stop, retail store. I couldn’t find anything. I saw a couple of employees and not one of them wanted to make eye contact with me. Do they not understand that no customers in the store means no jobs needed in the store? I was able to track someone down and he wasn’t happy to help because he had to stop stocking. Here it came again, “It’s a Monday”.
Take time on Monday to remember why you’re in business. If it’s to help people, then help them. If you’re providing a service, then provide the best service. If you care for people, then truly make them feel cared for.
What is awful about poor Monday? Nothing. Monday is simply the most poorly planned day of the week. By saying, “It’s a Monday” you don’t excuse yourself from anything. All you are doing is providing your competitor the opportunity to provide even mediocre service to take away from yours.
If you’re struggling with Monday ask yourself a few questions.
- Did you enjoy the weekend off? If not, you need help. What could a virtual assistant do to support you so you don’t have to work weekends?
- Are you overwhelmed with your work? This doesn’t mean you don’t love what you do. It means you are doing to much work you don’t love. Make a list of things you could hire a virtual assistant to take off your plate. Even if it gave you an hour back of your time, wouldn’t it be worth it?
- What do you look forward to every week? Can you plan to do that on Monday? Set yourself up for success. Don’t feel like you’re a child who has to eat his vegetables before getting dessert. Do what you love on Monday morning so you can enjoy the rest of your day and week. It’s the weekly equivalent to eating a good breakfast.
Instead of picking on poor Monday start the change now to make Monday’s marvelous!
Because you can’t do it all yourself…….. Melissa Smith, The PVA is the bestselling author of Hire the Right Virtual Assistant. To learn more about working with the right Virtual Assistant contact Melissa here.
