“I’d rather enter the Hunger Games than enter the office on Mondays.” — Anonymous
Monday is probably the most hated day of the week, mostly due to how tough it can be to get motivated into going back to the usual routine after taking a break for two days (sometimes three for people who start early on Fridays.) The worst part about it is that feeling of “starting over” that comes with Monday. This is also a big reason why Friday feels awesome, as it brings a feeling of accomplishment after making it through another week of work. However, I have found that there are things that we can do to help us transition into Monday a lot easier and have a successful start to the week.
Go to bed early on Sunday
When I was in college, I used to treat Sundays like they were my last chance of having fun that weekend and I would try to maximize it. I would sit around with my buddies watching football and drinking beer from the first game of the day to the last, which usually wouldn’t be over until about midnight. As a result, I would wake up Monday morning exhausted after a not really letting my body rest any throughout the weekend.
After graduating and getting a full-time job, I realized that how I started my week off would really impact how the rest of it would go. Plus, I also learned that a full-time job takes a toll on your body and that it is important to allow it to catch up after going hard all week. I still watch football on Sundays, but now I don’t drink any or bother staying up until the last game ends. This has allowed me to wake up feeling refreshed the next day and ready to take the week on.
Stretch, exercise, or meditate in the morning
Letting my body rest helps me wake up feeling good and ready to take on any challenge, but sometimes I still have to find a way to get myself in the right mindset. Like I mentioned earlier, Monday brings with it a feeling of repetition, and sometimes it’s difficult to not feel down by the same weekly routine.
I used to go to the gym in the mornings when I lived right by it. It required me waking up at 5:30am in order to not have to rush to work afterwards, but it was worth it because it helped get the blood in my body flowing and gave me a boost of energy to start off my day. Searching for that same effect, I’ve started doing yoga before I begin getting ready for work in the mornings. This is still new to me but I can honestly say that it really helps me feel relaxed and loose. Doing yoga on Monday mornings has been a great way to get my mind and body prepared for the week ahead.
Plan your week in advance
When I don’t have a plan of action for how I am going to get something done, I tend to feel stressed out and overwhelmed. This is mostly because I end up feeling like I have a ton of things to do and I worry that I won’t have the time to get it all done. Planning my week helps me stay organized and anticipate any projects or events that are going to be slowing me down.
If you can do it on Sunday evenings that’s great, but if not then make sure that the first thing that you do as soon as you walk into the office on Monday morning — BEFORE you check your emails — is plan what your week looks like and write down what success will mean to you at the end of it. This is no different than creating a budget for your income before you get paid. It’ll help you maximize your time and what I end up realizing is that when I plan things out, I’m usually not as busy as I thought I was. Get in the habit of writing all of your tasks down and inputting your meetings into your calendar so that your mind doesn’t have to stress itself trying to keep up with all of this information.
Kick Ass
Hopefully by implementing these habits or creating your own you can get to the point where you don’t let Mondays get to you. Try to look at the new week as another opportunity to do something great and set yourself up for success by starting your week off right. Incorporate other things that make you feel good, such as your favorite work clothes or favorite breakfast meal (I make myself a smoothie every morning!)
Now get out there and kick Mondays ass! Feel free to share below anything that helps you get over the Monday blues. Thanks for reading!
This post was originally published on my blog carlosaosorio.com