As far as days of the week go, Monday certainly got the raw end of the deal. There are countless memes floating around the internet bad-mouthing Mondays. People often self-diagnose themselves with a “case of the Mondays.” The Carpenters even wrote a song about how rainy days and Mondays always get them down. Needless to say, Mondays have a reputation for being a bit of a downer.
Part of the reason Mondays are received so negatively is that they are traditionally the start of a new workweek. Coming right off the tail of Super Saturday and Sunday Funday is a tough act to follow, and unfortunately for Mondays, this means being the most hated dreaded day of the week. Believe it or not, however, Mondays could be your most productive day at the office if you head into work with the right frame of mind. Here, we’re bringing you 8 tried-and-true hacks to help cure you of your Monday Morning Blues.
Start on Sunday
The prerequisite to a productive Monday is a preemptive Sunday night. A huge reason for feeling like it takes every bit of willpower to get out of bed on Monday morning is because our bodies are still in weekend mode, relying on a few extra hours of sleep to make up for staying up late the night before. Success starts with a good night’s sleep, so hitting the hay an hour or two earlier will make it easier to transition from Sunday Funday to a Merry Monday at the office.
Start Your Day Earlier
Much like going to bed earlier, your productivity will be higher if you start your work after already being awake for a while. That snooze button might seem tempting – especially on a Monday – but rolling out of bed and rushing to work will leave you feeling groggy, and you will have a harder time getting into a solid workflow. Exercising in the morning or waking up a little earlier to watch the news will get the gears in your mind cranking, which will make it easier to start the day productively.
Eat Breakfast
Did you know that approximately 31 million Americans skip breakfast every morning? They might tell you they “don’t have time” or they’re “not breakfast people,” but that old cliché about breakfast being the most important meal of the day holds true. Eating a healthy breakfast provides you with the necessary nutrients to keep you feeling healthy, raises your blood sugar to keep you energized, and it will make you less likely to stare at the clock all morning counting down the minutes until lunchtime.
Clean your Work Space
We’ve all heard the old saying “a cluttered desk means a cluttered mind,” and this especially relates to your first Monday back at the office. You already know you have enough on your plate – I mean, even getting out of bed was a task in and of itself – and walking into a scattered, unorganized mess will only add to your Monday morning stress. Instead, try to clear off your workspace at the end of every week. Aside from looking nicer when you walk in on Monday morning, having your work organized will make the start of your week much easier.
Plan for the Unplanned
It always seems to be the case that a crisis will inevitably occur over the weekend while you are not at the office. Because of this, clients and customers will come to you in a tizzy on Monday and you will be forced to do some unexpected damage control that might take up a significant portion of your day. To prepare for this, try to get ahead in your work on Friday. You will be giving yourself the time to handle any unexpected problems, and if nothing goes awry over the weekend then at least you have some built-in downtime to get ahead in your work for the rest of the week.
Find Things to Look Forward To
Maybe you have a company outing coming up, or maybe your boss is ordering everyone pizza for lunch. Maybe you’re just looking forward to your next day off – whatever it is, find it and hold onto it as a tool to get you motivated. Instead of treating Monday as the beginning of a long, tiresome work week, treat it as one day closer to something exciting coming up later in the week.
Make Lists
A notorious catch-up day, Mondays have the tendency to feel like a never-ending pit of things that need to get done. Instead of having that constant feeling of stress and the fear of forgetting about something important, make a list of everything you need to accomplish that day. Start with the things that have been on the back of your mind since you left the office on Friday because they are probably the most important and/or most time-sensitive. Leave simpler tasks towards the bottom of the list so you are not as stressed if you need to put them off until Tuesday morning. Seeing your to-dos written out will make them seem less overwhelming, and you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment when you can cross them off your list.
Stay Positive
It has really become something of a cultural phenomenon to accept that you are supposed to be unhappy on Mondays. The cure for the Monday Blues, however, is really just a positive shift in mindset and understanding that YOU, not the day of the week, will dictate how your day will go. Don’t fall into the trap of listing your Monday gripes with your co-workers, and instead make it a priority to face the day with a sunny disposition.
Feel free to use these tips the next time you find yourself with a case of the Monday Blues, and let us know in the comments how you get yourself motivated on a particularly dreary Monday morning!
