If you ask people what their least favorite day of the week is, they’ll often say Monday. Mondays have a bad reputation since they signify the start of the workweek. That also signifies the end of a hopefully relaxing weekend. This article is here to explain the benefits of starting the week off right, beginning with a productive Monday.
If you can start the week off right, you will find that the rest of your week becomes much easier. This sounds simple, but there are many obstacles that stand in the way of a positive start to the week. Some of these obstacles include recovering from a busy weekend, dreading responsibilities for the week, and feeling like you are drowning in work first thing Monday morning.
With the tips from this post, you will be able to change your mindset and goals for the start of each week and will begin to find the benefits of starting the week off right!
This post is all about 5 easy tips for starting the week off right, beginning with a productive Monday morning.
Starting the Week Off Right
You might ask yourself, why do I need to focus on getting my week started out in a good way? No matter what, I still have to get through the week.
This type of thinking is technically not wrong. Some people are not too concerned with optimizing their week and would rather just trudge through it, and that is completely okay. If you do care about making your week go as smoothly as possible, starting out your week in a positive, productive way is the best thing you can do!
If you make an effort to start your week off the right way, you will find that the rest of the week will go much more smoothly. Basically, you will be giving yourself a headstart in a way. This may be a controversial example (depending on how much you like math) but think about it like a graph from algebra class. This graph has 3 main elements:
- There is a y-axis (vertical) which represents the success of your week.
- There is an x-axis (horizontal) that represents the timeline of the week from Monday to Sunday.
- Lastly, there is a line that represents your success as you move through the week.
Imagine that the week starts out high on the “success” axis. If you start out at a high point like this, then the chances of having a great week are significantly higher. It is much more likely that you will continue to have a positive, successful week than that you will crash and burn from such a great start.
On the other hand, imagine your week starts off slow. With a rough start to the week, you will find yourself low on the success axis. From a low point, you will have to work hard to move yourself up and make your week better. While this is not impossible by any means, it is definitely more challenging.
Unless you prefer the thought of trying to work extra hard to improve a low start to the week, then you should try to focus on starting out in the right, successful way.
5 Tips for Starting the Week Off Right
Now that we are on the same page for why starting the week off right is important, let’s dive into how to get that done. These 5 tips will help you start on the right track from day 1 of each week.
1. Use your Friday to get ready for your Monday
Using your Fridays to prepare for Monday is one of the best tips that can help you get your week started out right. If you are anything like me, you probably start your Monday but trying to figure out what the heck you needed to get done this week. Remembering what went on the previous Friday can be tough since 60+ hours have passed. Most people like to completely shut down on their weekends and drop the thought of work, so it is easy to forget.
Instead of trying to collect your work thoughts on Monday morning, try to collect those thoughts on Friday afternoon. All you need to do is make a quick list that has a few items for the following Monday. With a basic list like this, you will give yourself a headstart on your Monday and will be starting the week off right!
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2. Don’t buy into the “case of the Mondays” mentality
I am sure you have heard the groans of colleagues as you get started on Monday morning and everybody seems to be complaining that Mondays are the worst. I have done the same complaining myself many times! Instead of joining in on this complaining, try to look ignore it. If you want to get your week started off right, you need to start seeing them as one of your favorite days of the week.
Mondays are generally seen as the worst day of the week just because they signify the end of relaxation and the beginning of another workweek. This is reasonable, but at the end of the day, Monday is just another day. If you can start to see things that way and tell yourself that Mondays are good days that help you crush the start of your week, you can begin to channel your previously negative energy into something much more positive.
With a more positive outlook and mindset, you will find that you are starting the week off right much more often!
3. Give yourself something to look forward to
Another great way to start the week off right is to give yourself something to look forward to. This can be a variety of things, but should ideally be something that will bring you positivity and happiness on your first day of the week. For me, this usually involves leaving episodes of my favorite podcasts unplayed until the Monday morning commute.
Leaving something like this that I know I want to do at the start of my week is a great way to set myself up to have a positive, successful start to the week. This can work for you too, and put you in a good mood on Monday morning!
Some other examples are as follows:
- Queue up your favorite playlist for the next Monday morning
- Bring a treat for after you finish up lunch
- Plan an outing with friends for Monday evening
Anything that makes you happy will be perfect for this tip. Give it a try!
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4. Don’t start off the week too strong
We have all been in a situation where you end up staying late to get extra work done. Unfortunately, this happens all too often and can be a real mood killer. You might think that staying at work a little extra on your Monday is a great way to start the week off right, but it really only hurts the rest of your week.
For most people, work is stressful and tiring. We all have to do it, but few people really enjoy it. Having to work extra is even more tiring because it hurts your week in 2 different ways. First, working extra means just that, extra work. By doing that extra work, you are extending the stressful period of your day. That quickly takes a toll and will make you more tired for your week. At the same time, extra time at work means less relaxation and recovery. As your work more, you basically are replacing your time to recover with more time under stress. This can kill your week.
If you couple these negative results with your extra work on a Monday, you are setting yourself up for failure. Think back to the graph I talked about earlier in this article. By starting the week off in this way, you may feel more successful on day 1, but the rest of the week will be filled with tiredness, stress, and resentment from all the extra work. Obviously, none of these things are good. Soon, you will find that the line on your graph will be starting low and moving downwards.
Try to take it easy on the first day of your week so you can ease into the long workweek. By taking it easy, you will find that you are starting the week off in a better way than before!
5. Accomplish the easy stuff first
At the start of the week, even a small win can feel big. Simple things like making breakfast and your bed can give you a jumpstart to the week. Wins like this will help you begin your week with more success and positivity. Try to get something easy done on Monday morning, and you will get an immediate boost to your mood!
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Starting the week off right can be tough, but hopefully, these tips can help you get it done! Leave a comment below or send an email to us at ourteam@wellroundedyou.com if you have any questions or suggestions. Thanks for reading!
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