Make Monday’s More Meaningful

We’ve all experienced the fear on a Sunday. The ‘Monday Dread’, the ‘Sunday Blues. It’s that absolute sense of doom about a manic Monday ahead. For me it was always the frightening jolt from calm to roller coaster, with little control over the speed or direction of my day.

According to Forbes Health, an enormous 80% of all working professionals and over 90% of Millennial and Gen-Z workers suffer from what’s more recently been termed as the Sunday Scaries. That means that we spend one of our seven days worrying about the next day and then the day itself overwhelmed and at sea. That’s two days out of seven. It’s too sad! It’s surely something to challenge.

Ever the optimist, I’ve cultivated a top ten. Ten techniques that genuinely help to shift the balance. Of course, the ultimate for me is to not booze on a Sunday. It’s illogical to throw in toxins the day before you need to be switched on. But that’s my angle. Booze or no booze, here’s some tried and tested ways to make Mondays manageable and switch it up a gear.

1.     Cultivate a ritual. Rather than hit the snooze, rise a little earlier on a Monday. Have the coffee prepared the night before, ready to brew up the perfect cup. If you think you’re buying good coffee, buy better. Even if just for Mondays. Don’t make Monday the deprivation day. Make it the day with the finest starting point. The most rewarding pat on the back for being up, in the game, at it and on it and ready to go.

2.     Wear your best clothes. Even if you’re on zoom or cruising around doing life admin or kid stuff. Invest in washing your hair and putting on decent gear. Setting precedent in clothes that make you feel slobbish, frumpy and sulky will not cut it anymore. Shake off stagnant energy and step out into the week like you are 100% worth what follows.

3.     Touch Grass. No really. Walk outside and get barefoot on some grass for a few deep breaths. Connect and commit yourself to a better Monday than the one before. Go there. Pause and breath it in and take a moment to be on this earth, worthy of a happy day, however bonkers or busy. You chose this. You are living a life full of choices. Get started by literally saying hello to the world and planting yourself in it.

4.     Tidy your workspace. Don’t begin until there is order. Wipe down the desk, bin the chaotic notes or the remnants of crumbs and clutter. Light a candle or burn some incense and add a bit of decorum and order to your starting line. Shoulders back, big stretch, deep breath and begin.

5.     Eat the Frog. You’ve heard this before, especially from me. Do the hardest, most thing first. You know exactly what it is. Tackle it or it’ll tap at your brain wall all morning eeking to annoy you and making you feel pants for failing. Just get on with it. If you dread it beyond belief, just schedule your first hour to chink away. To chip at the iceberg and make some impact.

6.     Put in a workout. However small, however grand. Do not miss exercise on a Monday. It’s imperative to get that first physical win in. If a good day has a physical win, an emotional win and a work win, then nail this one as soon as you can. You can do the movement part without over analysis. It’s an easy one to tick off without over engineering the actual content. Find a Monday buddy for accountability. Pay for the class or get the trainers ready. Do everything you can to make sacking it off impossible.

7.     NMMM. Enforce a no meetings on Monday morning policy, or at least the mornings. This is the absolute biggest game changer of them all. I don’t coach on a Monday. I walk or run a tiny bit further and I prepare for the week ahead. I get into the groove with music and fully enjoy my working pace. It’s changed my whole outlook and I wake giddy for what’s ahead on this important day of the week.

8.     Make the finest supper. Plan in food that’s worth working for. Make Monday a special day of the week, not the day of famine following feast. Step change gently into the working week, with compassion and self-care. Not full of starvation and loathing.

9.     Create a Monday Soundtrack. I have calm Monday music, the 432 HZ territory. But you can roll with what makes you happy. I just know that this is indulgence for the senses. I feel so much more tuned in when I have the Monday playlist lined up and ready to go. It’s permission for me to surrender to the morning and go deep. It helps with creativity and quietens the mind from the distractions that can ensue. Try this, let me know.

10.  Meet someone. I don’t know who but do. It’s too easy to close down and lock in especially with us all working from home so much. We need human engagement. We need eye contact and affection and touch. We need to download our grumbles so that the worries dissipate as the words are released. Even saying hello to people on the school run helps me with this

Just raising our heads up, asking people how they are reminds us that we’re all in this together. We’re plugging into the week, doing the best we can to make it a great life for ourselves and those we love.

Good luck, let me know how you get on and what you think.

Thank you

Laura