Mondays might bring your weekend to an end, but they also have the power to be truly extraordinary. It’s time to take advantage of our Mondays—to stop loathing the beginning of each week and to start enjoying it. Master the first day of the week every week. Just follow these four simple tips:
1) Change your mindset.
A big reason Mondays aren’t all that great is that we’ve already decided they’re going to suck. We feed into this longstanding idea that Mondays are no good, very bad days. Therefore, the first step to making them better is challenging that negative ideation. Think about it: if you start your week off by saying, “Today’s going to be the worst,” having a good day will be markedly difficult. Instead, wake up Monday morning telling yourself that today’s going to be great.
2) Have a plan.
Once you’ve decided that Mondays are worthy of your love and attention, further ensure that the coming day is a good one by planning it in advance. Dedicate a small frame of time on Sunday—say 5-10 minutes—to mapping out your Monday. This doesn’t have to be a detailed or organized agenda entry… but it can be if you want it to be. The only requirement is that you jot down what you want your Monday to look like. Is there a specific time you want or need to wake up? Do you want to get in a workout? Are there chores that need to be done? What work items are top of mind? Generate an idea of what you want and need to accomplish.
3) Incorporate calming techniques.
Another major reason Mondays get a bad rap is that they mark the beginning of the workweek. You’ve just spent a couple of days unwinding, relaxing, having fun with family and friends… but now it’s back to work. Making this transition can be rough on your mind and your body: It can spike stress levels and even cause your blood pressure to rise. Therefore, it’s important that you incorporate calming techniques throughout your day. You’ve already adopted the “I can” attitude, which will put you in the right mindset, but taking time to practice breathing exercises, meditation, and/or mindfulness can further cushion this shift in focus.
4) Spoil yourself.
A sure-fire way to change your outlook on Mondays for the better: allotting time for pampering yourself. We typically view the weekend as our time for relaxing and catering to personal pleasures—but there’s no rule that says we can’t spoil ourselves on Mondays too. Find small ways throughout the day to spoil yourself: kick your day off by listening to your favorite song, bring a cup of your favorite hot chocolate to work, meet your best friend for lunch. At the very least, allot a small window of time in your day for doing something you love, whether that’s reading a book, taking a bubble bath, or watching catty reality TV.
