Office Rescue, originally uploaded by banspy.
I hate Mondays.
Like many people, I hate Mondays. I’ve always struggled with them. For some reason it takes me awhile to get myself into gear for work, especially if I’ve had a heavy weekend. When I worked in a company Mondays were hellish but at least I knew what I had to do that day, but now working for myself I have too many options and ways to wheedle out of my to do list. I even tried taking the day off but then Tuesday became the new Monday.
According to an article from Reuters we coast through Mondays and then get stressed on Tuesday morning when we realise how much work we have to do for the rest of the week. (Tuesday is a great day for me, I don’t get stressed)
I’m still mastering Monday, but here is what I’ve found works so far.
Focus on energy
Just as we learnt in physics, that it takes an initial energy to get an object moving. Setting up your week powerfully (also day, month or year) requires an initial burst of energy to get going and build up momentum. Therefore the more energy you can put into Monday the more productive you will be for the rest of the week.
Focus Monday morning on building momentum for the week and setting out what there is to do for the week more than getting specific results. By Monday afternoon, you want to feel energised, clear and ready to go. That way you avoid Tuesday morning stress.
The principle of energy
Now when we talk about energy, there are 3 categories of energy we can work with physical, emotional or mental.
Physical: Exercise
When you’re up and active, energy flows, however often on the weekend, the energy flow in our body gets blocked. This can be from lying on the sofa, inactivity or hangover. If you feel lethargic and out of sorts or have kinks or knots in your spine, you will know what I mean. The best thing to do is some stretching, some exercise or get a rigorous massage. This will get the energy in your body flowing again. Do this on Sunday evening preferably but if not Monday morning.
Emotional: Do something fun or emotionally fulfilling
Doing something emotionally fulfilling will give you a burst of energy. From allowing the ‘inner child’ to play a bit or authentically paying someone a complement. Do something fun or express your love for someone.
Mental: Visualisation creates clarity
The biggest obstacle to mental energy is lack of clarity. By spending 5-10 minutes doing some ‘creative daydreaming’ around your goals and aspirations, you remind yourself of your goals and what is important to you. This is the big picture, the why. Then you can break that down into what to do for the week.
