How to Beat Those Awful Monday Blues
If you wake up on Monday morning with a groan and struggle to get on with the workday, you may have a case of the Monday blues. There's no wondering why we hate Mondays -- it always seems to sneak up on us, just as we're starting to relax and enjoy our weekend. While for most of us, Monday is the least productive day of the week, Carla Wood, business coach and founder of ALL Strategy, says it doesn't have to be.
Follow these strategies and eliminate the Monday blues for good:
Start your Monday on Sunday night. Wood says the reason Mondays are so hard is because of the shift in attitude and lifestyle that happens over the weekend. "We move into personal mode on the weekend. Having to ramp up again can feel overwhelming as you anticipate the mountain and having to climb it again at the start of the week," says Wood. While you may want to suck up every last bit of freedom on Sunday night, taking a couple of minutes to mentally prepare for the week ahead can help you overcome the Monday blues.
Start prioritizing. Make a list of tasks to do on Monday and schedule it into your calendar as the first appointment of the day. Rather than starting the workweek with a blank slate, reminding yourself of the priorities for the day can help you avoid getting stuck in the busy-ness that can at times be overwhelming on Monday morning. Scheduling a team meeting to go over the priorities for the week can help everyone get into work mode and fight off the Monday blues.
Start the day with something that gives you energy. Going for a run or hitting the gym first thing Monday morning gets your body moving and creates positive energy to begin your day. Having the Monday blues doesn’t mean you hate your job, nor does it mean you're depressed. "It's more about being stuck and not yet in the momentum of the work week," says Wood. Doing an activity that ramps up your energy can help put you back in the right headspace to be productive.
Reconnect with colleagues. If you run into the office and hit your desk first thing Monday morning, consider doing a social call first. "Just having that water cooler conversation sometimes can be a motivator to get in and get started because you’re looking forward to the social time rather than sitting down at your desk and cracking down," says Wood.
Get a mentor. If your Monday blues are chronic, it may be a symptom of a larger problem. Wood recommends entrepreneurs, especially those who work alone, find a mentor to speak with about business goals and issues. "It allows you to have another perspective and some accountability," she says. A bad case of “the Mondays” could just be a symptom of feeling overwhelmed. Finding a mentor to help you work through those underlying issues could help get rid of the blues.
