Ah, Monday. When you run a business or work the 8-5 job, Mondays are always too close to the last Friday and too far from the next one.
Everyone gets a “case of the Mondays” from time to time – perhaps even 4-5 times per month (every Monday, get it?). Thankfully, you and I have what Peter Gibbons from Office Space didn’t have: these helpful tips to overcome what I like to call, the “Monday Blues.”
1. Wake Up Early
Wake up 30 minutes earlier than normal on Monday morning. Before you even think about work and the crazy week ahead, sit down at your kitchen table with a cup of coffee and the newspaper (or the online edition like Drudge Report, The Onion, or the Huffington Post) and soak in current events, pop culture, sports, or whatever else interests you. This will get your mind cranking and ready to take on the day and week. Take some deep breaths and get ready to be patient with your co-workers who haven’t embraced your “Monday techniques.”
2. Create a To-Do List
Create a to-do list before you get to the office. Chances are, the minute you walk in you’ll be bombarded with new tasks and requests. Pull out that original to-do list and prioritize those items with the new ones. What do you hope to accomplish by the end of the day? By Friday? Some tasks cannot be completed in a week, but writing them out and keeping them on your mind helps you see the bigger picture. It also helps you let co-workers know when they can expect you to be done with something.
3. Set Aside Time for Email
Take the first 20-30 minutes of the day to go through the emails that you missed over the weekend (that you didn’t already respond to on your BlackBerry or iPhone). If the email does not require an immediate response, flag it for later. You can also organize your email into different folders – for example, a small business owner could use folders like “Customers,” “Advertising/PR Opporunities,” “Finances,” “GPS Fleet Tracking Alerts” (if your business depends on a fleet of vehicles, of course), and so on. See other ways to organize your email inbox.
4. Take a Break
Surprise your employees or co-workers by having a 3pm snack and chat break. Bring in a few two liters of soda and some healthy snacks and talk about the weekend. Who says Mondays can’t be fun at all? This mid-afternoon break will revive everyone’s energy to finish the day strong.
5. Reward Yourself
Treat yourself to something special at the end of the day – you made it! Whether it’s your favorite dinner, a cold beer, or simply turning off your phone and computer for an hour and watching TV, enjoy the end of your Monday and be encouraged to tackle the rest of the week.
