Welcome to Monday!
Wait. What do you mean, "Shut up"? You have a problem with Monday?
They wake up early and exercise. Get it done and get it out of the way quickly. You’ll spend the entire day already feeling like you’ve accomplished something.
They eat a healthy breakfast. This is your fuel. Don’t deny yourself because if you do, you will not have everything you need to help you be effective.
They arrive early. Getting in earlier than others will help make Monday morning seem more like the afternoon because you’ll have had a chance to breathe before responding to the barrage of people and issues.
They clear their desk and desktop. Did you leave yourself a mess on Friday? Don’t bring it with you into the new week. Get yourself in a position to perform well.
They carve out time for unexpected projects and tasks. Are you one of those people who can function just fine as long as you don’t have to deal with any unanticipated complications? Guess what. There are always unanticipated complications! But you can be prepared for them by not planning your day so tightly that you don’t leave yourself time for them.
They greet their team and boss. This is important to do first thing every morning to keep morale high, but on Monday it’s particularly valuable, as your team needs a special boost.
They update their to-do list and goals. You’ve got a whole week. What do you want to accomplish? Write it down. Hold yourself accountable to it. And use the time available to you to make it happen.
They visualize the week’s successes. Now that you know what you want to achieve, can you envision yourself making it happen? Because success is much more achievable if you can visualize it.
They screen emails for urgent requests. If something needs to be taken care of quickly, then take care of it quickly and clear it off your list. Otherwise it could become a much bigger problem later on.
They tackle the tough challenges first. You know that big, overbearing thing that’s lurking on the horizon? Deal with it right now. And you won’t spend the rest of the week with it hanging over your head. If it takes a little more of your Monday, fine. Book the time. And you’ll be amazed how much easier your Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday become.
They make an extra effort to smile. And when you think about it, it’s really no harder to smile than it is to frown. It’s really just a matter of choosing your state of mind.
They’re able to say no. You’ve heard it said that you can’t do everything. But I will tell you something even more important: You’re not supposed to do everything. Stay in your lane, stick to your assignments, and don’t enable others by doing things that someone else should be handling. I’m not saying you shouldn’t keep an open mind to things you might be able to help with, but don’t let people pressure you into taking on tasks that really should not be on you.
They stay focused. Whatever you did over the weekend can stay in the weekend. Whatever you’re going to do tonight, you can deal with then. Focus on the task at hand. Do it well.
They remember that there is Tuesday. Part of the beauty of Monday is that you’ve got the whole week ahead of you. Use all of it. Have a productive Monday and don’t let it slip through your hands, but don’t pressure yourself to do in a single day what you have an entire week for. At the same time, don’t put off things you can do today, because tomorrow will also present challenges you may not have anticipated.
Mondays are great! Enjoy today and make the most of it.
