Kick Start Your Week With A Few Simple Steps

Monday’s get a bad wrap by many. I’ll let you in on a random fact about me. I absolutely love Mondays. It used to drive my co-workers absolutely batty sometimes when I came to work so happy bright and early on a Monday morning.

Here’s the deal – I believe when you start off on a low-note it makes it so much harder to get to that high-note. Why not just start off on a positive and stay there?

Now I understand that many have valid reasons to dislike the start of the work week. Let’s touch on that first.

Job Dissatisfaction

The majority of us have to work. We need the income to sustain our households. If you absolutely dread Mondays because you dislike your job – it’s time to start working on a plan of change.

• Is talking to management an option? Perhaps a change in duties, cross-training in another department, or additional (or less) responsibilities is necessary.
• If management or the company structure is the problem, then it may be time to really do some soul-searching and revamp your resume’.

When you’re truly unhappy at a job, no matter how hard you try to hide it, it’s evident – to your co-workers and management. In my management roles, I tried my hardest to keep an open door policy and whatever was said in my office stayed there (unless I was required by law to report it – and, yes, I always gave the disclaimer). There were employees I encouraged to find work elsewhere. Your low morale impacts your work even when you think it doesn’t and the morale of those that work with you. Dissatisfaction at work depends on the person. Some people are motivated by salary and incentives. Some are motivated with passion and achievements. If you’re the logical type who loves coding and software development, you may want to pursue a career in tech. The average salary of a software engineer is quite higher compared to jobs that involves clerical work.

Life is too short to give at least 40 hours a week to an activity that brings you no joy or satisfaction at all. 

Ways To Kick Start Your Week

• Work-Life Balance: Do you wake up on Monday mornings with a list of regrets of all the things you should have done throughout the weekend but didn’t do because you were working – either from home or the office? Or did you give your attention to tasks and activities that didn’t truly bring you enjoyment? Having work-life balance is essential to having a great work week. Evaluate what you’re giving your time and energy to and compare it to what you’d rather be giving your time and energies to – make changes where you can. You may need to eliminate or scale back on some commitments or responsibilities.

• Evaluate Your Attitude: Let’s admit it. Sometimes we just have sucky attitudes. Do we hate Mondays because it’s Monday? (Kinda like how I hated asparagus because it was asparagus and that’s just what you do, but when I finally gave it a try – oh. my. goodness! scrumptiousness!) Determine if you need to do an attitude adjustment and give Monday a chance. Start off with a positive attitude and smile your way through it.

• Establish A Monday Routine: Perhaps doing something extra special for yourself will help. Prepare a special Monday breakfast the night before. Play your all-time favorite get up and dance song to get your mind right while getting dressed. Have your alarm go off a little earlier to give you time to prepare for the week. Get everything you need for the week or day laid out on Saturday or Sunday so you have more time on Monday morning. There are tons of things you can do that will make Monday start off on a better foot.

• Set Weekly Goals and Action Items. Have the last thing you do on Sunday (or the first thing you do on Monday) be to set your goals and action items for the week. Get motivated by focusing on your S.M.A.R.T. goals and realizing that being more productive and pleasant will help you accomplish more.

Download our S.M.A.R.T. Goals Worksheets here

• Start the Day With Gratitude…and continue throughout the day. When you wake up, list out loud what you’re thankful for. Continue this practice at least 2-3 more times throughout the day.

• Avoid Mood Busters. Are there certain things that cause you irritation or bring you down – perhaps a co-worker with a bad attitude or a social media pal that’s always blah? Avoid them first thing in the mornings. Instead focus on positive and uplifting things. Search out the hashtag #MondayMotivation, read a positive website or blog, or listen to a motivating podcast.

• Get Moving and Eat A Healthy Breakfast. Whether it’s a full work-out, a few jump-n-jacks, or yoga. Exercise helps you stay healthy and combat stress. Also, having a meal in the morning helps keep you energized and upbeat throughout the day. Also, make sure you snack healthily throughout the day and don’t skip lunch.\

• Have a Glass of Water. Stay hydrated. There are so many health and mood benefits for being hydrated. Just do it. It makes a difference. I promise.

Let’s Talk About It:
How do you tackle the beginning of your week?