Just like clockwork, with the passing of time, Monday morning comes around once a week, no matter how much you might will it away. Signalling the end of the weekend and the start of yet another working week, Monday has gained something of a bad reputation over the years and now, it is almost universally disliked. You might begrudgingly accept the fact that Monday will always be that way, bringing you back into reality like a cold slap around the face. What, though, if you could turn around the day altogether? Mondays are the chance for a fresh start on the week, giving you a regular chance to begin over again, to take another shot. It’s all a question of perspective.
Tackling your Monday with poise, style and grace need not be as hard as you had thought. Exasperation and exhaustion might run high at the start of the week but by tweaking a few things as you go, you can make a whole lot more out of your day. Thought that things could only get better from the start of the week? It turns out, they might already be pretty perfect.
Get Ahead Of Time
It’s all in the small details. If you think that things are magically going to fall into place on your Monday morning, you might have a huge surprise waiting for you in the wings. Small details can accumulate over the course of the weekend and unless you get yourself into gear, and fast, you might start to feel overwhelmed with it all come the morning. It’s all about giving yourself the time to adjust. If you can, getting prepared on Sunday evening can help you out a huge amount, giving you the time and space to ease into the working week. Doing things like laying out your clothes, preparing your lunch and arranging your suitcase can make all the difference, having you out the door in no time at all. Your week will start off that bit less hectically and you will have the mindspace to get to work.
Switch Your Frame of Mind
Mondays can be downright painful. After a long weekend of relaxing, sleeping in and doing whatever you please, the start of the week can come down on you like a ton of bricks, crippling any sense of motivation you might have mustered up. Mondays and Sundays are a whole world apart and in order to give yourself the best chance of getting going, it pays to switch your mindset. Instead of thinking about Monday as the end of your free time, why not rather think of it as a blank space, or an opportunity to start something afresh? Mondays shouldn’t signify the end of something that you really love and by altering your negative perspective, you can make all the difference.
Keep It Offline
Sleepily reaching for your phone as you’re lying in bed might be something of a morning habit of yours, but it’s probably not doing you any sort of good. Looking at your phone first thing in the morning is a sure fire way to ramp up your stress levels before you’ve even set foot into the office. On a Monday morning, out of any time at all, give yourself a flying chance and keep your headspace firmly offline. Resisting the urge to check your office emails before you begin working might be a very real struggle, but it will have you feeling a whole lot calmer. You don’t need to be in the know, all of the time.
Up Your Nutrition Intake
Prefer to sleep in late rather than getting yourself a good breakfast? You could be making things a great deal harder for yourself down the line. The importance of eating something nutritious and balanced in the morning is evident enough but on a Monday morning, it can make even more of a difference to how you feel. Try looking to protein-rich eggs, porridge or a healthy green smoothie. Your hunger pangs will be kept under wraps and you’ll have the energy to concentrate on your working day. It’s win-win!
Take It Back A Notch
Ever balked at those people who claim to prefer the mornings over any other part of the day? They might not be as bizarre as you had thought. Giving yourself the time and space in which to get going with your day can make the earliest stretches a huge amount more enjoyable and enriching. Getting up earlier to enjoy a healthy breakfast, do a little yoga or even meditate in your room can give you just the headspace you need to adjust to your working pace on a Monday morning. It might take you a little time to get going once more but once you get into the swing of things, there will be no stopping you.