I had so much fun collaborating with Ryan Chua over fashion week last week! Photos and the whole Fashion Week Wrap up next on my blog! But for now, I’m not an expert at tackling the Monday Blues but from experience, mind over matter and a few of these below have helped me.
Adjust your thinking Mondays are my favorite day of the week, which may sound a little crazy to some, but to me they feel a little like fresh starts. Whatever the high and lows of last week, Mondays are a blank page to start the week off as you mean to go on. Instead of resenting the end of your weekend, try and feel excited about the beginning of a brand new week.
Be productive If you found the time to unwind and relax at the weekend , you most likely will be feeling super recharged come Monday. Utilize these productivity levels to stay focused throughout your work day so you can catch up with any overdue deadlines, be more present in meetings, and tick off everything on your to-do list.
Make the time to connect Human connections are vital for our happiness, so make sure you’re making the time on Monday to reconnect with the people around you. If you work in an office maybe check in with how your co-workers weekend was, or if you work from home maybe Skype call another working-from-home friend to catch up and check in.
Don’t just reply to emails on autopilot Monday morning for me always means one thing – emails. Taking the time to not just churn out replies on autopilot makes all the difference I’ve found – it means you are a pleasant part of someone else’s day when you arrive in their inbox, and you’re also paving the way for better communication between you both in the future. Whether it’s freelance clients, co-workers on a student project, or maybe a team you manage, remembering to stay human in your replies makes the whole process a whole lot more rewarding.
Tackle your least favorite tasks of the week This is something I try to do every Monday, as that way I’m making my life easier for myself for the rest of the week. By tackling the more tedious but pressing tasks on my to-do list on a Monday, I end the day knowing I have more enjoyable tasks ahead of me throughout the week. So for me, Mondays mean admin, emails, and all of my accounting tasks – and if I do them in time, I can then spend a few hours come early evening focusing on the work I really love.
Set some weekly goals I’m a big fan of setting goals – I have both long terms ones and daily/weekly ones and I find they help me stay focused on what really matters to me. On Mondays I like to visualise the week ahead and what it is I really want to achieve that week, and also what are the most pressing tasks that need more of my attention. Then I can plan my week around them and hopefully come the end of the week feel fulfilled knowing I gave it 100%.
Here’s to making the most out of Mondays!
xo,JG