Mondays can be hard, but with a little bit of discipline, it can be the best day of the week. We often dread its arrival, especially after an eventful weekend has passed, and now we must head back to the workweek. But Monday can also be an exciting beginning. We need to change our mindset and with the right approach, it can stimulate efficiency and productivity for the entire week. It takes determination to start the week with focus and optimism and it is exactly what the most productive people do! In fact, several studies show Monday is the most productive day of the week.
Here are some tips for making your Mondays more productive :
- Monday is a fresh start
Mondays are a new beginning. Take every Monday as a fresh start regardless of what may have happened during the weekend. Weekends are there to break from your regular routine so that you can arrive refreshed and recharged and ready for the start of the week. More importantly, preparation is the key to embracing Monday and making it your most productive day.
- Have a positive attitude
So much time and energy are wasted when you are in a bad mood. Productive people don’t like to waste any energy, and do not want the week to lag from a bad start. Focus your mind on joyful productivity from the moment you wake up and be excited about what you can accomplish.
- Wear your power outfit
Your clothes influence how you feel so why not take advantage of that on a Monday morning and choose a power outfit for yourself. Choose something you feel great in that will help you set your mind – and the week – to success and achievement.
- Arrive at work a little early
Start your week off on the right foot so instead of sleeping in until the last second, arriving to work just a little earlier can give you time to straighten out your thoughts and organize. Use the time to plan your day and the rest of the week.
- Set realistic goals for the week
Be realistic about how your time will be spent. You can use an online calendar or applications to help you set and achieve realistic, attainable goals for the day and the week. Using an online or hard copy notepad can help you organize your thoughts, activities, and deadlines to create an action plan.
- Establish a routine
A routine gives you more freedom as it reduces the psychological impact of changing your environment and making decisions. When you create a routine, it allows you to easily switch from your weekend mindset to your weekday mindset. This helps you to improve your concentration, mood, and focus.
- Track your success
Keep a log of your daily activities. Track your process and keep it results-oriented. Track the accounts won, tasks completed, and achievements unlocked. On your most productive days, review what you did to make them so productive. Keeping track of your success keeps you focused on not starting things, but actually finishing them. In this way, you end the day off on a high note and it keeps you motivated and excited for the rest of the week.
- Save meetings for later
Cancel Monday morning meetings if possible or reschedule them for later in the day. You and your colleagues will appreciate having the time to get a leg up on the week’s work. Commit to your work and try to avoid any distractions. After two hours, get up, walk around, stretch, and have a drink of water.
- Schedule a little ‘me’ time
It’s up to you to decide the best, most productive use of your time. Making exercise part of your Monday routine in whatever way you can helps set the tone for the rest of the week. Exercise also boosts your energy for the rest of the week.
- Change your mind set about Monday
You must stop seeing Monday as a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, and you have to start looking at it for all of its possibilities: the opportunity it presents for a good start, the opening it gives you for a productive week.
Sources:
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/340029
https://www.inc.com/kevin-daum/5-simple-things-super-productive-people-do-on-monday.html
