Monday, Monday

by | Nov 5, 2018 | Life

Make Monday Better

blank notebook

Monday – there’s so much feeling associated with that word. It’s just a day of the week, and I bet most of the other days don’t inspire much when you hear them, right? Listen: “Tuesday.” Does it make you feel anything? Not for most of us.

If Mondays make you cringe, make them better with a little bit of purposeful routine building. With the change of season in the air, between the back to school rush and the holiday season chaos, this is a great time of year to work on a new routine. Our goal is to help you make your life better, starting at home, so let’s tackle Mondays together.

Create focus

Know your big picture goal and know what steps you need to take to accomplish that. Many successful people have shared their daily routines and something they all have in common is focus. Do you want to grow your business? Raise healthy, confident children? Inspire other people to do good in the world? No matter the setting and goal you’re thinking of, from work to school to home and elsewhere, keeping your focus is vital.

Start the week off with “something meaningful and significant, a task that might take a lot of focus, will, and determination to accomplish” as recommended by Kevan Lee. It’s a great way to start off your week as well. It provides a place of focus and gives a sense of purpose to your day, and for most people it’s much easier to get these types of things done early in the day.

Plan your day

Be purposeful about accomplishing your goals. Think about what needs to be done, how and when to do it, and how to best manage your daily schedule. Arrange time for your most meaningful projects. It can be easy to lose focus in the middle of a hectic schedule, but having a plan gives you something to go back to when you need to reset.

Your plan can be detailed or loose, as long as it works for you. Know what needs to be done and figure out how you’re going to do it. There are often outside time commitments that we have to work around, so figure out what time you are able to self-manage and plan for it. When you’re looking at your meaningful task for the week, if it’s too big for one day, plan out how to start it on Monday and what else needs to be done on other days.

Kevan Lee suggests having a “Tomorrow List”:
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  1. At the end of your day, write down the tasks you need to complete tomorrow.
  2. Look at the list when you start the next day.
  3. End your day by creating another list for tomorrow.

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This works as a weekly list just as well. On Friday afternoon or over the weekend, set up your list for the next week. Check your calendar and think about the typical things that need to happen each week. Decide when each thing should get done.

Stick to a routine

Routines can simplify your planning. Do some of the same things at the same time every Monday. Instead of thinking about the basics every time you plan your day, know that you’re going to wake up-do yoga-eat breakfast, or work-gym-make a healthy dinner.

Getting your routine going on Monday helps you start building momentum for a smooth week ahead. Having a routine that you can keep (somewhat) the same through the weekend helps you ease into Monday, but even if your weekends look much different than your weekdays, a reliable routine makes the transition smoother.

Have a morning ritual

Develop a mini-routine to start your day. Rituals help us set our minds to the correct gear for the task ahead. James Clear says, “Have a sequence that starts your morning ritual. This tiny routine signals to your brain that it’s time to get into work mode or exercise mode or whatever mode you need to be in to accomplish your task.” It can be listening to music while you prepare a cup of pour over coffee after you wake up, or opening your planner and reading your “Tomorrow list” when you get to work. This can be a daily ritual, which, like having a consistent routine, makes the start to the work week less jarring. Or it can be a weekday-only routine, a little signal that the weekend is truly over and it’s time to settle back into the Monday-Friday frame of mind. And make it an enjoyable ritual to help create a positive mood!

Each of these ideas works together. Focus helps us plan, and within the plan we include our weekly and daily routines, starting with a ritual which helps us to focus. Successful days and weeks don’t often just happen. They take purposeful action.

My own routine is in need of some updating, and these are the tips I’m starting to implement in my life. For more ideas and details, here are a few of the articles I’ve been looking at, some of which are referenced above. If you have more ideas or experiences to share, please comment below!