Full authenticity - this post was written on a Monday when I wanted to go back to bed.
Even though I longed to stay there, I was already ruminating on the to-do list yelling in my head. To feel better, I decided to drag myself out of bed and head to a yoga class. I was glad I did, as Barbara (codename "Beast") kicked off the week with her "Mon-Yay" class.
When Beast, I mean Barbara starts with her Mon-Yay chipperness, my first reaction is to roll my eyes. But truly, she reframed it for me to consider there might be something to love about Mondays.
She invited us to see Mondays and a fresh start, the blank canvas. After all, It's the same me on Friday at 5 p.m. as it is on Monday at 8 a.m. - the only difference is my attitude.
I want to see Mondays like a clean sheet of paper, full of possibilities and good things of my choosing. Having a lot to do on a Monday means I have a full and vibrant life.
My Monday shift needed to start with my attitude, and then I began to think about what makes the first day of the week less chaotic. Here are three ideas I have been experimenting with to get to the Mon-Yay place.
1.Think smidges, not stratospheres.
I tend to look at the long to-do list and get overwhelmed by all that needs to be done. Everything feels hard. But if I can drill down to a couple of priority things I must do, things get simplified. I like to slot only a few key priorities instead of seeing them all as urgent on Monday.
2. Make your plan when things are easy.
Towards the end of the week, I have a nice workflow going. During this time, it's helpful to start to map out the upcoming week. Nothing fancy, elaborate, or detailed. But listing out a few priorities for the following week helps to focus when Monday rolls around. This means there is no painful overwhelm about "what exactly has to get done today?" It's just next up, sort of like for football next man up (see what I did there, hey Superbowl!)
3. Start something hard before the week wraps up.
There is always that thing I keep putting off. Tax prep, calling the plumber about the faucet, or that little thing I don't want to do. Whatever it is that is scary or hard, start it as a dare before the week wraps up. Starting the hard thing gives me some momentum to kick off the week.
Bonus ideas --take five minutes to straighten up your desk before you call it quits for the week. Starting the week with an orderly desk feels so much less chaotic than arriving on a Monday to piles of clutter everywhere.
What about You? What helps you kick off the week nicely?
None of these ideas are revolutionary, but they are a help. Maybe you are not exactly ready for the Mon-Yay team, I understand. But with a few tiny tweaks, your week can definitely start off a smidge better.