Monday mornings always seem to come faster than most of us like after a relaxing weekend. Some people cringe at the thought of Monday mornings, but these few basic tips can help you get a better start to the week that could make all the difference in your mood and productivity to give you an edge.
One of the best ways to get your Monday mornings in gear is by making a list on Friday or even over the weekend of what tasks to be completed over that fresh week. If you stick to Friday for concentrating on devising that list, your mind is still in your work mode to have what needs to be accomplished foremost in your mind. Sometimes a delay can cause you to forget. Once that is taken care of, you also are free of that burden to more fully enjoy your free time.
If you find it hard to start making your list for Monday mornings, you might try jotting down all the simple tasks first. Keep that list where you are likely to see it when you walk by your desk or refrigerator door is a convenient way to spur your memory. Through the course of your day, you can add to that list of other things when you have more time to think about it.
To have the best start on Monday mornings will give you more incentive by making sure you don’t oversleep. Sure, you can sleep an hour longer without any ill effects. However, trying to catch up on those missed hours has been studied to show weight gain and the increase chances of developing diabetes. In fact, oversleeping over the weekend can backfire with more grogginess for Monday mornings when your normal schedule to wake up returns.
Many of us get up very early to get ready for work on Monday mornings. Perhaps, you get up at 5 a.m. and can’t stand the thought of breakfast at that hour. What you can do is take care of personal hygiene and dress first before sitting down to a healthy breakfast like oatmeal, cereal, eggs, yogurt, etc. that has nutritional value to keep your mind sharp and body energized. If this slight delay still doesn’t work for you, then wait a hour or two until that hunger kicks in. The trick is not grabbing a doughnut, sweet roll and coffee with empty calories, but real nutritious food.
Have you ever noticed that you get more of a bounce to your step on Monday mornings when you feel that you look your best? A certain outfit can give you that confidence so why not save it for starting your week?
Trying to adjust sleepy eyes through dim morning light can take some doing. Therefore, it helps brightening up your room with light. Open your drapes, pull the shades and turn on the bulbs to flood your space with that needed light.
Being creatures of habit, we all stick to an order of how we start our Monday mornings. You may eat breakfast first or dress first or simply devote some time to prayer or exercise. I always enjoyed reading a chapter of a novel before cooking breakfast. Then again, you may always like to take the dog out for a quick walk after leaving the poor animal in all night. What can help improve those Monday mornings is perking up that routine with something special so you have more to look forward to at the start of it. For instance, promise yourself an extra treat like a bagel or an English muffin over your normal bread or toast or it can be something like having a frittata instead of scrambled eggs for breakfast on Monday mornings.
Monday mornings arrive sooner than many of us like. Needless to say, finding the right mindset through these tips can help to make that transition more pleasant instead of coming down with those Monday morning blues.
