Why I Love Mondays — Jackie Hermes

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, Mondays are here to stay. Mondays are the time to get back into the groove of work after your weekend, which stops ever-so-abruptly, every single Monday. Funny how that works, right?

Earlier this week, I started a conversation on Twitter and Facebook about Mondays - and boy, do you guys have strong opinions. Responses ranged from “Mondays are horrible” and “you’re crazy if you love Mondays” to “I love Mondays because nothing’s gone wrong yet.” All points were taken into consideration before writing this blog.

Let me tell you why I love Mondays. I suppose I should clarify: I don’t exactly love Mondays while I’m in them. Just like everyone else, I’m often tired and a little discouraged looking at the week ahead. But by the middle of every week, I love Mondays, and here’s how I get there:

START FRESH.

Let go of last week. Whatever happened, good or bad, is in the past now. By wiping your mental slate clean, you’re preparing yourself to tackle the challenges this week will bring. I get a lot of weekly inspiration to be the best that I can be from Marc and Angel Hack Life.

Avoid meetings like the plague.

During Monday meetings, you’re probably dozing off, chugging coffee or wading through your overflowing inbox. Unfortunately, none of those make you a valuable participant. Mondays are not the time to sit in meetings. Ask those who schedule Monday meetings to move them to later in the week when you’ll have time to prepare and the ability to devote your full attention.

USE MONDAY TO GET ORGANIZED.

Here it is: my favorite part about Mondays. Dedicate your day to getting the rest of the week in order. To the right is a screenshot of a typical Monday calendar, and some suggestions to go with it:

Plan the rest of your week. First thing in the morning, I go through my email and put everything on my calendar - meetings, tasks, lunches, events, workouts, picking up my son and all other to do items. You can always move an event, but by scheduling them, they’re accounted for.

Another habit I formed while working in the corporate world was examining my meeting schedule and declining two or three meetings that I wasn’t really needed in. An hourlong meeting that requires five minutes of your input means the time can be better spent. Stop by the meeting scheduler’s desk and answer questions beforehand. Viola! An extra hour in your week.

Block off your calendar. Use the batching method that we discussed in my last blog to plan your time. You’ll have a schedule to follow and your coworkers are less likely to book meetings over the time.
Get a strong start. If you’re a business owner, you probably spend at least 20% of your week improving your business and generating leads. Set yourself up for success by planning your social media presence, following up with prospects, responding to emails and other such activities. Getting these activities out of the way allow you to be proactive for the remainder of the week.

So now you know why I love Mondays (and why you should, too). Monday lovers, anything to add? Monday haters, give a few of these techniques a try and leave a comment below to let me know how it goes!