WHY I (STILL) LOVE MONDAYS

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Three years ago I wrote a blog about Why I Love Mondays (whoa, I can’t believe it’s been that long!). It was widely discussed by my friends and family, and even on The Morning Blend, because who in the world loves Mondays?

I’m here to tell you that I still love Mondays—in fact, Mondays have become one of my two favorite weekdays, including Fridays of course. However, today my Monday strategy is a bit different.


Do your prep on Sunday night.

I used to suffer from insomnia a lot, but it was most notable on Sunday nights. I’d lay in bed and think about the things that I had to do that week and, well, stress.

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Now, everything I used to do to “get organized” on Mondays, I now complete on Sunday night. In just 30-45 minutes I look at my calendar, wrap my head around any big meetings that I need to prep for, organize my to do list for the week in Todoist, determine my MIT’s (most important tasks), and wake up refreshed and ready to work on Monday morning.

Here’s a snapshot of my typical day in Todoist.

  • Red - complete first

  • Orange = second priority

  • Yellow = third priority

  • Order all other tasks by priority

Start your morning with a workout.

If you’re like me, you’re typically more exhausted than rested after the weekend. Keeping up with friends, kids’ sports and appointments (actually, kids in general) can make it hard to really relax during the weekend. A few years ago, I made a goal to get active at least five days per week—this number gives a little leeway for mornings I wake up late or just can’t get in the zone, but not enough flexibility to get out of the habit. In addition, I purchased a treadmill desk.

Every morning, I do a short workout on Daily Burn or the 7 Minute Workout, then hop on my treadmill desk for 30+ minutes. A little exercise goes a long way! I go to the office every day feeling energized and ready to conquer the day.

 

Start your day before everyone else.

Going back to the treadmill: I bought one with a desk for a reason. I crank up the incline and walk as fast as I can while still concentrating on my work. Every morning on the treadmill, I take the time to work on my business instead of in my business. This is the perfect time to tackle those nagging projects that you just can’t seem to get done: the “extra” stuff that is not crucial to your daily success but is extremely important in the long run.

There’s a trick to it: Only work on these projects for the amount of time you’ve budgeted. Don’t get carried away! Biting off the important, but not urgent, projects one chunk at a time helps the task feel doable.

 

Avoid meetings like the plague.

This is still true from my first blog three years ago. When I started Accelity Marketing, I decided that I wasn’t going to take any meetings on Fridays; now, I try not to take meetings on Mondays or Fridays. My Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are often packed full of meetings, and I prefer it that way: I have two full days to just work and three days where interruption is okay. I know I won’t be able to dig deep into work during that time, and I can appropriately manage expectations with my team and with clients.


Do you love or hate Mondays? Are you using any of the strategies I outlined above? If so, I would love to hear your stories… leave a comment below!

Entrepreneurship, ProductivityJackie HermesComment