How To Make Mondays More Productive
So we already know that Wednesday’s (or hump day as it’s known) are rubbish – why should Monday’s have to be unproductive too? In this post I take a look at a few simple tips to help you make the most of your Mondays.
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post called “How to get over “Hump Day” In which I looked at how you can make Wednesdays more productive so in this post I thought I’d take a look at how we can make Monday’s happier and more productive.
I’m sure you know the feeling, it’s a damp and dreary Monday morning. You’ve had a lovely relaxing weekend in the sun and the last thing you really want to be doing is heading back to the office but you have to, right? Depending on what figures you look at, we’re not all that productive on a Monday (Tuesday is better apparently). So here are some ideas on how to make the most of your first day back in the office:
Prioritise Your Week On The Friday Before
Yes, having a good Monday starts on Friday!
Before you leave on a Friday, go through your tasks and projects lists to work out what you’re doing and when for the following week. You can check out my Free Downloads section for to-do list and project planners.
Have A Positive Attitude
Try to start the day thinking positively. This can have a huge impact on your productivity and make your day feel like it’s going really well even when you’re snowed under with work.
Start With The Easy Stuff
When you first get into the office on Monday, make yourself a coffee, switch your phone to voicemail and sort any emails out that have come in over the weekend. Regular readers will know that I’m a big fan of Inbox Zero. Use your Monday morning to go through your emails and work out if any of your task/plans you set on Monday have changed. Oh, and if the action in the email will take less than two minutes just do it – you’ll thank me later!
One thing to remember though: Don’t bombard people with emails. Try to defer replying when you can, you don’t want to overwhelm people who are in the same boat as you!
Institute “No Meeting Mondays”
The last thing you need when trying to get into the swing of things at the beginning of your work week is to be bogged down in endless meetings dumping more work on you before you’ve even figured out what else you’ve got on your plate for the coming week. Try to avoid meeting on a Monday, or if you have to meet make it as late as possible.
Make Sure You Take A Break
Get away from your desk a regular intervals. Take a five minute break every hour or so and at lunch time make sure you get out of the office. Go for a walk around the block or just sit on the bench outside, anything to break up your day and give you a fresh perspective when you return to your desk.
Try To Vary Your Mondays
Unless you are a supreme creature of habit, try to vary your Monday’s so that they’re not mundane and you…
Have Something To Look Forward To
Plan something fun to do on Monday night, whether that be a trip to the Cinema, binge-watching your favourite T.V show on Netflix (not too many though, you have to get up in the morning!) or a favourite meal. That way you have something good to go home to at the end of the day.
What Do You Think?
Are Monday’s a productivity suck or do you actively look forward to them? What do you do on a Monday that make you (feel at least) productive? Let us know in the comments.
- Follow Katy Whitton on:
