How to Make Your Mondays Marvelous

Recently, I published a LinkedIn poll titled Do you love or dread Mondays? The exact question was: “Is showing up at work on Mondays a positive experience for you?” I gave four options, and the results were not too surprising:

a) Feels awesome. Impact ahead! — 30%

b) Monday = mixed feelings. — 40%

c) Mondays make me feel anxious. — 13%

d) I dread Mondays. — 18%

My guess is that the 30% who answered “feels awesome” must have been people who know that they are making an impact through their work… maybe that’s because they chose a role where they can. Maybe their role is also aligned with their purpose.

When employees initiate their work week with mixed feelings, it’s often a sign that they expect challenges or at least a great deal of uncertainty, whatever the source for that uncertainty might be, such as difficult managers or team members, unpredictable work dynamics, or other types of situations that might cause stress or overwhelm. Mixed feelings could also be due to a combination of an exciting career with too much on their plate.

I suspect that uncertainty was also behind what caused some of the responses in category c, although it could also be a lack of confidence or some other reason. In any case, anxiety about starting a new work week suggests that the person might not be fully in charge of their career or not trust themselves to get the job done.

And it goes without saying that those who dread Mondays are likely not the in the right place and may want to consider a career move.

But let’s assume you are in the right place but still feel a bit anxious about Mondays, or you find it hard to start your week with eagerness… What could be some ways to awaken your passion and increase your enthusiasm so you can not only save time through greater productivity but also have more fun at work? — Experiment with the following three tips and see what difference they make for you:

1. Visualize a pleasantly exciting Monday

How would you like your Monday to go? Before falling asleep on Sunday night, close your eyes and create an ideal vision of your Monday. Make it a vivid mind movie. Then decide that it will be ok if not everything goes exactly as planned or imagined. Set a positive expectation without getting attached to it. This is how you co-create a more pleasant and potentially more fruitful start of the week for yourself (and others).

2. Focus on what you like most about the expected work week

We usually have at least a vague idea of what the week will bring, like meetings, events, project kick-offs or deadlines, etc. Which of these situations or activities are typically the most fun for you? Which do you perceive as enjoyable, rewarding or fulfilling? In which setting do you easily feel valued? Look for those in the upcoming week and make them your highlights by writing down appreciative statements about them. This can help you launch the week on a positive note.

3. Make sure you start on a high energy level

This begins with getting enough sleep, and it continues with a nutritious breakfast and a nurturing morning routine. What this routine could look like, pretty much depends on your preferences. Apart from the much-cited morning yoga, meditation, or workout, there’s a plethora of other options. Some of my preferred ones include dancing, breathwork and meditating under my Russian pyramid. I will alternate this with yoga, a quick walk in the park, a longer-than-usual cold shower… and there are days when I just want to sit with my coffee for a while. Whatever you do, make it yours and do it with joy. Self-care is self-empowerment.

When you kick your week off with self-care, a positive outlook and on a high vibe, your chances to make it successful are inevitably heightened. You become the co-creator of your success. Others may be able to inspire you (and I hope this article does) but motivation comes from within yourself. You’re the only one to lift your energy level, and you are the one in charge of not only your Mondays, but your entire week.

Because, and this is important to remember, it’s not about the Monday (the circumstance) that determines the outcome; it’s about what you do with it.