How to Have a Better Monday
For the majority of my life I always hated Sunday nights. Why? Because they were always followed by Monday morning, the first day back at work or school for the week. Walking in and looking at five straight days of work doesn’t exactly pump you up and get the adrenalin flowing.
I knew that if I was going to keep my job I needed to find some way to make it through not only Monday’s, but the other days as well. As long as I had to work I thought I might as well find some ways to make it enjoyable rather than drudgery. Here are some things that will help you feel better about work and also help make you more productive.
Eat Breakfast
They aren’t kidding. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And I’m not talking about doughnuts and coffee or some fast food cardboard breakfast. I had two favorites that are good for you and are both quick and easy.
A couple of eggs fried in Olive Oil and a 4-ounce sausage link in the microwave. No potatoes, no toast. Or, one minute Quaker Oats with a small pad of butter and some artificial sweetener.
Fix a Snack
Eating some protein every four hours will keep you going all day long. I’ll take a salad with canned tuna or salmon and some oil and vinegar dressing. Eat half for lunch and have the rest mid-afternoon as a snack.
Clean Up Your Work Area
Keeping things neat and clean and organized have shown to relieve stress. Your desk, car, workspace is a lot like your mind. The more cluttered both are the fewer things you can focus on.
Background Noise
Some people need absolute quiet to get things done. I, on the other hand, need some kind of noise. When I was writing my books I always had iTunes playing some of my favorite music in the background.
I found it gave my subconscious something to do while my conscious mind concentrated on the task at hand. If you can work to music or talk or whatever floats your boat it just might make your work a little more enjoyable.
Move, Move, Move
Sitting at a computer or doing long periods of repetitive tasks can wear you out quickly and restrict blood flow. It’s a good idea to have some kind of timer to remind you to stretch or stand up and move around a little to get the blood flowing again. Lean back let your body go limp for a few seconds. You’ll be refreshed and ready to go back at it.
Some Final Thoughts
There are going to be days that you simply can’t get everything done in the time allotted. Give yourself permission to accept that. When you go home shut everything off and give yourselves a few moments of silence. No texting, news, music, noise, give the kids a time out, put the dog outside and just relax. You’ll be amazed at how much this will help distress your mind.
If work were fun they wouldn’t call it work. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy what you do each day. Work is both a sprint and a marathon. The marathon part is that full week of work ahead of you. The sprint part is quick bursts of productive action throughout each day of the week. Try these suggestions and I think you’ll find by Friday you’ve had a pretty good week. What tips do you have that help you make it though the week?