A new week and a new month, all at the same time. I’m still in a bit of disbelief that January flew so quickly and that it’s already month two of 2015. For some tips on how to start a new month off right, check out this post from last Spring.
I used to dread Monday mornings (especially during the colder months) but I’ve come to really make them work for my benefit. Yes, I still shudder at the thought of having to leave my bed all day and put on real clothes for work and school, but Monday has become much less formidable over the years.
Strong coffee definitely helps, but the key, I think, to really good Monday happens during the weekend. It’s all about the prep work.
Here are five tips to make your Mondays work for you.
1. Go to bed on time
I cannot stress this enough, as juvenile and overly simplified as it may seem. For some reason, my body is notorious for getting wired on Sunday nights. So spending time during the day getting things done so that I can wind down at night is key for me. I aim to be out by 11pm-ish, and I’ve been reading (a physical, not digital book) to keep distraction at bay and settle my thoughts into sleep mode.
Starting the week fully rested won’t just make your Monday run smoothly, but the rest of your week. You’ll spend less time trying to catch up on sleep and energy this way.
2. Make your list the day/night before
I make a list of some sort almost every day. Building a to-do list for the day can take me a bit of time. I try to sort through high and low priority tasks and revise it to make sure I’m only focusing on what I need to do rather than overloading on tasks. Doing this the day before makes it so that I can actually spend the day doing rather than planning.
3. Eliminate early distractions
Put. Down. Your. Phone!
Avoid checking your email or social media early in the morning. One distraction leads to another and before you even realize you’ve lost 45 minutes of your day to nothing. Meg has passed on the tip, in fact, to keep your Mondays clear and I couldn’t agree more. Disconnect, focus on the things that matter and watch how crazy productive your Monday will be.
4. Eat an actual breakfast
I try to do this everyday, but I’ve noticed that when I eat breakfast on Monday I’m much more energized, focused and positive during the day. Get to bed at a time that allows you to comfortably wake up with time to make food.
Maybe an #EMDoesBreakfast hashtag needs to happen for simple and tasty breakfast ideas?
5. Keep your routine simple
Less is more, especially on Mondays. Don’t try to overload yourself with start-of-the-week tasks. Keep your routine sweet and simple, focusing on high priority and foundation things that will let the rest of your week run smoothly.
This is absolutely true. I try to lay out my clothes for work and lunch the night before because it makes everything go so much smoother in my morning! Excellent tips.
Going to bed on time really makes a huge difference and stops the ‘I wish I went to bed on time’ thoughts in a morning.
Great tips! I struggle with the breakfast one!!
Number three has especially made me re-think my morning routine. I got in the habit of checking social media first thing when I was ill & had nothing to get done during my days, but that habit has stuck. More & more signs keep popping up to tell me to change. Thanks for the tips!
Great tips! Making a list the night before def helps me! I hate going into a new week without some type of plan or focus! I reaalllyy need to get better at eating breakfast though!
Great tips, mondays are usually the hardest day of the week, today I didn’t want to wake up
x,Abril
These are some great tips. I went to bed too late last night and paid for it today. I am a big advocate of lists and preparing.
I’m a big list lover and always do it the night before! Theres something really calming about having it all down on paper and not just floating around in my head
Sophie x
http://dreamsandcolourschemes.blogspot.co.uk
I’ve recently started eating breakfast and it gives me a lot more movement in the morning
Great tips! I still need to work on this, not just on a Monday but every day… especially #1 where I sleep around 2AM. 😐
Really great tips, I do have to work on some things, like going to bed on time and getting my to do list done the day before. But I do have made myself promise that I wont touch my phone, which means any social media, an hour after I wake up, it helps focusing only on you, it helps having a good satrt of the day, it’s definitelly a great thing to do.
xx, herplaceattheuniverse.blogspot.com
the less is more on mondays thing is a really good idea. I’m often pretty keen to start working with ideas that I might have come up with over the weekend so I do sometimes overwhelm myself. Must remember to start the week off gently!
Meg, Optical Intake