Mondays are inevitable, there’s just no getting away from them unfortunately. But why not change your mind set and see Monday as a perfect opportunity to start fresh? Take a look at our top tips to kick start your week and keep you away from those Monday blues.
Establish a morning routine
If you’re a straight from bed to the bathroom and then the desk kinda person, then it sounds like you’ve got time management difficulties. Anyone who rushes in the morning will not have time to start the morning mindfully with things they look forward to. Here are a few tricks we’ve put together to help you with those early morning starts
- Prepare a tasty breakfast
- Brew a fresh cup of tea or coffee
- Do some exercise. Maybe yoga or a morning walk
- Listen to a motivational podcast to get you up and raring to go
The most important thing when establishing a new routine is making sure that it fits in with what you actually want to do – this way it will make it easier to stick to. There’s no point in doing yoga just because everyone else is and you think it’s the thing you need to do. It generally takes a few weeks for a new routine to be established, so don’t give up atter a couple of days – keep it up!
Make a to-do list
Ticking things off a to-do list brings way more than happiness, it also brings structure to a daily routine. If you write your list of things you want to achieve in the week, you can divide the tasks up in a daily basis. The key to a to-do list is to keep things specific.
A task with the title " Work through emails" is too general. It is preferable to split it up into small tasks such as "Reply to Ms. XY's mail from 29.01." On the one hand, this makes it easier to see how many tasks you still have to do, and by breaking them down into small individual tasks, and the other completed tasks can be checked off more frequently. This also boosts motivation.
Set up a tidy workspace
Whether you’re in the office or in the home office, you should be able to arrange your desk the way you feel comfortable. For example, if you want to bring in a lamp and a plant to add some character to your desk – do it! Just make sure that notepads and pens are kept neat and tidy. After all, if you look directly at an untidy, chaotic desk in the morning, you will quickly lose the enthusiasm to start work at all.
Set deadlines
No matter how positive your workday may be, at some point it’s time to call it a day, especially when you’re working from home. You need to make sure you’re strict with yourself – so if it’s laptop off by 5pm, make sure it’s off by 5pm. Glancing at your emails and teams chat after tea should be avoided at all costs too. You’re not doing yourself, your brain or your family any favours by being permanently "on". Sooner or later, either your body, your soul or your family will show you very clearly that you have crossed a line. This must be prevented to ensure that you can start the day motivated again next Monday morning.
Give yourself breaks and look forward to them
No, we’re not talking about the distraction of the postman or a call from a colleague, but rather a deliberate short break in which you can open the window, stretch your legs, or drink a coffee… or all three! The so-called Pomodoro-Timer is suitable for this purpose. After this period, there is a short break of 5 minutes. Once you have gone through four "Pomodoros", a long break of 15 minutes follows.