There will inevitably be moments when work will seem like drudgery. There will always be things that we must do in the course of our work-week that do not seem to make sense or add value to our job or even career. Such tasks can include making endless tweaks to a presentation, reviewing a sub-standard report for the umpteenth time, giving feedback to a ‘difficult star’ or attending back-to-back meetings that may have nothing to do with us. Whatever the reason, our heart may just not be in it. If a week has been unproductive or stressful, and we know that our Inbox is bursting at the seams with emails, the Monday that follows can seem daunting. On that morning, we may want to hit the snooze button more than once and pretend that it is not yet time to get up. It becomes much, much harder if you feel unappreciated at work or unsatisfied by your job.
These feelings are not unique to you – many have had this experience. Knowing that you have to get going, you will eventually get up, get ready to go to work and face the day. But doing this with resentment, reluctance or frustration has several adverse effects. Your mind will be distracted and thus not allow you to be fully present, which in turn will affect your performance and productivity. Your colleagues will sense these feelings in you and will not want to seek you out for advice or inputs. Knowing you are not at your best can have a huge impact on your own mood and those of the others. All of these can have a cascading effect on your work-day and even work-week.
So, what can we do to reduce these Monday Morning Blues? These are some of the things I do to make my Monday mornings more productive:
- I unwind over the weekend. Unplugging from work and relaxing with my family and friends, especially on Sundays, rejuvenates me. This is essential if we are to face a Monday with energy.
- I put together a basic to-do list. I fill this list with all the things, big and small, I have to do by end-of-day. As I complete them, I tick them off one by one. This gives me a great sense of progress and accomplishment.
- I take on the tasks I have been putting off. Mark Twain said, “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning” – he is referring to any task we have been avoiding. After I have “eaten a frog,” I know that the rest of the day will be easier. And frequently, I find that the task I had been avoiding wasn’t that odious at all.
- I count my blessings. I did not do this when I was starting out in my career. But now, this simple act makes me see the brighter side of life, feel grateful and puts me in the mood to tackle all kinds of frogs.
- I try to reframe everything I do. I look at feedback sessions as opportunities to build future leaders. That pesky deck of slides? It is an opportunity to improve my PowerPoint skills. I look at project report reviews as opportunities to help someone improve their PM skills. Helping someone and making their day better can lift the mood of the entire office.
The way our week begins has a huge effect on how it progresses and ends. How do you handle these Monday Morning Blues? I would love to hear from you.
I think this post describes the feeling of facing Monday mornings accurately, condensed in two paragraphs. I like the ideas given on how to combat Monday blues, especially the one about eating live frogs. Once you get the most disagreeable thing done, it becomes easier to do everything else on the list. I would like to add another point – It is important to give yourself time to transition from the languor of the weekend to the ‘focus mode’ needed to maximise productivity on weekdays. Taking a few additional minutes to prepare to face not only the day, but a whole week of work can do wonders.
Nice article Ravi!
I like the Mark Twain’s words…. do the tough things first, then with that accomplishment of the rest is easier.
I remember once you had a note on procrastination, this could be the result of that. So better to be organised as you had suggested and take life easier.
And may be stop comparing your work/ recognition with others. You be your own competition, which can easily set you apart.
Well done Ravi, much needed article.
I completely agree with building and preparing your week to have a lot of positives. I’ve observed that a little energy in the team helps too. Recently I have been looking forward to Mondays where I can bounce off of the energy from my team members and come up with new ideas. I also like looking forward to long-term commitments like deployments or conferences to keep my energy up through the week.
Ravi,
You have put very precisely the issues we all face. When you are a “president” over any task, you need to be “present” by removing the “id”. Taking on a task as you said really helps.
Hey Ravi, good suggestions. In today’s world where the coffee machine conversations are limited, how about having a short ‘pep your week virtual coffee chat’ with the team exchanging what each did over the weekend? It may put a smile on most faces and helps with a feeling of being a team.
Good piece. An increasingly popular thing these days – and one that is encouraged by more and more companies – is to make everyday a “hybrid” day. i.e., instead of feeling that you have to beaver away for 5 days before the weekend opportunity to relax, mix work with personal stuff through the day…catching up on personal chores, making time for hobbies, etc. (whatever helps you take your mind off work a few times a day). In other words, one way to beat Monday blues is to not have Mondays!
Well written Ravi and so true ! Having a ‘me’ time Monday mornings at work than jamming it with calls has always helped in my case..and of course starting earlier than others gives space to get through the ‘frog’ moments