Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act II, Scene 2: “… for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”
Winning teams and players come out of the locker room ready to play. Monday blues can distract anyone from starting the week with a winning attitude and mentality. Here are six steps that can help you start Monday ready to go work and give a winning performance.
1. Having a power phrase is a great way to start Monday or any other door of the week. On Monday morning, a trainer at a local health club greets people coming in the door with an enthusiastic “Finally a Monday!” He psyches himself for the day and spreads his enthusiasm to everyone who walks through the door.
2. Eat healthy foods and cut the caffeine Sunday night. Good nutrition can help you sleep and feel rested for the beginning of the week.
3. Scheduling fun things to do during the week can fill Monday with great expectations. I schedule meetings with friends on a regular basis during the middle of the week. In the winter, bowling, playing cards, meeting for dinner, or any fun relaxing event that creates expectation can make the week more fun. In warmer weather, outdoor activities are a lot of fun and create expectation for the week ahead.
4. Using Sunday night to list Monday’s activities takes the weight of starting the week out of my mind. Scheduling things and setting priorities the night before any workday is always a good idea. The list changes the muddle of things wandering through my mind to a short list.
5. Listen to motivational recordings during your commute. Getting great positive thinking piped into my mind helps me enjoy my day. Motivational and inspirational speakers sell audio material. Ted Talks also has a downloadable spreadsheet of podcasts. You can Google “most popular free podcasts” and find great lists of listening material to make your morning commute more fun.
6. Get to work early. I have a friend who has a long commute in heavy traffic. He has joined a health club near his office. He grabs a cup of coffee at 5:00 AM and drives to the health club before going to work. He avoids the rush-hour traffic. His commute is more pleasant. He starts his day energized from his exercise.
