Look forward to Mondays

Does the thought of Monday or the beginning of the week bring you down? Do you begin each week with a cranky attitude? Do you spend your Sunday evening moaning about the coming morning? If you are one of the many that dreads Mondays, there are ways to make you start off the week with a positive attitude.

Consider making the following changes at home to get each week off to a better start.

Make these changes at home

Use Sunday evenings to prepare. Instead of moaning and groaning on Sunday evenings, become proactive instead. Prepare your lunch and that of your children on Sunday evenings. Remember when your mom would lay out your clothes? She was prepping for the manic Monday and you can do the same. You can certainly bring manic Monday to a halt when you are prepared with your lunches, clothes, and everything you need before exiting the home ready.

Get up earlier. I realize this the last tip you want to read, but it will certainly help. When you get up earlier you will not have to rush and will have time to eat a nutritious breakfast. If time does not allow for a big breakfast, a delicious smoothie or breakfast sandwich will provide you with the energy to tackle the day ahead.

Recruit your family. Who says you must do it all alone? Help yourself by teaching your children to take responsibility. Put them in charge of age appropriate chores/activities. Allow them to gather their school books and homework assignments. Have them help load the dishwasher with the breakfast dishes, feed the pets and clean up before leaving the house. More importantly, remember to praise them for their efforts and great work.

Stay on a regular sleep schedule on weekends. It’s easier to get up early on Monday if you go to bed and get up at about the same time every day. Sleeping an extra hour on Sunday is fine. Staying up all night watching movies and then rising at noon makes it difficult for your body to adjust.

Make these changes at work

These tips will help whether you work in the home or our of the home. Simply adapt accordingly but you will notice they can be easily accomplished.

Get organized before the weekend. Before shutting down for the weekend, write out a list of projects or calls you will need to make on Monday or the week ahead. You’ll be surprised how this simple task will help you relax more on the weekend. Who wants to be thinking all weekend of what you must accomplish on Monday? Writing down a list will help you stay focused when Monday comes and will allow you to enjoy the weekend more.

Give yourself a treat. Consider treating yourself with your favorite flavored coffee on Monday mornings. The simplest things will kick your mind into gear and help you look forward to the day ahead.

Schedule tasks for when you’re most efficient. Work with your own rhythms. If you’re an early bird, get cracking right away. If you know that you perform better after you’ve had some time to warm up, save the heavy thinking for later in the day.

Make these changes in your mind

It’s truly amazing how your entire outlook can be changed with your thought process. If you are cranky and upset, inevitably you will have a bad day. Consider some of these tips to help you change your thinking.

Switch your focus. If you start feeling apprehensive about returning to work, turn your attention to more constructive subjects. Concentrate on the positive steps you can take to tone down your negative emotions.

Accentuate the positive. Remind yourself of what you like about your job and the people you work with. Help everyone have a great day by handing out a sincere compliment or sharing an inspiring story from the morning news. If this doesn’t work, consider adding the most important piece of accessory to your wardrobe – a smile. You will be amazed how your entire attitude and that of others will change with a simple Smile.

Learn from experience. Setbacks and unexpected outcomes are a part of life. Even if your computer dies or your boss criticizes your work, think of it as a learning experience.

Look forward to the weekend. Monday lasts for only 24 hours. Give yourself a boost by planning out a great weekend, perhaps an outing with family and friends. Give yourself something to look forward to and you will forget about the mopey Monday blues instantly.

You can put away your Monday blues with these suggestions and truly enjoy each and every day. Remember that Monday is a start of a brand new week and the troubles that happened the week before are in the past. As the saying goes, “Focus on today for yesterday is gone and tomorrow may never come.” Have a beautiful, marvelous Monday!

Dr. Daisy Sutherland

Dr. Daisy Sutherland is the Founder/CEO of Dr. Mommy Online. She is a doctor, author, mentor, speaker, wife & mom to 5 children. Dr. Mommy's mission is to Help Busy Women and Men with her 'Get Real' approach to living a happier and healthier lifestyle. She is also the author of Letting Go of Super Mom.

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