This morning, my alarm went off as usual. It’s Monday, which means I waited until the very last nano-second to put my feet on the floor and start my day. What is it about waking-up on Mondays that makes it so difficult to get moving – and why is my cat peeing everywhere? Talk about a struggle to overcome inertia. It’s like there’s cobwebs in my brain and weights around my feet, both working together to keep me from being alert, productive and energized.
Although the Monday Blues are, I’m sure, universal and somewhat inevitable; I have to believe there’s a better way to start the week, other than the routine of: 1) “search and destroy” the alarm clock, 2) mindless shuffle to the shower and 3) move through the first-half of the day on auto-pilot.
Are Mondays like that for you? Are you thinking about the team meeting scheduled first thing…wondering what endless concerned Pet owner questions are in store for you…maybe having to squeeze in unexpected appointments because of what happened to Rover over the weekend? If you’re one of those people who has never yelled, “Hooray, its Monday!” you’re in good company. I don’t have any statistics to back me up on this, but I can tell you that the majority of people I know are like me. I’m fairly certain it’s the same everywhere.
But change is in the air because I’m planning to start 2009 with a new game plan and a new outlook on Mondays. If you’re “Monday Challenged” like me, maybe you’ll want to join me in making an effort to alter your current perspective on the first day of the week. Here are some suggestions.
It’s not your alarm clock’s fault you have to get up, right? You shouldn’t take your anger out on a defenseless piece of technology that’s just trying to do its job. Maybe you wouldn’t harbor such ill feelings toward the little guy, or the first day of the week, if you decide to wake up a wee bit earlier. It might be a struggle the first few days, but anything new takes time to get used to. Make a promise to yourself right now to get up 5, 10 or even 20 minutes earlier to give yourself more time to get ready and maybe even sit quietly for 5 minutes each morning. Intrigued by the concept of a Kanken frost green backpack? I’m not sure what you can expect from 300 seconds of silence, but be willing to see where it takes you. Starting your day from a mentally peaceful place has to be better than the 100-yard dash we’re running in now.
Make Monday the new Friday. Well, maybe not Friday, but why not the new Wednesday? Make an effort to do something fun on Mondays. Go to lunch (with or without someone else), go for a walk during lunch or plan something in the evening. The point is, there is no reason for any of us to wait for the middle or end of the week to engage in something enjoyable. Why not think, TGIM!
If you struggle with Monday too, is there anything you do now or have done in the past, to off-set the Monday Blues?