If you feel energized and productive on Monday, it sets the tone for the whole week. All too often, though, going back to work brings on a case of the Monday blues. Sometimes it’s because you’re grumpy about everything you’re dreading at the office. Or maybe your weekend just wasn’t very restful and restorative.
Want to avoid the Monday blues? Take a look at how you spend your Sundays.
For a Forbes article, I shared some tips on what to do on Sunday to make your Monday better. I think you’ll enjoy following my advice. It boils down to this: Have some fun!
Games, hobbies and creative activities “stimulate creative thinking, encourage single-tasking, clear your mind and improve your confidence,” explains Maura Thomas, founder of RegainYourTime.com and author of “Personal Productivity Secrets.”
I like how this article gives an array of strategies for curing the Monday blues. Tips range from eating better and improving your sleep to contemplating what would help you enjoy your job more.
I don’t, however, recommend following the article’s suggestion to “steal an hour to get organized” on Sundays. For one thing, it’s all too easy for one hour to turn into several hours. But even if you can limit this time to an hour, you still have your mind on work for part of the weekend. You’re not giving your mind much time out of “office mode.” And if you never step away from your job for an extended period, it’s hard to get a fresh perspective on anything.
That’s why I believe you’ll actually have a more productive week if you don’t take that hour on Sunday to get organized. Instead, spend it getting lost in exercise you enjoy, a crafts project with your kids or a riveting book.
Get Organized on Friday, not Sunday
So that your weekend can be free of thoughts about work, I do recommend conducting a Weekly Update on Friday afternoons. During the Weekly Update, you make sure that all your commitments, communication and information are recorded in you personal productivity system and that your email and paper inboxes are clean and processed. You can find more details on how to do a Weekly Update in my book “Personal Productivity Secrets.”
