Monday, oh Monday – you can be quite a hard beast to tackle.
This may sound like a cliche but, how you approach Monday, however, can make a huge difference to the week ahead – and yes, attitude is everything.
A LinkedIn post from Mark Sloan went viral after he revealed how he spends the three hours before he heads to the office at 08:15. The tight schedule included “language learning” and drinking a whole litre of water.
Loads of business owners and freelancers start her Monday knowing exactly what needs to be done for the day and week ahead: “my favourite Monday habit is to spend a couple of hours setting intentions for the week using a meditation, oracle card readings and journaling” says Lauren Barber from LaurenBarber.co.
Set the right intentions
This is also a way to create more focus on her goals and create more time for herself.
“When I start my week off in this way it helps me focus on the week ahead, get clear on what I want to work on in order to continue growing my business, and provides me with an opportunity to do something creative and fun just for me.”
I look at all the things I want to create and achieve in the week ahead and from that I create my intention list for the week.
Nirali from start-up Superfoodio seems to agree:” It may require a little bit of forward-planning and list-making the day before. However, it allows me to hit the ground running on Monday morning rather than playing catch-up for the week.”
Get active
Being active first thing in the morning is something a lot of people seem to choose, over dragging themselves to the gym after work. Lindsey seems to prefer gentle exercise to keep herself accountable: “starting the week with a Tai Chi class to focus the mind and body. It’s pre-booked and paid for so I make myself go and always feel incredible afterwards and ready for the week.”
When it comes to keeping yourself motivated, simplicity is key.
Heather swears by HIIT in the morning: “I keep my routine very simple: meditation, hot water and lemon to detox from the weekend followed by a HITT session in the gym. By 8 am I feel strong, awake and ready to tackle the week!”
Early Risers for the win
Early starts seem to be a non-negotiable for many successful people. After all, how would businessman Sir Richard Branson fit in a spot of kite-surfing before breakfast unless he got up at 05:00? The Virgin founder, who lives in the British Virgin Islands, also said being an early riser means he can check his emails “before most of the world logs on”.
Our influencer Elle from Keep it Simplelle swears by Lumi’s alarm clock. Lumie Bodyclock is the original wake-up light, also called a dawn simulator. It wakes you gradually with increasing natural light: “Setting an alarm on my Lumi light clock gives me the best start to the week. It usually means I wake up before the abrupt noise of the actual alarm to a room full of what looks like sunshine, feeling fresh and ready to start my day.”
The natural light is a signal for your body to ease production of sleep hormones (e.g. melatonin) and increase those that help you get up and go (e.g. cortisol).
Wake-up lights help to keep your sleep cycle on track, boosting mood, energy and productivity levels all day (Lumie): “Not needing to hit the snooze button is a winner on a Monday.”
All in all, there are plenty of ways you can make the most out of your productive time. To find more ideas about to make it work for you, check out this article here.