If Monday had a face, would you feel like punching it? Many surveys show it is the most despised day of the week. Instagram has two million posts including #MondayBlues. Yet other studies show that when asked to recall their work week, most people say Monday was about as good as any other day. And, it turns out, we are about as productive on the first day of the week as we are on other days, research demonstrates. All of which suggests that the “Mondays suck!” feeling is just a matter of mental conditioning. Friends, colleagues and social media whine about Mondays, and so we whine about Mondays too. Even when they are really not that bad.
Bad Vibes and Mondays
Think about it, what’s your real reason for hating Mondays? Some scientists think it is because we humans resist change, and there is a larger emotional shift from Sunday (the rest-and-play day) to Monday (the get-to-work day) than between two workdays. That makes Mondays appear scarier than they really are.
People are also more likely to fall off the wagon during the weekend – eating and drinking too much, exercising too little – making Monday feel like a day of guilt and reckoning. It’s why so many start diets on a Monday.
We often complain about Monday grogginess even though most of us sleep more on weekends and should have charged-up batteries. What’s really happened is that the two-day sleep marathon has screwed up our internal rhythm, making it harder to get up on the first workday.
Change the Monday Mindset
We can bitch all we want, but Mondays are not going away. They make up nearly 15 percent of our lives – does it really make sense to count them out? Time is so valuable. Doesn’t any day deserve a chance to be as great and fruitful as the next?
Free Athletes know it is possible to change an attitude for the better, to embrace a mindset that keeps you on track to reach your goals. And Mondays should be part of that.
Start by realizing that the first day of the work week brings a lot of benefits. For one thing, you’re (hopefully) freshly rested from the weekend. If not, you probably have a cool story to tell as to why. Monday office small talk is usually interesting if not downright juicy. In most places, a Monday morning coffee and bull session is an acceptable way to kick off the week. See these times as an opportunity, an extension of weekend social time – and a good way to ease back into connecting with your work tribe.
There might be a heavy task list waiting on your desk Monday morning, but there are still five days ahead to get it all done, so the pressure is off. Optimism is often higher on Mondays than later in the week. Milk it.
What’s more, Monday is a natural “start” day. Most people choose this day to kick off a new regimen, like a nutrition or training plan, or a new productivity habit. Forget about what you did wrong or didn’t do right last week or over the weekend -- Monday is a day to set new goals or hit reset on old ones.
Remember, mindset is yours to modify. Mondays aren’t evil unless you make them that way. Ditch the negative filters (or put your fingers in your ears and refuse to listen to those pessimists), and go at these days as motivated as you would any other.
Already discovered our 5 habits for beating the Monday Blues?
