THE FIVE THINGS PRODUCTIVE PEOPLE DO ON MONDAY FOR A GREAT WORK WEEK

We get it – Mondays are hard especially if you’ve had a fab weekend of not doing or thinking about work at all. And now, here you are, on your commute to work (the jam doesn’t help either!) wondering how you are going to get through the rest of the week.

Here’s something you need to know: If you start a day grouchy and unmotivated, it’s going to carry on for the rest of your day. Same goes for work. If you wake up every Monday dreading work and the things to come, it’s not going to be an easy Monday to Friday for you.

But what if you think the other way, that you’re stoked to be at work and can’t wait to get productive? We’re willing to put money down that your work week will go smoothly and you’ll end up accomplishing a lot!

That’s exactly how productive and successful people think when they walk through the office doors every Monday morning – that they are going to make the most of their day and use it to their advantage to make the rest of the week count. And these are the five things they make sure they do every Monday morning to set the tone right.

#1 They wake up early to get started
You rather spend your Sunday night watching Netflix till late than hitting the bed early so you can make it last longer, right? Bad move. A late start on Monday morning is going to cause a lot of chaos and you’ll find yourself scrambling into work instead of walking in with purpose. Besides, an early start on the first day of work means being able to get more things done before the actual work begins so if you can, aim to arrive at work an hour ahead so you have that quiet time to focus on getting ready for the rest of the week.

#2 They clear their email inbox
Another reason why you should get to work earlier on Monday – so you can clear your email inbox of spam, non-essential emails and those that don’t require your attention anymore to focus on the real work emails when 9am comes around instead of spending the bulk of your Monday morning deleting emails asking for “donations”.

#3 They list the three things they want to accomplish for the week
Think of three items you want to get done for the week. It could be finishing up that report, touching base with a new client or exploring a creative idea that may help with the marketing project you’re working on. Whatever it is, list them down on a piece of paper and put it up where you can easily see it to stay focused on what you hope to achieve before Friday comes around.

#4 They keep their mornings clear of meetings
On top of the list of productivity killers are work at redundant meetings, especially those that happen at 9am on Monday mornings. First thing Monday morning when you’re still recuperating from the weekend is not a great time to brainstorm ideas. But you can’t say no if your boss is the one who schedules the meeting, so go in there with a list of things that need to be discussed to stay on track.

#5 They plan their entire week
Productivity is all about good planning so on Monday morning, take some time to plan your entire week whether it is scheduling in potential meetings and calls, listing down deadlines, working out your goals and even some non-work related activities (like lunch with a buddy or movie night on Friday!). This way, you get an overview of what you want to do for the week whether it is for work and fun etc. Schedule it into your calendar so you won’t forget the important stuff!

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash