I’ve always been someone who likes Mondays as I thrive off routine. However, that doesn’t always mean I’m fully functioning! That’s why I love doing as little as I possibly can, especially in the morning. Here’s my guide on how to have a bare minimum Monday.
Do your prep on a Friday or Sunday night
This is definitely the main way that I’ve set myself up to be able to start my week on a Monday morning without worrying about what to do. I’ve always been big on Sunday resets but only really started implementing them properly during the pandemic. In an ideal world, I plan out the next week on a Friday afternoon. I usually wrap up working at about 3pm so I have a couple of hours to plan everything for next week: general plans, content, work schedule etc. Because I do a mixture of digital and paper planning, it takes me longer than others. I’ll update Asana and Google Calendar before filling out my weekly paper calendar and diary.
Sunday resets, for me, are more of a prep time. Most weeks, I’ll do some form of cleaning and organising but will switch tasks in and out as needed. Some weeks, I’ll deep clean one room in the house. Other weeks, I’ll do the bare minimum to have a tidy house. A Sunday reset routine can be as simple or as elaborate as you want. The busier your week is coming up, the more you should do on a Sunday to give yourself more time during the week (outfit planning, meal prepping etc).
Extend your morning routine
Because you’ve done so much prep over the weekend, you can treat yourself to an extra-long Monday morning routine. This will obviously vary depending on your job/schedule but you can either wake up earlier or have extra time asleep. If you wake up early, you can have a longer workout or go for a walk before work. If you’re lucky like me and are self-employed, you can sleep in a little longer before easing yourself into the week. I love to give myself some time to read a book and just generally slow down. In fact, most Mondays, I don’t start client work until after dinner! If I do try to work, I just end up procrastinating anyway so why not just chill out on purpose?
Treat yourself to a better post-work routine
Especially on a Monday, it’s often the most stressful day of the week. Most of us would love a more chilled day but it’s usually the day when we have to get stuff done. To counteract that, why not treat yourself to a more fun or relaxing post-work routine? It can be anything from a nice drink and a home-cooked meal to buying yourself a new book or face mask. I try to keep it as a small treat because you don’t need something expensive to feel good!
We often attend local press nights on a Monday night so a nice meal out is always a welcome addition. However, on most Monday nights, I just try to chill out. Recently, I’ve been trying to reduce my laptop time so I’ve been sticking on a box set (currently Glee) and making friendship bracelets! If you can’t romanticise your life on a Monday night, when can you?
Prioritise your tasks
If Mondays are not your optimal working days, try to prioritise what actually needs doing. Most of us spend Monday mornings either responding to emails or in meetings/calls. If you can (unless you’ve done it on Friday), carve out some time to get your weekly to-do list, assign tasks to specific days and then rate your tasks in order of urgency. Aim for a maximum of three tasks a day if you can (unless they’re 10 minutes or under).
What I do is set up my weekly to-do list and then have an additional running to-do list for those tasks that I’d like to get done at some point. They’re either not urgent or don’t need to be done on a specific day. If I’ve gone through my three priorities, I can pick up some of those additional tasks. If not, they can wait for another day/week.
Note niggly tasks and do them on Friday to tie up the week
This is something that I’ve tried to do since I went self-employed. It will depend on your job of course but if you can get some niggly tasks done on a Friday, you can fully enjoy your weekend without worrying. I often set a timer and get them done in a power hour. It could be anything from clearing your desktop of downloads and documents, sorting through your email inbox properly or scheduling your social media content for next week. Whatever it is, I promise you, a power hour actually increases your productivity!
Try time-blocking your week
Again, this might vary from job to job as well as location. I’ll admit I don’t do this all the time but I try to if I have a particularly busy week. Firstly, decide if it’s just for the work week or if you’ll include your entire schedule. If it’s just for work, schedule any meetings or deadlines for the week. If it’s your entire schedule, you can schedule any social plans too. Next, I block out focus time every day if I can for the bulk of my work. It’s harder if you work in an office but you might be able to stick on some headphones. Don’t forget to schedule some breaks too!
One thing to note is when you actually do your best work. For me, I need an hour or so to fully wake up in my work day so I try to start my day with admin-type tasks. Either side of dinner is where I’m most productive (10am-12pm and then 1pm-3pm). After 4pm, my brain is sleepy. It can change depending on the season, how much sleep I’ve had and what my to-do list actually looks like. Don’t forget to take regular breaks too, even if it’s just to get up from your desk and make a hot drink every hour or so!
Get it done and get over it
It sounds simple but just get on with whatever tasks you have to get done on a Monday. If you don’t do them today, they’ll still need completing tomorrow. Why not just get them out of the way right now? They might not be your best work but at least they’ll be done!
Try to avoid meetings
Nobody likes meetings. If you can, tell your work that you use Mondays as a focus/get shit done day. Let’s face it, most meetings can wait until Tuesdays anyway! If there’s so no way around it, try to make them as early as possible. That way, you have the entire day to focus on getting stuff done, rather than doing some work, then having a meeting, and then trying to get back in work mode. Some companies need to realise that not everyone is productive at the same time! As long as the work gets done, who cares whether it’s done on a Monday afternoon or a Thursday morning?
And that’s my guide on how to have a bare minimum Monday. Of course, it can vary if you work out of the house or from home. However, I’m all about making your schedule work for you as best you can. Schedule in relaxation time and treat yourself when you’ve done a good job!
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