I have felt it. And I have heard it from others, so I am certain that I was not alone in my feelings about Sundays. Have you ever felt this nagging, heavy feeling about Sunday? What is that about?
It is about Monday.
If you have felt this weight on a Sunday, you know what I am talking about. Even the idea of Monday and what it may bring is enough to bring down part of your valuable weekend time, and it hasn’t even happened yet. This feeling can become so strong that Monday might not actually end up being that bad, but the anticipation on Sunday was worse than Monday itself. Suddenly you realize that you feel robbed.
For some, Sunday has become a time where you catch up, get a head start, spend two hours sorting email or begin the incessant planning in your head about how to tackle the week. And it can ruin 50% of every weekend if you let it. I remember a time in my life when I owned the Sunday funk. I was short with my family, distracted and in my head, and it even went as far as needing to go running for long runs on Sundays in order to reduce the stress I was feeling.
What would it take to change this for ourselves? As I recently redesigned my schedule, I have purposely made Monday my favorite day with the most blank space, time for exercise, and strict aversion to being rushed. It is glorious, and it worked! I have taken back control of my full Sunday.
Ideas for solving the root problem Monday, or addressing the Sunday funk:
- Start your Monday morning with quiet time to read your e-mail, make your plan for the week, whatever you were previously doing to “prepare” on Sunday night. Ideas to make this a reality include:
- Put it on your calendar, recurring, ending never
- Try going into the office early on Monday and make a ritual of your quiet time before anyone else is there (it helps to bring a delicious beverage to look forward to, a.k.a. Monday Macchiato)
- Make a prioritized list of things Friday afternoon before leaving and leave it on your desk for Monday morning
- Plan something to look forward to at lunch every Monday. Perhaps alone time to meditate, a walk outside while listening to a TEDtalk, or lunch with your team or a friend.
- Decide things that must happen on Mondays, and what can wait. Decide what must be done by you, and what can be delegated. Monday can be only things that must be done on Monday, and must be done by you. All others, sort accordingly.
- Try some exercise. It feels great to start the week off right, and to manage stress you might be feeling going into the week.
- Manage expectations with your team and your boss. Make sure that everyone’s on the same page about emailing (or not) on Sundays, and what you need to be successful on Mondays (so everyone leaves you alone in those first 90 minutes you set aside)
- Ask yourself, “How much of this stress is really true, and how much am I creating for myself?” and then, “What do I choose instead?”
Things like how we feel about heading into work Monday are within our control. If you choose to change your perspective on Mondays, your Sundays will follow suit. Hello two-day weekend!
About the author:
Katie Rasoul is the Chief Awesome Officer for Team Awesome, a leadership coaching and culture consulting firm. Find out more by visiting www.teamawesomecoaching.com or sign up for our mailing list for awesomeness coming straight to your inbox. Follow Team Awesome on Facebook and Twitter.
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