It’s that time again: Monday morning.
The weekend is over. Saturday is officially not coming back. Your alarm clock is just getting into a five day groove, and sleeping is no longer a viable option.
To help you get through the day, here are our top tips to make your Monday mean more:
1. Get up earlier
If you really want to change your Monday mindset, start as you mean to go on.
Try waking up ten minutes earlier, and slow your morning routine right down. No more brushing your teeth in the shower, or doing your make-up on the train, can only be a good thing. Multitasking is overrated anyway…
2. Get up later
Ok, you’ve skipped number one. Turns out you’re not so much of a morning person. That’s cool. We all have different strengths. If yours involves a snooze button, a flannel wash and a mad dash to the station, who are we to judge?
Take full advantage of any flexible working hours offered. And if they’re not? There’s always the late shift…
3. Eat breakfast
The nutritional and mental benefits of the day’s first meal are well-documented. What isn’t quite as well documented is just how easy a gourmet breakfast can be on-the-go.
There’s brioche, baps, bagels. Let’s face it, bacon practically cooks itself*.
4. Don’t go back to sleep
Feel like you can’t function without an extra half an hour doze on the way into Charing Cross? Change it. You’ll only end up waking up in a foul mood, possibly covered in a puddle of your own dribble.
Fight the temptation to slip into slumber, and you’ll feel better for it. The person who sits next to you certainly will.
5. Make more of your commute
If you’re bored on the bus, why not put your sudden lack of stimulation to good use? Read a book you’ve always put off, or learn a new skill while you’re stuck in traffic.
(N.B. Binge-watching box-sets also counts)
6. Make someone’s day
Random acts of kindness are cool. Also, surprisingly easy. So buy the next person in line a coffee, or pay the cashier a compliment. It will make you feel good, and it will make them feel good. It’s basically science.
7. Make Monday your cheat day
‘My diet starts on Monday’. This is a common refrain, often uttered by unrealistic people. But face facts: if you’re trying to battle the Monday blues, the last thing you need is a few ropey bits of kale and a Cuppa Soup.
Eat like a king on Monday, and make your diet Tuesday’s problem.
8. Remind yourself about other successful Mondays
Successful things that have happened on a Monday: man first walked on the moon; the UK’s first cinema opened; the Deathstar was blown up (probably). The list is practically endless.
Just think of it this way: if Mondays never existed, there would be no lifts and worse, there would be no Bullseye (both invented on a Monday). Remember that next time you’re running late for a rooftop meeting with Jim Bowen.
9. Put things in perspective
Global warming. Deforestation. The fact that Justin Bieber exists. To paraphrase the great Mr.Z, there are many problems in the world, but Monday ain’t one… isn’t one… You get the idea.
You may be sleepy. You may lack motivation. You may have even forgotten your umbrella on the day you finally brave the suit/short combo. But no matter how bad your day is, it could almost always be worse. If all else fails, hey, at least it’s not Wednesday.
10. Find a Monday happy place
The sure-fire way to ensure your Monday morning morale remains high is to make it stand out. Think of all the things which make you happiest, and find ingenious ways to work them into your day.
It could be making an inspiring playlist for your morning commute, going for lunch with an old friend, or bookmarking something interesting to read on your lunch. The choice is yours.
Our go-to move is ordering something to arrive at our desk bright and early. Mondays may not be able to buy you happiness, but money can…
Still not convinced? Sometimes it’s not Monday, it’s you. Find a job worth waking up for now.
*For your own personal safety, reed.co.uk must point out that bacon will not cook itself.
