Monday, 1/27/20: Talking about prepping for a busy week and the difference between loungewear and pajamas
Happy Monday!
It’s another new week, which means it’s time for your next Monday motivation newsletter. Read on below for some steps to a happier Monday, a short story and a roundup of positive thoughts to get your week started.
Three Steps to a Happier Monday
Each newsletter starts with three prompts to inspire gratitude and simple intention setting. Take a moment and jot down answers to these three questions. To give an example, I share my answers below.
Step 1: What are three things I appreciated from the weekend?
Step 2: What is one thing I can be excited about today?
Step 3: What is my intention for this week?
GRATITUDE: From my weekend, I am thankful for a fun time with a great friend on Saturday, the instructors in my workout classes on Saturday and Sunday (such great energy!!) and that I made the choice to prep a bit yesterday.
TODAY: I am looking forward to treating myself to a manicure after work.
INTENTION: Recycling last week’s! My intention for this week is to stay calm when handling whatever may pop up this week at work. Okay, your turn! And if you want to share your three steps, I am all ears. 🙂
Lesson of the Week: How I Prep for a Big Week
Do you ever get that horrible impending doom feeling lingering over you before the start of a busy week? That was me yesterday.
My “Sunday Scaries” were really dialed up as I thought about my to-do list for the week ahead and what I needed to accomplish at work and home before my mom arrives Thursday and stays through the weekend (yay!).
I had two options:
- Sit in my anxious thoughts and worry myself into a tizzy. (What present-day me wanted to do.)
- Be intentional about how I could use my Sunday to set myself up for success. (What future me would want.)
Even though it wasn’t what I wanted to do in the moment, I picked the second option. And now I am here to tell you that I survived and that it is still possible to have a happy Monday in the midst of a busy and stressful week.
When thinking about today’s newsletter, I thought you might be interested in hearing about what I did to anticipate and prepare for a busy week. So, read on below to find the three key things I did yesterday to set myself up for success today. Nothing in the below is groundbreaking information, but I hope something sticks with you and helps you the next time you need it.
Before we dive in, I feel it’s important to caveat that I do not do these three things every weekend. I chose my Sunday prep depending on what I need that day. Sometimes I do two of the three and sometimes I do zero of the three.
And like everything in life, there’s always a trade off. Yesterday, I chose to do these three things because I knew the reward would be a feeling of relaxation and control today. But that choice also meant choosing not to spend time recharging, connecting with friends or watching the Grammy’s. Catch me on another weekend with a different set of circumstances and there’s definitely a chance I’ll pick time on the couch with a book over meal prepping.
But if you find yourself feeling anxious about a busy week ahead, consider trying these three steps:
- Brain dump.
- Make decisions in advance.
- Channel anxious energy productively.
Brain dump everything. And I mean everything. Get out a piece of paper and just start writing all the random things you have to do. Personal, work, school, random people you have to call back, whatever! Get it all out of your head and on paper. Then, after you’ve scribbled out all the things, feel free to go back through the list and sort by category, priority, etc. Sure a long to-do list can look daunting, but I always feel better once I have a visual of what I need to accomplish instead of random to-dos popping up in my mind like iPhone push notifications.
Make decisions in advance where you can. This is my favorite step and the one I think makes the biggest difference. Did you know that we are estimated to make about 35,000 conscious decisions a day? Craziness! All of those little daily decisions require us to expend mental energy. Ahead of a busy week, I LOVE figuring out what decisions I can make in advance in order to reserve some energy for the bigger things I need to tackle. For example, yesterday I planned out simple meals for the week, scheduled my workouts and picked out my outfits for work. I am not using any of my energy this week to mentally debate when/if I should workout or what I should have for dinner. These little decisions made in advance free up space in my mind and allow me to allocate my energy elsewhere.
Channel anxious energy productively. When I am feeling anxious, I like to distract myself with some type of activity (remember how I talked about decluttering to help with post-holiday/vacation blues?). For me, I channeled my anxious energy and turned it into something productive by going to a Soul Cycle class, meal prepping and spending an hour doing a few tasks for work. As a result, I got a workout in, have a fridge full of ingredients chopped and prepped for healthy meals and decreased the amount of things on my work to-do list. It sounds funny, but it can feel therapeutic to meal prep and busy your hands with a simple task like chopping vegetables instead of sitting and fretting. And you get to reap the reward of easily throwing together meals with your prepped ingredients all week long.
What do you think? Could you see yourself doing any of these things next time you are feeling anxious about a busy week?
On My Monday Radar
Sometimes we just aren’t ready to jump into our Monday to-do list right away. In case you want some content to procrastinate with, here is a roundup of a few positive things on my radar:
- Loungewear. I have to say, I’m proud of how I’m managing winter this year. I am leaning way into moving slow on the weekends and enjoying cozy times indoors. One thing that’s made a difference is buying a few pieces of loungewear. I’m laughing as I type this, but it really is something that is making me happy! Loungewear is different than pajamas. I don’t wear these sets to bed. Instead it’s what I change into when I get home from work to cook dinner or what I wear on weekend mornings when I feel like it’s too late to still be in pajamas. I love this top and bottom set from Target (I have the pink, but they also sell a version in mint).
- Perfect Weeknight Turkey Meatball Recipe. These turkey meatballs are the protein in my lunch salads this week. I love this simple recipe so much! They can be used in so many recipes and freeze great too. Whenever ground turkey is on sale, I will buy and make a batch to freeze for a later date.
- An argument for going to bed 30 minutes earlier. If I am hanging my hat on anything besides getting more people to love Mondays, it’s convincing people to go to bed earlier. Consistent sleep schedules can have such a positive impact on our health, energy, perspective and more. Why don’t we consider our sleeping habits as closely as our eating and exercising habits? I enjoyed this article because the suggestion was really simple: just focus on getting in bed 30 minutes earlier. No big change required! Just a small step that can have a big outcome.
- Kobe Bryant Inspirational Quotes. I have this last because it didn’t feel right to transition to something trivial after. Hearing the devastating news yesterday was absolutely gut wrenching. I can’t stop thinking about what the Bryant family and all families and loved ones involved are going through right now. Life is so, so fragile. Kobe deserves a lot more than just being included in this simple roundup, but for today, what I can do is share a few articles that feature his inspiring quotes. Let’s honor Kobe and Gianna by reading his words and remembering the impact he had. I liked this, this and this article. Prayers to all who are hurting right now. Rest in peace Kobe, Gianna and the other seven victims.
That’s all for today! I hope you found something in today’s newsletter that sparked motivation, made you smile or inspired a positive Monday thought. Don’t underestimate the power of starting small… a fulfilling week starts with just one fulfilling day. You’ve got this!
Let’s make it a great Monday!
Megan
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