Monday, 5/10/21: Talking about three things to do on an off Monday
Happy Monday!
And Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms and mom-like figures out there! Hope everyone had a nice time celebrating yesterday.
It’s also a 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 time with family, the fun book I’m reading right now, and feeling like myself again.
TODAY: Today, I am most excited to have a bit more flexibility in my work schedule.
INTENTION: My intention this week is to do one fun task in the morning before I start working (either reading, running, journaling, etc.).
Okay, your turn! And if you want to share your three steps, I am all ears. 🙂
Meaningful Musings: 3 Things To Do When You’re Having an “Off” Monday
Mondays are my favorite day of the week. But that doesn’t mean I automatically always feel my best on Mondays. In fact, I’ve actually been feeling “off” these past few weeks due to some stressors and situations. Nothing too serious, but just enough chaos to make me feel off-balance and unsteady.
Sometimes you might roll out of my bed on a Monday ready to take on your entire to-do list – and then some. And other times, the simplest tasks can feel daunting. What I hope this newsletter always provides is some positivity for a Monday morning and a space for us to check in with ourselves and see what we need at the start of this specific week. Like I about wrote in this newsletter, I love Mondays because of the fresh start and potential the day represents, but I’m also realistic in my expectations. I don’t expect to feel my best every Monday, and I know how I feel this week will likely be different than last week.
So what about those Mondays when you’re feeling just “off?” I’m thankful that I’m starting to feel re-centered again, but in case you find yourself in a slump this morning, I wanted to share three small actions that helped me when I was feeling down. The three things are simple enough to not cause any overwhelm, but impactful enough to hopefully help make a difference. If you need it, I hope one of the below suggestions resonates with you. Read on to learn more!
3 Things To Do On an “Off” Monday:
- Make a “like/don’t like” list
- Take something off my plate
- Focus on relationships
Make a like/don’t like list: I heard this idea while listening to this podcast (around the 30-minute mark), and I have to admit, I was skeptical at first. I thought, I already know what I don’t like. How is writing it down going to help? But to humor myself, I pulled out my notebook and started jotting down and quick list of things I liked and didn’t like right now. Sure, my list included some big-picture things I can’t realistically change overnight, but to my surprise, I also uncovered some smaller things on the “don’t like” list that I could fix (like a messy desk) and some things on the “like” list I could work into my day more (like going for a walk). Even though these were small shifts, it felt really great to do something in the spirit of pursuing things I enjoy and removing things I don’t.
Take something off my plate: This idea stems from a book I just read: Tiffany Dufu’s Drop the Ball. More about Tiffany’s book below, but in summary, I loved it. Even though the book is more focused on working moms, the core message (feeling overwhelmed, finding a “balance,” figuring out what you really care about) was exactly what I needed to read right now. So, inspired by her book, I’ve been giving myself grace and trying to take some things off my plate. Even when we are feeling off or when there’s a load of high-priority stressors in our life, how many of us still expect ourselves to still do all the things? Just like we feel differently every Monday, we can also acknowledge that what we can accomplish week-to-week will change. You may have noticed there wasn’t a newsletter last week (or maybe you didn’t!), and the truth is, I dropped the ball. There were some other priority items, and I just needed to take it off my plate, and hopefully no harm was done. Sharing in case you too have something you can take off your list for the week or delegate to someone else with little to no consequences. It might make you feel better. 🙂
Focus on relationships: I’m thankful that while I’ve been feeling down, I’ve had the opportunity to spend time with my family and a couple of best friends from college. I’m thankful for this because it was in these moments when I really felt like myself again. I was energized, I felt happy and I laughed… a lot. Often when I’m feeling overwhelmed, focusing on relationships is one of the things I think I can take off my list. I don’t text someone back or reach out and think, I’ll catch up with them when this is over. But what my recent experience made me realize is maybe this thinking is backward. I’m worried that taking time to focus on relationships will stress me out more, but maybe it’s just the release I need. So today, if you are feeling off, try texting a friend, smiling at someone, or even scrolling through old pictures of fun times, and see how you feel.
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:
- I loved this episode with Brené Brown and Angela Duckworth. When listening to these two talk on Brené’s podcast, I did not want this conversation to end! I especially loved when they talked about their experiences from when they were in their twenties. I’m now reading Angela’s book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance because her message really resonated with me. Have you read it?
- Another podcast episode I enjoyed was this Mother’s Day Special with Girls Who Code Founder Reshma Saujani. I really appreciated Reshma’s honesty and perspective on the challenges working moms in particular have faced this last year. This is something I think about a lot, so I was interested in hearing Reshma’s ideas and thoughts.
- The book that got me out of my reading rut! One of the ways I know I’m feeling down? I stop doing one of my favorite activities…reading. In the month of April, I think I only read one book. So, I was really happy when Drop the Ball became available at the library, because as mentioned above, it ended up being just what I needed. Part manifesto, part memoir, the book focuses on how Tiffany learned to balance her thriving career with busy personal life by reevaluating expectations, shrinking her to-do list, and meaningfully engaging others.
- Something I can always rely on to cheer me up? Coffee!! It’s the little things. 🙂 To end of a fun note, sharing the new coffee maker I got for my birthday because I love it! In case you are in the market for a new coffee maker, check this one out. I love having the option to make a pot of coffee or just a single cup, and the design is very compact, which is great for the limited counterspace in my apartment!
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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