Monday, 10/11/21: Talking about the Chicago Marathon and fall nail polish colors
Happy Monday!
It’s 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 that I got to watch some of the Chicago Marathon yesterday, for a fun Saturday night with friends and for a catch-up phone call with a BFF on Sunday!
TODAY: Today, I am MOST excited about seeing my friend from college, who is in town visiting her parents. She had a baby at the end of July, so I’m also meeting her daughter!!!! I am giddy with excitement.
INTENTION: My intention this week is to reach out to someone each day.
Okay, your turn! And if you want to share your three steps, I am all ears. 🙂
Meaningful Musings: What’s Your 0.2 Task?
This weekend was the 43rd Chicago Marathon! Marathon Weekend is always special, but it felt especially special this year since the event was canceled last year.
I feel lucky that my apartment is around the corner from a part of the race’s path because each year I get to watch some of the event and cheer on the runners. It is one of my favorite weekends and it always makes me a bit emotional. There is something about watching so many people use their physical bodies to accomplish such an impressive feat and seeing all the spectators cheering on strangers from the sidelines that just gets to me. I hope to run one one day.
Watching the marathon reminded me of something I heard about a few years ago. I’ve written about the idea before – but ironically – I actually heard about it on the day of the Chicago Marathon in 2019.
I was at a live taping of Gretchen Rubin’s Happier podcast and the audience was sharing “happiness hacks.” Inspired by the thousands of people who had just run the 26.2 miles in Chicago that day, one person shared that, when she gets to the end of her day, she tries to pick a “0.2” task to complete. She sees it as her sprint to the finish line in her marathon of a day.
I loved this idea! We usually don’t have much time or energy for one more thing from our to-do list when we are ready to log off or jump into bed. But what if we picked to a task that took a minute or less to complete? It feels like such an easy way to set ourselves up for a more enjoyable tomorrow, and sounds like a nice ritual to signal “end of the day” to ourselves.
For example, possible 0.2 tasks at the end of my workday could be either making a to-do list for tomorrow, cleaning off my desk, sorting through my email inbox or sending a meeting invite. Or for life, I could decide to quickly wipe down the counters, set the coffee machine, pick out a workout (or work!) outfit for tomorrow. All small things, but things nonetheless that make things a bit more enjoyable for “future me.”
So, what do you think? At the end of your marathon Monday today, when the finish line is in sight, what would you pick as a task to be your sprint to the finish line?
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:
- Looking to get out of a reading rut? Check out this thriller. I love how thriller/mysteries offer a total escape, and for me, I was totally captivated while reading Not a Happy Family by Shari La Pena. I will say that the book was a bit of a slow build and then a quick ending, but even still, I couldn’t put it down. And if thrillers aren’t your cup of tea, check out this article for the best books of October.
- I love the “How to Build a Life” column in The Atlantic and I often find the topics covered are things I’m thinking about too… like this recent article with tips on breaking a phone addiction. Love the ideas for how to use your devices more mindfully. Working on that!
- I got my nails done last week and was so excited to get my signature “fall” nail polish color! If you also paint or get your nails done regularly, do you have seasonal favorites? I have a couple tried & true favorites, like “Aurora Berry-alis” by OPI for the fall months. It is the perfect autumnal berry in my opinion!
- Do you have any tips for maintaining long-distance friendships? As part of this month’s Lighter & Brighter topic, I’m collecting anonymous tips and tricks for staying close with friends who live far away. All tips will be featured in the newsletter on the last Monday in the month. If you are so inclined to share, feel free to submit here. Can’t wait to hear from you!
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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