Monday, 3/8/21: Talking about notes from February, busy brain and leadership lessons

Happy Monday!

It’s a new week and 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 the sunny weather (thank you, CHI!!), reuniting with friends and walks outside. 

TODAY: Today I’m most excited about my run outside this morning (yay for the mild weather!). 

INTENTION: My intention this week is to have three days of no spending. 

Okay, your turn! And if you want to share your three steps, I am all ears. 🙂

Meaningful Musings: February’s Notes

To help me better remember little things that happen throughout the year, I vowed to “write a monthly recap” as part of my 21 in 2021 List. The quick and informal recap catalogs all kinds of memories (big and small, good and bad, funny and serious) that happen throughout the span of a month, and so far, I’ve found the exercise to be really fun! 
 
My favorite way to curate the list is to jot down a quick list of memories on the last day of the month. It helps me to look at my calendar and photos on my phone and ask myself questions like: What were some of my favorite moments from the month? What did I learn? What content (books, podcasts, shows) really resonated with me? Did anything hard happen this month? 
 
If you’re interested, you can read previous monthly recaps here or read on below for my notes from February. If you try this out and like it too, I would love to hear about it!
 
February’s 10 Notes

1. I read two new-to-me fiction authors in February: Yaa Gyasi, author of Homegoing, and Amy Poeppel, author of Musical Chairs. Homegoing is definitely going to be one of my top book picks for this whole year, and for something light and fun, I also loved Musical Chairs.
2. For non-fiction, my favorite read from the past month was Adam Grant’s Think Again (loved the last two chapters). I also loved listening to podcast interviews with him about this book. Linking my favorites here and here.
3. One of my most fun discoveries from February was the Moms Don’t Have Time To Read Books podcast. Even as someone who is not a mom, I can’t get enough of this podcast! I just love being able to listen to authors talk about their books. I’ve listened to Amy Poeppel talk about Musical Chairs, Adam Grant talk about Think Again, Brit Bennett talk about Vanishing Half, Ingrid Fettel Lee talk about Joyful… and more! 
4. I mentioned on my 21 in 2021 List that I wanted to purchase a light that attaches to my laptop for better lighting in video calls. I’ve been using this one from Amazon for a few weeks now and am liking it! It’s easy to clip on and off and I liked that you can use it on your computer or phone. 
5. Also mentioned on my 21 in 2021 List, I wanted to start a note-taking method for the nonfiction books I read. One of the reasons I love reading on my Kindle is because it’s incredibly easy to highlight and make notes as you read. The only problem is that I borrow most of my e-books from the library, so once I return, I’m not able to access these notations. What’s working for me right now is a very basic method of transcribing all my notes and highlights in one Google Doc. No fancy organization to keep it simple, although I did add a Table of Contents so that I can remember which books I have notes for. 
6. I love my end-of-day ritual of taking a moment to write in my one-line-a-day journal that a friend gifted me with in December. As an added bonus, the floral decorative cover also looks so pretty on my nightstand! 
7. I’ve also been printing a handful of photos each month and putting them into a photo album. I haven’t printed photos in so long, so at first it felt funny to print just some normal, everyday pics, but my plan is to continue doing this every month so that I have a full 2021 photo album by the end of the year. 
8. I’m so glad my mom decided to buy an air fryer before I left Florida – we are obsessed! I can’t believe how fast it cooks food like roasted vegetables, chicken and more. I like it so much that I’m currently trying to determine how I could fit this adorable pink one into my apartment’s very limited counter space. 
9. Speaking of my mom, she also introduced me to these Yeti coffee mugs that keep your coffee warm for so long. I had used a Yeti tumbler before for coffee, but my mom has the ones with handles and they are a game changer. No more microwaving coffee because it gets cold! Before I returned to Chicago, my mom surprised me with one that says “Megan” on one side and “Monday Motivation” and I LOVE it. Makes me smile every morning!
10. I also recently heard of a company called MyIntent Project, which offers the perfect product for people who love having a “word of the year.” The company makes custom bracelets and necklaces with your word printed on it. Perfect for remembering your intention throughout the year!

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 really enjoyed this podcast interview with Dr. Romie Mushtaq about something she calls “Busy Brain.” For many of us, the end of this week marks the somber one-year anniversary of the novel coronavirus changing so much about our lives. One year into the pandemic, I think it’s safe to say we are all experiencing varying degrees of “Busy Brain” and I appreciated the actionable tips and ideas Dr. Romie provided in this interview to help us shift away from overwhelm, burnout and more.
• In case you needing a boost this morning: check out this counterintuitive way to cheer up when feeling down. I love a weekly column in The Atlantic called “How to Build a Life.” It’s written by Arthur C. Brooks, a writer and professor, and focused on the science of joy with practical tips for those seeking more happiness in their lives. This past week Arthur’s column focused on why making others happy can make us feel more joyful and how to take steps to do it more. His article reminded me of one of the “Splendid Truths of Happiness”  Gretchen Rubin writes frequently in her books: “One of the best ways to make yourself happy is to make other people happy. One of the best ways to make other people happy is to be happy yourself.”
• I was SO excited to see that Kim Scott has a new book coming out next Tuesday. I read Kim’s best-selling management book Radical Candor last year and loved it. So, I can’t wait to read her newest book focused on creating productive, just organizations where respect and collaboration are combined so everyone can do their best work.
• Speaking of leadership, I loved Shonda Rhimes’ advice in this article. I am such a fan of Shonda Rhimes, especially after reading her book Year of Yes, and I find her to be really inspiring. She provides some great “leadership lessons” in this article, including the two things she wishes she had known before starting her career. 

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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