Monday, 6/12/23: Talking about four things to do today
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: I’m thankful for time with my parents on Friday, attending the beautiful wedding of my friend Erin on Saturday and being able to catch up with friends from high school.
TODAY: We’re picking up the keys for the new apartment today, so I’m most excited to get to see it again after work!! Can’t wait.
INTENTION: My intention this week is to have slow evenings, recharging the battery after a few weeks of fun.
Okay, your turn! And if you want to share your three steps, I am all ears. 🙂
Meaningful Musings: What I Do on a Monday after Being Out of Town
If there’s one thing I’ve mastered over the past month, it’s how I approach my Mondays after being out of town for the weekend.
Mondays can get a bad rap, and sometimes that’s because of the drastic change in comparison with the two days of “freedom” that just passed.
I think one of the best ways to make Mondays more enjoyable is to get some prep done on the weekend, easing that transition a bit. But what about when you’re traveling or at an event and can’t get that prep done in advance? Does that mean your Monday is destined to fail?
Not necessarily, no. As long as we acknowledge all Mondays might look different than one another.
Last week I was listening to this podcast episode about routines and I loved what the host – Kendra Adachi – said:
“A routine is an onramp to some kind of destination. Now, that destination can be a few different things. It can be tangible, an actual physical objective, like getting out the door. You have a routine for getting out the door. But your objective might also be emotional or about your energy. A routine that gets you out the door but you’re mad or frazzled or frustrated when you do it is not a routine you likely want to keep around.
I think the point of a routine is often way more emotional than we give it credit for. You are moving in the direction of what feeling, of what experience, of what energy? That feels very different than a routine to start work or get out the door or go to bed. How do you want to start work or get out the door or go to bed? How do you want to feel during that process and at the end of it? Your routine, when thought through in the right order, can help create that feeling.”
What great framing. How do you want your Mondays to feel? With this as an anchor, you’re likely to be able to identify things to add into your Monday that are more than things to check off a list – they will be things that get you closer to ideally how you want your Mondays to feel.
Back at the beginning of May, I thought ahead to my fun travel and weekend plans through June, and I was a bit worried about what it would do to my Mondays. Then I realized that my Mondays should look different during this time since my weekends would be looking different too.
Through some trial and error, I’ve identified four things I need in my Mondays on weeks where I’ve been out of town/routine the weekend before. They are all pretty simple things – nothing groundbreaking or revolutionary – but sharing today in case you had a weekend where you were out of town and looking to reset this Monday:
Four things I do on a Monday after being out of town:
- Morning prep session.
- The 15-minute buffer.
- Decide once about lunch and dinner.
- What am I excited about?
Morning prep session. I love a morning workout and often I use my Monday morning workout to set the tone for the rest of my week. However, if I’ve been out of my routine the weekend before, what I often find I need more is a working prep session. I like to get my cup of coffee, sit down at my computer and “clear the decks.” I go through personal and work emails, reconcile my budget, make a list of things to do for the week ahead, and get my mind wrapped around the next week. A lot of times my angst heading into the new week stems from not knowing what’s ahead/what I need to do. Once I get all that stuff out of my head and onto paper, I always feel better. If I finish early enough to squeeze a quick walk in before work, great. If not, that’s okay too! There’s always tomorrow.
The 15-minute buffer. This is an idea I saw on TikTok and I just loved. When I sit down to officially start my workday on Monday, I give myself a “15-minute buffer.” I don’t dive right into a task or a meeting or an assignment. Rather, I get my music going and just click around for the first 15 minutes to ease my way into the workday. Giving myself time to casually look through emails, news headlines, and Teams chats is a great onramp to the day. By the time 15 minutes are up, I’m really ready to dive in.
Decide once about lunch and dinner. I love having experiences over the weekend, but it often means I’m headed into Monday with an empty fridge and pantry. I’m a big fan of “deciding once” and limiting the number of decisions you have to make. So, at the beginning of May, I decided that if I was traveling over a weekend, I would order my favorite Sweetgreen salad for lunch on Monday. It is pricey to eat out for lunch, but with Sweetgreen, I’m able to create-my-own salad and add all my favorite fix ins. For me it’s worth it to be able to fuel up with something nutritious and convenient. For Monday dinners, I decided on something also simple – I would keep my freezer stocked with individual salmon fillets (my favorite kind) and get in the habit of defrosting one Sunday night for Monday night dinners. Done and easy.
What am I excited about? Lastly, as mentioned above, I think of one thing I can be excited about today. This can be something like getting a manicure or going for a walk after work, ordering a new book to read, or asking someone to meet up for dinner. Don’t underestimate the small things! You can be excited about treating yourself to a coffee or even wearing an outfit that makes you smile. I love that no matter what else happens this Monday, I at least have this built-in one positive thing to look forward to.
What do you think? I am always on the hunt for new ways to improve my Monday, so if you have something that is working for you, please pass along!
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 am loving this book. I started reading it last week and am almost finished! It’s giving my big City of Girls vibes, which is one of my favorite books. A great summer read!!
- Really cute article about the gift of lifelong sibling friendship. Plus tips on how to bolster the connection.
- Liked reading this account of a capsule wardrobe. I’m fascinated by them – especially as I clean out my closet in preparation for moving apartments.
- Best memoirs of 2023. (So far!) Might add a few to my summer reading list. The one about The Metropolitan Museum of Art looks interesting.
Picture(s) of the Week
Collection of photos from the previous Sunday (seeing Taylor Swift in Chicago!!) and this past weekend reuniting with high school friends at a wedding.
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