Monday, 7/19/21: Talking about doing positivity and my new alarm clock

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’m so thankful for time with two of my best friends who were visiting, delicious meals at a few favorite places, and for the time to relax on Sunday.

TODAY: The weather is beautiful here today, so I’m most excited to get a walk (or potentially run?!) in before work. 

INTENTION: My intention this week is to reference my calendar and write out my to-do list in advance of the next day. 

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

Meaningful Musings: Doing Positivity 

If you’re like me, the thought of having to add anything else to a Monday to-do list feels overwhelming. There’s already too many things! But if you’ve been feeling like your Monday is in need of some more yay and a little less nay, then I have a to-do list suggestion that may be worthwhile. 

The idea comes from a book I just recently finished reading called Your Fully Charged Life by magazine editor and writer Meaghan B Murphy. Spanning health, work, family time, and more, the book ties together anecdotes and the latest in positive psychology research to outline a series of small changes that help you find more joy in every day. 

I love books like this because I get so many easy, actionable ideas. But the most surprising and useful tip I gleaned from Murphy’s writing was her suggestion that thinking positively isn’t enough, you must also “do positivity.” 

It reminded me of something author Gretchen Rubin wrote about in her well-known book, The Happiness Project. She suggests that although we presume that we act because of the way we feel, we often feel because of the way we act. To further describe this phenomenon, she points to a quote from philosopher and psychologist William James. Over a century ago, he said, “Action seems to follow feeling, but really action and feeling go together; and by regulating the action, which is under the more direct control of the will, we can indirectly regulate the feeling, which is not.” 

We’ve all heard how it’s proven that our brains are wired to notice and remember the bad more than the good. It’s a survival mechanism and it helped keep cave-dwelling ancestors safe in a world with many physical threats. But in today’s comparatively safe world, this biological predisposition to focus on the negative can leave us feeling drained, unhappy and low.

While we can’t change our nature and we shouldn’t ignore reality or pretend things are wonderful when they’re not, knowing that our default mode is to dwell on the negative can help us see that sometimes we have to take action first to get those good vibes going. 

Take a Monday for example: it’s easy to default to autopilot, go through the motions of the day, and get trapped by our instinct to focus on the negative. OR, we could take an additional step to intentionally pepper in some simple actions that will make us feel good throughout our day. Of course, those Monday circumstances and challenges will still be there, but at least we’ll have these little hits of happiness to help soften the edges. 

What do you think? If you’re game to experiment and see if this idea works for you, start by asking yourself how you want to feel today. Pick one feeling and then think about one small action that you could reasonably add to your to-do list today that’s in line with that feeling.

For example, if you’re wishing you felt more energized, maybe take a quick walk outside with music, wear your favorite color, or call a friend. If you want to feel more relaxed, you might read a few pages from a new book, schedule a 15-minute power nap, or treat yourself to a manicure after work. And if you want to feel more organized, maybe you’ll clear out one drawer or shelf, clean out an email inbox, or take out the trash & wipe down counters. I know for me, one of my go-to strategies for cultivating a more enjoyable Monday is finding one thing to be excited about (see question #2 in the section above each week!). I love doing this because despite whatever else happens during my Monday, I anticipate this one experience, enjoy it when it happens, and remember it when I reflect on my day.

It’s sometimes comical how small the thing I’m “excited” about is, but having something enjoyable to look forward to really does boost my mood. And I think it could do the same for you!

So, why not give this idea a try today and see if “doing positivity” (or whatever feeling you’re after!) helps you have a more enjoyable Monday. And if you try it out, I would love to hear about it! 

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:  

• If today’s topic resonates with you, check out this article about how we pursue happiness relentlessly but overlook joy. I read this article a while ago and bookmarked it on my computer because I really liked the message. It discusses how many focus on the pursuit of happiness (which is very important, but also very intangible and dependent on many factors), and how we should instead not forget about the pursuit of joy (since it typically involves simpler and more immediate moments). But don’t let the “simpler and more immediate” description fool you – small and simple joyful moments can have powerful effects on our day-to-day experience and shouldn’t be overlooked. If you’re looking for your “positivity action item” to add to your to-do list, check out this article for some ideas.
• I loved this podcast interview with author Charles Duhigg about productivity and habits. It felt like I was just eavesdropping on two impressive leaders talk about their thoughts, tips and tricks on how they work! I loved Duhigg’s message around productivity (hint: it’s not about getting more work done) and the conversation made me want to read his new book Smarter, Faster, Better.
• I bought this Sunrise Alarm Clock a few weeks ago and so far, I’m loving it! Since we are talking about making small shifts to everyday moments… what about looking at how you wake up in the morning? I got this Sunrise Alarm Clock on Amazon Prime Day and it has really made the whole waking up process much more enjoyable. You set the alarm for the time you want to wake up and 30 minutes ahead of that set wake-up time, the light will automatically turn on and start to slowly brighten up. The light stirs me just a bit, to the point where I’m not fully awake, but I’m also not in a deep sleep, so when the alarm does go off at the set time, it’s less jarring. Love it! 

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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