How often do we find ourselves patiently waiting for Friday only to realize that it’s Monday morning and we still have five entire days until we can sleep in again and enjoy a whole lot of doing nothing? I’ve heard it over and over again. Before I started working at my current job, I didn’t have two consecutive days off so the whole idea of a weekend feels like a new concept that I don’t want to take advantage of! So instead of dreading Monday, I like to be the most productive to set the standards for the entire rest of the week. So instead of dreading Monday, try one of these.

Prepare Start out the week by setting out clothes and preparing for one hour on Sunday night to prepare for the week ahead.

Be Early Monday’s are the most important day to be early. So go to sleep early on Sunday nights and wake up on Monday morning without pressing the snooze button. Try to get in your workout or get to work a few minutes earlier than normal so that you can be ready with emails and have meeting plans prepared!

Adjust the Way You Think Stop hating Mondays! Going into Monday with a negative attitude won’t help you have a good day! Instead, make Monday your new favorite day. Think of it as a fresh start – whatever happened last week is in the past! Take this time to set new goals and create a brand new to do list!

Take on Your Least Favorite Tasks Start your week off by completing the things you don’t like to do! This will make your life a little better during the rest of the week.

Catch Up I love catching up with my co-workers on Monday mornings! I try to make sure to go out of my way to encourage others to have good weeks by having a positive attitude! Check in with the people around you on Mondays to see how their weekend was!

Routine Having a plan on how you are going to go about your day will make it seem much smoother. This could mean laying out your calendar on Friday so that you know exactly what you will need to do on Monday.

Treat Yourself Kevin and I have been going to the grocery store on Sunday afternoons or Monday nights. The last couple of weeks, we have bought a little treat or a few stems of one of my favorite flower to display in the house – seeing them makes me so happy! (see above picture)

Really Rest During the weekend, we often over book ourselves since we have “nothing” going on. When we take these two days to actually rest up, it will help make our Monday’s less tired and more productive. To me, this looks a lot like saying no to overbooking and plans that aren’t actually things that fulfill my life.

Coffee and Music Pump your day up in any way you know how! Spend the commute to work dancing to your Friday playlist and drink coffee, if that’s what you’re into.

Gratitude Make a list of things in your life that you are thankful for. I do this a lot when I’m having a bad day and it always increases my spirit!

Happy Monday, friends!