Sounds Like Somebody's Got a Case of the Mondays
One of my biggest pet peeves is walking into the elevator on Monday morning and people giving their typical niceties such as, “How are you” and the responses go something like, “I’m good for a Monday” or “Ugh, 5 more days until the weekend” or “I’ve got the Monday blues.” In my neck of the woods, if it’s raining or the Saints lose on Sunday, then just forget it, people will be moping around until at least lunchtime. You get the idea and we’re all guilty of spreading this negativity in the workplace.
But, what did Monday ever to do you?
I recognize that it’s the day farthest away from the weekend and if you are like most people who work in an office you’ll have a Monday through Friday 8ish to 5ish schedule. It’s safe to assume that most people want to live “weekend” life every day of the week because that’s when we take charge of our time and choose the activities we want to indulge in, people we want to communicate with, and time we want to spend doing these actions.
The idea of despising the work we do or the fact that there’s a massive gap between working and enjoying life each day is like a grey cloud looming over me. Why can’t we flip this notion around so that Monday is an energizing, new beginning and allow that energy to set the tone of your week instead of dreading the days approaching.
When we walk into the office at the beginning of a new week, why not ask ourselves, “What can I achieve this week?” What new things can you do, try, or accomplish? What about dining at a new restaurant, taking a different fitness class at the gym, or finishing up the project that has been hanging over your head? Consider Monday the earliest moment you have to decide and reach your goals instead of the longest time you have until you can enjoy life again.
I realize that I’m an optimist and not everyone likes their job and they’re working for the weekend. But if you can’t change your situation to alter your job, what ways can you change your attitude so that you set yourself up for success when you hit the snooze button on Monday morning?
Think about work-life integration and the actions you enjoy about your weekend and start incorporating something fun, positive, social, or goal-oriented in your weekdays and when Monday rolls around, you have something to look forward to. Why not surprise your colleagues at the morning huddle with bagels or take a trip to the nearby coffee joint for a walking meeting? Consider changing your weekly huddle to Tuesday morning to give people time to ease into a new week. Cook a special dinner for friends or family on Monday. The more that people spread even the most trivial negativity, the more that we believe it, even when you may have never felt this way before.
What can you do to change the Monday mentality as a dreadful end to fun life and view it as a transition into a fresh start? I challenge you to find positive ways to approach the week and spread the word to at least one other and maybe then can we spread more positivity in the workplace.