IT IS A POSITIVELY SOGGY SOAKING SOPPING WET GRAY DAY OUT THERE.  AND IT IS MONDAY.  WE CAN ALL IDENTIFY WITH TWO GOOD REASONS TO NOT HAVE THE BEST OF DAYS RIGHT THERE.  HERE ARE SOME TIPS TO BEAT THOSE MONDAY “BLAHS”

AT THE OFFICE

Monday is usually a difficult day to pass. You may feel lack of motivation to do stuff on Monday compared to other days – mainly because it is the first working day of the week, and it becomes really hard to get back into the working flow if you relaxed yourself from the weekend. Tim over Studentl.inc points out five things to tackle this issue and create a more positive emotion for the day:

1. Schedule a meeting or make special lunch plans on Monday mornings.
2. Go to the gym.
3. Start something on Friday that you can finish on Monday.
4. Take the work out of weekends.
5. Get up earlier than normal on Mondays.

The third tips, Head start something on Friday so that you can finish a task quickly on Monday is a pretty good idea. The quicker you have completed a task on Monday morning, the faster you can reinforce by the sense of accomplishments, which can give you better traction for the day.

Hat tips to Tim for the news!

Think About Beating The Monday Blahs – [studentl.inc]

DON’T FORGET ABOUT THE KIDDIES.

OUR LITTLE ONES ARE VERY KEEN TO HOW WE FEEL AND OFTEN RECIPROCATE THE EMOTIONS THEY SEE AND EXPERIENCE FROM US.  SO REMEMBER THAT THEY CAN HAVE A “BAD DAY” RIGHT ALONG WITH YOU.  HERE ARE SOME TIPS TO MAKE HOME/FAMILY TIME A LITTLE BETTER ON THE DREADED “MONDAYS”

Monday! Monday! Monday!
So full of newness and excitement.
Don’t feel the same way? You’re doing it wrong!
Here are 20 ways to help you beat the Monday Blues:

1. Procrastinate feeling blue. Is a gloomy cloud forming above your head? Ignore it – you’ll give your attention to it later, not now.
2. Wear your best clothes or the cheeriest colour from your wardrobe. You’d be surprise how much your clothes could affect the way you feel about yourself.
3. Treat yourself (AND THE LITTLE ONES) in the morning – Sit down and eat. Enjoy your food. Monday is Pancake Breakfast day for me, so I actually look forward to Monday mornings. But eat well - although it’s ok to treat yourself, make sure you eat well. I have a good serving of fruits along with my pancakes. Have enough to drink too - your malaise could be a sign of dehydration.
4. Have a list of why you’re having the blues – you might be surprised that there will be things on the list that you can easily work on to make your Mondays better. THIS IS AN AWESOME OPPORTUNITY TO TALK TO YOUR KID(S) ABOUT WHAT MIGHT BE BOTHERING THEM.  LET THEM DICTATE THEIR LIST TO YOU.  REMEMBER THEY MAY NOT WANT TO RETURN THEIR WEEKLY GRIND ANYMORE THAN YOU DO…UNLESS OF COURSE, THEY ARE ENROLLED AT AGB!!!
5. EVERY PARENT ALREADY KNOWS THIS TRICK, BUT MAY HAVE TROUBLE FOLLOWING THROUGH SOME TIMES.Have everything laid out the day before – your clothes, files, etc. Saves you a couple of minutes in the morning so that you can concentrate on other, more important things.
6. Plan your day in small gentle steps. Apply micromovements throughout the day. You can use a GTD system or simply divide your day into of 1/2 – 1 hour chunks with a goal for each time unit.
7. Talk to a friend – it’s most likely he/she is having the blues too. Keep your conversation short. Remember this is about taking comfort in the fact that you aren’t alone in this, not an hour-long bitchfest about XXX from marketing.
8. Listen to happy songs – a tune can affect your mood. Let cheery, happy songs be the soundtrack to your Monday.
9. Dance - just move that body! Jog in place, stretch, do yoga. You’ll feel less lethargic.
10. Laugh and smile. Recall happy memories or a good joke. If you can’t think of any, do it anyway (fake it till you make it) Some research is saying that even the thought of laughing raises your endorphin (feel-good hormones) levels and a fake laughter provides similar benefits to a real one.
11. Affirmative statements – Today is a great day. I will complete my report today. Stick positive messages around your monitor and take them seriously.
12. Choose to feel happy. If you don’t already know, being happy is a choice, so choose happiness!
13. Buy something new for Monday – it doesn’t have to be big or expensive – a pen, a sketchbook, fancy post-it stickers. Monday is like a birthday for me- I get a present for myself nearly every week. I got myself a sticker for $1 today.
14. Try something new - you’d be surprise how easy it is to feel energized by doing something you’ve never done before. A new dish, a new song, a new route to work.
15. Start working. The thing about work is, it’s usually not the work that makes us tired, it’s the thought of starting work that makes us procrastinate and go into a cycle of unproductivity. Quit thinking about starting work and just work instead!
16. Take short breaks – too much work can be overwhelming and when this happens, it is easy for you to give up. Remember to take short breaks to recharge. If your schedule allows it, you can also take a 10 minute nap after lunch.
17. Plan something special for Monday night – meet a friend for dinner, rent a DVD. The day will be easier when you have something to look forward to.
18. Do not get distracted. Youtube, Facebook, personal emails. Once you allow yourself to get distracted you will be sucked into hours of time-wasting activities. If you don’t have the discipline to limit your distraction to 10 minutes, don’t attempt to do it at all. Reading blogs like this is another time-sucker so now that you’ve reach the bottom of the list, why don’t you get working! :)

THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE MANY WAYS YOU CAN ENSURE YOU HAVE THE BEST DAY POSSIBLE.  OBVIOUSLY “LIFE” HAPPENS TO US ALL.  THERE ARE TIMES THAT WE ALL DON’T FEEL AT OUR BEST.  BUT REMEMBER TO CHOOSE YOUR ATTITUDE.  YOU HAVE THE POWER TO HAVE A GREAT DAY!!