How to Jumpstart Your Workweek
While Mondays may never be easy or enjoyable, these tips will help you maximize and prepare for a successful week.
By Sarah Haselkorn •
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Getting back to the grind is never easy. While many of us work weekends, there's just something about Mondays that is inherently overwhelming. But Monday is also the day of opportunity, a time to recap last week's progress and lay out how you plan to dominate over the several days to come.
Follow these tips to reduce the slump, and to make the most of the most important day of the week:
Plan.
Dedicate a short but productive set of time to strategize, delegate and divide tasks. Each team member should walk away with a clear set of expectations and an understanding of why those contributions are important. In addition, prioritize all tasks and tackle them consecutively -- don't toggle back and forth. Start at the top and work your way down one by one. Maintaining focus helps increase your efficiency, while multi-tasking can quickly decrease your productivity.
Related: 4 Ways to Keep Employees Motivated and Productive
Consider the time.
Remember that Monday is Monday for everyone. People are grumpy, tired and are probably also using the day to plan out their weeks. Potential clients and customers are catching up and digging themselves out of piles of emails. Don't send emails at 9 am or they might not ever get seen. Line up all your emails to be sent Monday evening or Tuesday morning. Tools like Boomerang for Gmail can help you plan that out without monitoring your computer.
Related: 11 Beliefs Ultra-Productive Entrepreneurs Share About Time Management And Business
Stay relaxed.
Returning from a weekend off can be a shock to the body and brain. Start your day off right and practice a few routines to keep your Mondays in check. Jumpstart your morning with a workout to get your blood flowing, or at the very least enjoy some coffee and industry news to get your brain in action before diving into work. Soak up some vitamin D during a few brisk walks around the block during the day. You can even turn one of your Monday meetings into a walking meeting to accomplish two things at once.
Achieve one big task.
Aim to tackle and complete one major item on your to-do list. You have the benefit of fewer distractions while others get back into the grind, and you'll feel more accomplished and productive moving into the rest of the week. Try to get something done that you've been putting off for a while, or focus on something that will have an instrumental impact on your business that week. While others are grinding through the misery of Monday, you will be catapulting your business forward.
Mondays may never be easy or enjoyable, but with some effort they can become manageable and productive. These tips will help you maximize your Mondays and prepare for a successful week.
