How to Love Mondays

Photo by gragsie. 

If you’d told me 6 months ago that I’d love Mondays–that they might even be my favorite day of the week–I would have said you were crazy.   For good reason, too–I’ve hated Mondays for my entire life.

Here’s what’s wrong with Mondays…or what was wrong:

1.  The weekends are never long enough.  I hate going to bed on Sunday night and thinking of all the things I didn’t get finished or even started.  How many times have I run into someone in the elevator on Monday morning, five minutes before hitting the threshold of my office, and heard, “How was your weekend?” and the resulting response, “Not long enough.”  No matter how much work I finish on Saturday and Sunday or what a great time I have with family or friends, I need a little extra me-time and by Sunday evening, I’m only just beginning to unwind.

2.  The work environment is always so tense on Monday mornings.  Everyone seems extra stressed.  Maybe a little hung-over, too, or even sore from the weekend athletics or hot sex.  They have to launch themselves back into work, they don’t want to be there, and they can’t keep their mind on the job.  They’re irritable, depressed, sleepy, unhappy.   Why?  Most overstressed, overworked people play catch-up with their sleep on the weekends and that makes their bodies and minds not want to function on Monday until their new wake-up time.

3.  The work environment is generally unproductive on Monday mornings.  All those little social butterflies, flitting (or drooping, as applicable) around and chatting about each others’ weekends?  And then the inevitable gossip.  Who was out with whom.  What did you think of the movie.  It takes hours to get people away from the water cooler and back to anything remotely focused on the job so you can leave work at a decent hour.

If you had asked me 6 months go what I could do to make Mondays better, I would have said, “Stay home.”   Yes, it’s somewhat of a strategy of  avoidance–I wouldn’t have to be around all those sleepy, sore, hungover colleagues radiating unhappiness, anger, and irritability in my direction and frustrating me with their lack of attention to the job.  Bad enough if I’m that way, but do I have to endure it thousands of times over from everyone around me?    But the other idea behind ”staying home” is that I want a little extra me-time, even if it’s spent working on home projects or just clearning.  It’s an inward focus and a time to replenish my personal well.  I also don’t have to spend my gas money one day a week, and that’s a nice little extra!

My employer offers a flexible work schedule, so I work longer hours but get every other Monday off.  On my non-off Mondays, I often have a holiday or take a vacation day and include any scheduled visits from repairmen or other appointments on that day.  Almost everyone else takes Fridays off so my Fridays are quieter and very productive.  I almost always finish my work early because I have fewer interruptions.   Tuesdays through Thursdays are full speed ahead but Fridays come quickly and I luxuriate in my Mondays.

Today, I’m enjoying the beautiful spring weather outside with the windows up and the breezes blowing through.  I’m gardening, writing, taking care of 2 repairmen’s visits and a visit from a cleanup service, listening to audiobooks, working out a deal with a new Virtual Assistant, finishing a project in the dining room, enjoying a long walk–and it’s not even noon yet.  

I am having a delightful Monday–and that’s the best way to start the week.