How to Fix Monday Mindset

Monday mindset is very often not a happy and positive one. Mondays tend to be the least favorite days of the week. The weekend just ended and we have to get back to our regular responsibilities full of work assignments, dinner prep, kid’s homework, and million of other things. But there are definitely some things we can do to make our transition from Sunday to Monday much easier.

MONDAY MINDSET STARTS WITH WEEKEND PREP

The very first thing that we need to start doing to fix our Monday mindset is a weekend prep. As a working mom, I like to set myself up for success for the upcoming week by getting some things done on the weekend. The specifics on what needs to be done is really up to you. But they tend to fall into the categories of food prep, cleaning, grocery shopping, and planning.

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Think about all the things that are taking a lot of your time during the busy workdays and decide what can you do on the weekend to make it easier for yourself. For example, for a lot of working moms making dinner is the most stressful and time consuming task. Once you get home from work, the household is usually very chaotic. There is homework to be done, after school activities to attend, and a million things to put away that just piled up when everyone got home.

And if on top of that you don’t know what you are making for dinner nor if you have any necessary ingredients, you will get stressed and overwhelmed. But if you did some of the prep work on the weekend, a lot of that stress would be eliminated. Think about coming home knowing exactly what is on the menu for the night and having some of the food already prepped and ready to go. Wouldn’t that make for a happy Monday? ‘

Here is an example of my weekend:

 

Make the change

Start dedicating some time on the weekends to making those changes and get ready for the week ahead. Make a list for yourself of what things you would like to do to ensure less stress during the week. You can also get the free printable down below of the list that I use on the weekends.

And keep in mind that we are not going for perfection here. Some weekends I get to everything on the list, some weeks not so much. Cleaning the living room might mean dusting, vacuuming, and mopping one weekend, while another it consists of picking up all the clutter laying around. It really depends on what you have going on on the weekends. But that list helps me get ready for the week ahead. And feeling ready for the week ahead definitely makes for a positive Monday mindset.

MONDAY MINDSET STARTS ON SUNDAY

Besides doing your weekend prep, you also need to find time to relax, unwind, and spend time with your loved ones. Maybe you have special family traditions on Sundays. It could be going to church to feed your soul, spending a lazy afternoon at home playing and talking, an outing to a local park, or going out for dessert to a local ice cream shop.

Fun day-Sunday as they call it will really fill you cup when it comes to family time. Weekdays are usually very busy and don’t allow for a lot of free time. So we want to take advantage of it on the weekends. That way we don’t start feeling the mom quilt as soon as we open our eyes on Monday. Because we know that we just made some new memories over the weekend.

RELATED: Find More Family Time as a Working Mom

ME TIME IS JUST AS IMPORTANT

This is the area that we tend to put on the back burner because we just don’t have time. There are so many other things that need to be done! Of course, we enjoy self care or spending time enjoying our hobby. But we struggle with finding the time.

Here is the thing. We must block some time on our calendars just for that. It can be after kids go to bed when you enjoy a bubble bath or a glass of wine a movie. It might be a couple of hours Saturday morning when you go get your nails done or go for a long walk in the park. Or it might even be getting up early and spending some time drinking coffee and reading a book.

It doesn’t really matter what you do and when you do it. What matters is that you take some time for yourself. This is absolutely critical for your mental well being. And it will allow you to re-charge and have a happy Monday. Remember, when you are happier, everyone else around you will be happier as well.

RELATED: 7 Simple Ways to Self-Care

HAVE SOMETHING FUN PLANNED ON MONDAY

Another thing that you can do to have a positive Monday mindset is to create a small tradition for your Mondays. Something to look forward to. It could be getting a cup of coffee each Monday morning from your favorite coffee shop. It could be a lunch date with your friend or watching an episode of your favorite show on Monday evening.

You can also make Monday your leftover days so you don’t have to cook dinner that night. Or have Monday be your laundry free day or the day you go with kids to a neighborhood playground after work and school.

Be creative! Pick something that you will enjoy and start doing it every week. When you have something to look forward to each Monday, you will start having a positive mindset towards the week ahead.

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FIND FULFILLMENT IN WHAT YOU DO

If after implementing all the tips above, you still dread Mondays and don’t want your weekends to end, it’s time to start digging a little deeper. Start asking yourself, what is the problem? Why don’t I like Mondays?

Because chances are that you are not feeling fulfilled. There is something missing in your life. Something feels out of balance. And you need to determine what that is in order to make improvements. If you want some help determining what is out of balance and what is causing you to feel unfulfilled, I recommend checking out the Life Balance Workbook. It has an assessment of each area of your life to help you determine where to get started.

RELATED: Simple Self-Improvement Tips for 2020

My example

Because I will tell you that I used to be that person who did not like Mondays at all. Every Sunday was like a count down to how many more hours until I have to go back to work. And it’s not that I did not like my job, because I really enjoyed it. But I felt like Mondays were the end of fun weekend. Weekend where I could have fun or just do nothing, And Mondays meant that I had to gather all my energy and be very productive for the next five days. Until the next weekend.

RELATED: Find Fulfillment as Working Moms

For me that changed about two years ago. That is when I started making changes in my life. For me it started with incorporating exercise into my routine and that followed with my journey of personal development. Which ultimately led to the Imperfect Life Balance blog and YouTube channel. I basically discovered some missing pieces in my life. And once I started putting them together, everything changed about my Monday attitude.

My mindset has completely shifted from dreading Mondays to looking forward to them. Because I know that I get to do some things every day that I truly enjoy. There are still plenty of other responsibilities and tasks at work that I might not enjoy as much, but having them intertwined with the things you love make all the difference.

YOUR TURN

What tips or tricks do you have for a happy start of the week? What changes have you implemented to change your mindset about Mondays?