Modifying your Monday mindset for success

Hello Monday! My goodness how the word Monday evokes a plethora of responses from people. What is your usual response?

Are you a

1. I hate Monday's person

2. Lets get into it Monday person or

3. Is it Monday already person?

Hopefully you are a number 2 type Monday person, but if you are not there are ways to get there. If you can train your brain to feel Mondays are great, your whole week will have a positive flow and vibe. Now don't get me wrong, I am no hippy. I believe in hard work and blood sweat and tears. However, I think it is important for you and your business to have a positive Monday vibe for a few reasons;

1. Getting into Monday and getting started is the hardest part of the week.

2. Procrastination on Monday can effect the rest of the week and your productivity.

3. Your mindset towards Monday effects the work you produce and can effect the people you meet and deal with that day.

4. If you have a team, they will be guided by your response to Mondays and you really want it to be a positive one.

So, how do we get to that positive mindset for Monday? How do you get to that space in your mind where all you want to do is get into work and get started. Here are some ideas that have worked for me.

Step 1: Planning on Sunday.

Some people hate Mondays because they are stressed first thing in the morning, with ironing clothes, finding socks, checking diaries to see what meeting they have and running around putting out fires straight off the bat. I used to be one of these people until I realised as a single Mum with three kids I needed a plan.

So to plan I sit down in a relaxed state listening to my fav music and sipping a cup of tea. I have my work diary, kids diary and my weekly planner that sits on the fridge. I then write down on the weekly planner that both the kids and I can see every day. Once I have put in all the events and activities for the week into the planner, I check to see if things need to be put in school bags the night before or if I need to be prepared for a meeting or call. Just mentally knowing what is coming up that week, keeps me feeling like I have a handle on things, even if it is a crazy week. It takes some of the stress out. I also plan the meals for the week and try to do my online shopping and get it delivered Monday. That way no last minute dramas for dinner that night.

Step 2: Create a Monday morning ritual with something you love.

Another way I have tried to create a positive Monday feeling is to give myself something to look forward to on Monday morning. Think about some possible activities you could do yourself or with your children and schedule it in for Monday. This gives you a reason to love Monday. I go for a morning adventure run/scoot/walk with my daughters. We look forward to it every week. Because it is on the Monday, it makes Monday not as dirtier a word then it use to be.

What activity could you put into your Monday morning and afternoon that would make you feel a little more motivated about Mondays. Do you have a favourite cafe you could go to just on Mondays? Do you have a fun family activity you can do in the morning or afternoon? Could you make it your movie night or fav tv show night? Or your fav dinner night?

Step 3: Affirmations or Music

I do think it is a big ask for humans to get up in the morning and be super pumped and positive the second your feet hit the floor. However I have a few cheats you can use first thing in the morning. Some people like to do positive affirmations to try and convince the brain and themselves.

Most positive affirmation recommendations are for people to stand in front of a mirror and say over and over again "Today is going to be a good day" or "I am a success" or whatever it is you need to train yourself to think. I however find if I say it a few times to myself while I have a shower, or whilst I am brushing my teeth it seems to have the same effect.

What works even better for me is my happy music playlist. Every time I hear a song on the radio or on tv that instantly makes me want to jump up and dance or I can't help but tap my feet and sing along to I add it to my playlist. These songs are perfect to get me and my kids into a positive mood on Monday morning. Some days if I forget to put the playlist on, I really notice the difference in the children and myself for the morning. So even now the children remind me in the morning to put the happy music on. It sounds silly, but I really think it makes a difference.

Step 4: Make contact with someone important to you

A lovely Monday ritual that I also like to do is use Monday as a reminder to send love and thanks to someone important to me. I try every Monday to write a email of thanks, or a call to touch base to someone that really matters to me. Either in business or in your personal life, the feeling you get from sharing this thankfulness with another human being can really uplift you for the rest of the day. In turn, the recipient of this thank you message or checking in call will also have a happy uplifted feeling on their Monday.

Step 5: Set a goal and a reward.

If you have a chance on Sunday during the planning phase in step one, or a short moment Monday morning when you first get into work, create yourself an achievable small goal and a reward. Think of one small task that you really need done and then think of a reward you will allow yourself once it is complete. Sometimes small achievable mini goals can really set you off for the rest of the day. The feeling of accomplishing something first thing Monday morning really puts a spring in my step. The reward will help motivate you to get that first thing done on a Monday morning. However if you do this, you will notice the rest of Monday will run smoothly as you will now be in goal achieving mode and that is a great space to be in on a Monday morning.

Step 6: Avoid negative talk and vibes

Lastly, but a little harder to do, is to avoid negative Monday talk. If you have social media that pops up on your screen as you struggle to face Monday that screams at you "I hate Mondays" or "is it Monday already", try hard to avoid it. If you have a work colleague or a friend who wants to complain to you about how hard Monday is and how they wish it was the weekend, be supportive but try flip it to a positive and then excuse yourself from the conversation.

Negative vibes spread like a virus. I've seen it when I was a school teacher and I saw it as an owner of a business. If one member starts to be negative about something, it can really infect everyone. You need to be careful or before you know it, the whole room is negative.

Although it might not be your place to try change everyone's attitudes about Monday, a quick joke, or a refocus onto the day's goals with the reminder of the reward may change their attitudes and in turn keep you safe from catching that negative vibe.

Step 7: Try and do what you love for a living

Monday will always be the start of the week and it will always be the ugly step sister of Sunday. But if you are doing what you love, Mondays can be super exciting. Creating your dream brand is never dull.