TGI Monday: How to Start Every Week Positively
It must have been a slow day in the office. Back in 2005, the stalwart of statistics Gallup decided to quiz people about their favourite day of the week. To absolutely nobody’s surprise, Monday came in dead last, with 7 in 10 working adults calling it the worst.
Unfortunately, Mondays are here to stay. Fortunately, with a couple of little mood-boosting tricks, almost anyone can be made to love them:
Wear a Kick-Ass Outfit
Everyone feels fabulous when dressed up to the nines, and this mood-boost isn’t a figment of our shopaholic imagination. It turns out that you really are what you wear.
Putting on more formal clothing, for example, has been shown by several studies to enhance cognitive processing. And colour psychology is a real thing: wearing blue tends to make people better at creative tasks, and red clothing improves their skills at detail-orientated assignments.
Make Plans
Even if you love your job, the familiarity of it means you rarely look forward to getting up for it on Monday morning. So, organise something you will look forward to.
Whether it’s a dinner date at a cute new restaurant or catching up with some old friends, the anticipation of it will get you out of bed smiling!
Exercise
You might not want to hear it, but the evidence is too overwhelming to be ignored. Exercise is so good for you. It boosts your energy levels, it makes you smarter, and it’s so effective at making you happy that it’s used as a treatment for clinical depression.
Working out first thing on a Monday morning might sound hellish, but it’ll leave you feeling positive for the rest of the day. The trick is simply to find a type of exercise that you love.
Set a Mini-Goal
Achievement feels great. Aim to make progress on a personal goal each day and you’ll be happier for it.
Avoid ill-defined or over-ambitious goals (like “get fit” or “finish my novel”). Instead, pick one small, measurable goal that you could easily achieve by expending a little effort. (Think: “Attend Zumba class” or “write 10 pages of my novel”).
Small goals keep you on track, and soon add up to big ones!
Have a Morning Playlist
Music has such a significant impact on our psyche, that blasting some great tunes first thing on a Monday morning is certain to put you in a positive mood.
Make a playlist over the weekend of your favourite upbeat tracks, and play it while you’re getting ready for work. (Sleeping partner or roommate? That’s what wireless headphones are for!) Be sure to have a bit of a boogie as you do so – dancing makes us feel good and improves our creativity.
Turn Off Your Phone Alerts
Be honest with yourself: are you likely to receive any message on a Monday morning that will make you happy?
If the answer isn’t “yes, Idris Elba may text me”, then turn your phone off. Work emails and/or pestering messages from your mother can be dealt with later. Put aside this morning time for yourself, and make sure it’s free of negative and irksome distractions. Doing so will enable you to get into a positive headspace, meaning you can start work calm and ready to face the day.
Beth Leslie
Beth Leslie writes careers advice for Inspiring Interns, who specialise in matching candidates to their dream internship. Check out their graduate jobs listings for roles.
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Image credits:
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