Tips for surviving Monday mornings from The Happiness Project

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I’m a big fan of Gretchen Ruben and her Happiness Project blog and website (I’m sure I’d be a fan of the book, too, if it were available in South Africa). I share her belief that there are many ways we can improve our happiness, I admire how hard she works to help other people get happier, and I think she has some fantastic ideas.

One of her recent posts was “Five tips for improving Monday mornings,” and in honor of it being Monday morning right now, I thought I’d pass along the link. The ‘Monday morning mood’ can strike any time, really - it’s shorthand for not wanting to do what’s required of you, like going to work or school after a few days’ break. This used to be true for me, when I didn’t like my job or had a huge project that required intense energy and focus. It’s also often true of my son, who enjoys the creative free time he gets on weekends compared to the structure and rigor of his week at high school.

I especially like a couple of Gretchen’s tips for improving the times when you feel you have to do something tough:

• Pay attention to your personal rhythms - are certain times of the day or week harder for you? Being aware is the first step to making positive changes. For you it might be Monday mornings. For me, it’s the mid-afternoon slump.
• Shuffle the schedule - do the hard stuff when your energy is up and the less-taxing things when you’re in the doldrums. So on Monday mornings, for instance, go through our emails or do some other task that needs to be done but doesn’t require as much focus and enthusiasm.
• Look forward to something - if you can, build in something that makes Monday mornings enjoyable, like breakfast with a friend. If, like my son, you don’t have much creative license over your Monday mornings, schedule your treat (for him it could be a bass guitar lesson) for later in the day - then at least you have something to look forward to.

These days, I’m walking my life-and-career-coach talk and actually relish Monday mornings because I love my work, and I enjoy the peace of being in my office and able to write after the hustle and bustle of the weekends (which I also enjoy).

How about you? How do you feel about Monday mornings? What can you do to feel better about them? I’d love to hear from you.

Kristen Carter on Twitter

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