Monday, December 28, 2009

20 Solutions To Beat Monday Blues

Let's give some solutions, make it 20 solutions to beat the Monday Blues. Ready? Let's go!

1) Early start - bad things happen when you are late, the tension level is high, you are in a rush, you don’t have time for breakfast, when you arrive at your office, people are shoving work into your face. It may seem like a punishment to wake up earlier on Monday but trust me, when you have enough time to organize yourself, you’ll feel like you can conquer the day easier.


2) Wear your best clothes or the cheeriest colour from your wardrobe. You’d be surprise how much your clothes could affect the way you feel about yourself. I guess this is extremely true. Refrain from wearing blue for obvious reasons.

3) Feeling the blues can be later. Is a gloomy cloud forming above your head? Ignore it - you’ll give your attention to it later, not now.

4) Treat yourself like the king in the morning - Sit down and eat. Enjoy your food. Eat well - although it’s ok to treat yourself, make sure you eat well. Have enough to drink too. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

5) Have a list of why you’re having the blues - you might be surprised that there will be things on the list that you can easily work on to make your Mondays better. My problem used to be wondering what I need to do for the week. It's because of this small things that make you feel the blues.

6) Complete as much work possible on Friday - you’ll have less work to worry about on Monday, which lead to the next point:

7) Have everything laid out the day before - your clothes, files, etc. Saves you a couple of minutes in the morning so that you can concentrate on other, more important things or urgent matters (like going to the toilet).

8) Plan your day in small gentle steps. Infact, I suggest you to plan your Monday before the start of the week, let's say on Saturday or Sunday. You just need to take a couple of minutes to plan for your week.

9) Talk to a friend - it’s most likely he/she is having the blues too. Keep your conversation short. Talk about the positive stuffs that you'll like to do for the week.

10) Laugh and smile and greet someone. Recall happy memories or a good joke. If you can’t think of any, do it anyway (fake it till you make it) Some research is saying that even the thought of laughing raises your endorphin (feel-good hormones) levels and a fake laughter provides similar benefits to a real one. Or do a good deed like giving up your seat to those that need the seat more than you do.

11) Affirmative statements - Today is a great day!! I will complete my report today. Stick positive messages around your notebook or diary and take them seriously.

12) Choose to feel happy. If you don’t already know, being happy is a choice, so choose happiness! No one wants to choose sadness!

13) Buy something new for Monday - it doesn’t have to be big or expensive - a pen, a sketchbook, fancy post-it stickers.

14) Try something new - you’d be surprise how easy it is to feel energized by doing something you’ve never done before. A new dish, a new song, a new route to work, a new puzzle, try to beat your personal timing when you're working.

15) Start working. The thing about work is, it’s usually not the work that makes us tired, it’s the thought of starting work that makes us procrastinate and go into a cycle of unproductivity. Quit thinking about starting work and just work instead!

16) Take short breaks - too much work can be overwhelming and when this happens, it is easy for you to give up. Remember to take short breaks to recharge. If your schedule allows it, you can also take a 10 minute nap after lunch.

17) Plan something special for Monday after work - meet your girlfriend or boyfriend or friend for dinner. The day will be easier when you have something to look forward to. It helps alot, especially for my other half. :)

18) Dance - just move that body! Jog in place, stretch, do yoga, moonwalk. You’ll feel less lethargic.

19) Listen to happy songs - a tune can affect your mood. Let cheery, happy songs be the soundtrack to your Monday. I'll include this on my next "Motivation Mondays with Zul"

20) Do not get distracted. Youtube, Facebook, personal emails. Once you allow yourself to get distracted you will be sucked into hours of time-wasting activities. If you don’t have the discipline to limit your distraction to 10 minutes, don’t attempt to do it at all. Actually after reading this blog, it's already 10 minutes my friend. So now that you’ve reach the bottom of the list, why don’t you get working!

I hope those tips helps. So let's change Monday Blues to Motivating Monday can? :)

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