How to have a productive Monday and start your week feeling positive

I am a firm believer that Monday can determine your mood for the rest of the week, not to say the week can’t change, but generally, if I have a strong, positive Monday, I’m setting myself up for a good week. I like to think of myself as a positive person so I always try and start my Monday with a positive attitude (where I can) and try to get as much done as possible to have a productive start to my week.

Positive reinforcements and mantras

When I wake up on a Monday I really try and fill myself with positive messages of encouragement and motivation. I may do this by repeating a few mantras the night before, such as ‘I will have a productive Monday’, ‘I will get all my things done tomorrow’, ‘this will be a good week’. Honestly, I don’t know if this makes any difference, but it doesn’t hurt and also means I either go to bed or start my day with a positive mindset. Even if it’s not how I’m feeling right there and then, it still enforced productivity if it’s the first thing I think about in the morning and the last thing I think about at night.

Something I have been trying to do more of is journaling positive thoughts for the day. I’m not quite into the habit of doing this daily yet but the idea is to look on your day reflectively and positively and use a journal to note down these moments. It’s good for reflection but also to train your brain to see the positive side to things as well.

Preparing for Monday

Prepping for Monday can seem like a pointless chore on a Sunday night, but you’ll be thankful for it in the morning. This could be in the form of getting out your clothes, planning your meals, writing down your tasks for the day/week, going through your emails. Helping your Monday self to better cope with the week will ease the burden when you wake up on Monday, allow you to start the week with a clear mind and allow you to fall asleep on Sunday night with as little to worry about for Monday as possible.

Utilise your to-do lists

I honestly don’t know where I’d be without to-do lists, I am a huge advocate for them! I often have so many things floating about in my brain that it’s easy to forget things or just feel overwhelmed by the sheer mass of tasks. By putting these tasks down on paper I am freeing my mind of the pressure to remember everything and also making sure I have an organised plan for the week. I tend to plan by looking at my week as a whole and what needs to be done when. I then create a weekly to-do list with priority tasks. I like to-do lists because I know once I have ticked everything off for a certain day, I’m free to enjoy my day without the stress and worry that I’m procrastinating and ignoring things that need to be done.

Find your motivation

At the heart of everything we do is some form of motivation. If we’re running away from a lion the motivation is we don’t want to get eaten, if we’re going for a run the motivation is to be healthy and fit. So find the motivation for your day, be it working a full day to pay for your lifestyle, blogging to fuel your passions or whatever your cause for the day is. Sometimes we need reminders of our own motivation to push us through the day and that’s fine, it doesn’t mean we’ve given up, we just need a little push. So make sure you find your motivation and allow it to drive you through Monday and into the week ahead!

Give yourself something to look forward to

Monday’s don’t have to be the worst day of the week, they can be a goal to achieve, a day to be productive and get stuff done. They’re the start of another week and by starting a Monday thinking it’s going to be a drag, you’ll probably make it one. So at the start of your week, give yourself something to look forward to. Maybe that’s a day out at the weekend or a meal out mid-week or a sweet treat. Knowing you have something coming up that you’re excited about will help to push you through the week and keep you motivated and smiling.

I really hope these tips can offer you some positivity to start your weeks and enjoy them as best as you can. I know life can be tough, but we have to try and give ourselves the best shot we have at smiling.  

plan it