What is it with weekends always flying by? We wake up on a Saturday, lie in for a cheeky half hour longer, only to blink and find it’s Sunday evening! Then the dreaded countdown to Monday morning begins, marking a new week looming over us. It’s then you suddenly realise you’ve done none of the tasks you promised you’d complete and it now has to be carried over to the mountain of memos you quietly ignored.
For many of us, conquering this mountain always seems just as overwhelming as seeing the first day of the week through, but it doesn’t have to be like this. Here are five simple things we recommend doing before the week kicks off to make sure ‘Manic Monday’s’ become a thing of the past.
#1 Make it a goal-oriented week
Whether it’s cooking a new meal or sorting through items to donate or sell online, setting yourself something to achieve is an excellent way of getting you out of your comfort zone. Lifestyle and wellbeing blogger Rosalilium says self-limiting beliefs is what prevents people from achieving their dreams, resulting in you being discouraged from trying new things. She also advises to keep a list of your completed goals and treating yourself every time you achieve them, whether it be buying a new book or a candlelit bath with all the lotions and potions. These little moments of self-love will give you a huge confidence boost, prevent self-doubting thoughts from creeping up again in the future.
#2 Don’t Hit the Snooze Button BUT Meditate
I know I’m guilty of this one at least once or twice a week. Rosalilium believes meditation is a much healthier way to start your mornings off than to the sound of an alarm. After 20 years of practicing, this has become an essential part of her daily routine along with a booming increase of 13% of Brits practicing spiritual growth in 2017. Meditating has scientifically been proven to reduce anxiety, improve sleep and help with chronic pain. Downloading the app Mindworks: Guided Meditation offers a range of classes at different levels for those who need a gentle easing to feeling refreshed after rising for an early day.
#3 Sunday is the day to plan
As they say fail to plan, plan to fail. Leaving it till Monday to start organising your tasks for the week will only leave you putting things off or forgetting all together, tasks which you know deep down take minutes to finish. By setting your agenda on a Sunday marking everything clearly in black and white in a diary for the new week will give you enough time to create a clear structure and a routine to follow through. You’ll sleep much easier knowing not having to worry about attending that lunch meeting and doing your Thursday evening spinning classes. Plus, you won’t feel as guilty next time you go out for a spontaneous evening with the girls when the weekend rolls around.
#4 Bring on the funky music
Although breakfast is the most important meal of the day, waking up listening to your favourite songs whilst getting ready will have you pumped for the week ahead. A survey conducted by One Poll in 2017 revealed 27% of people never felt properly relaxed when traveling, whilst 66% of people said listening to their own music helped lift their mood and keep them relaxed. So have your headphones packed and your playlist downloaded on Sunday evening and be excited to conduct your mini concert whilst commuting to work. You’ll soon be feeling Easy Like Sunday Morning whilst working 9 till 5.
#5 Tune In and Get Inspired
Most weeks tend to start off sluggish, so getting yourself into the right mindset of pushing through the daily grind is often tough to overcome. Listening to podcasts or watching YouTube videos of people offering encouraging words and tips, to improve, relax or reassure yourself, is an excellent form of T.L.C. Corrie Jones’ podcast Self Made Women is the latest channel to successfully take off this year. With new episodes released every Sunday, preparing for the morning rush hour will seem like a breeze after hearing Corrie interview the most inspirational women in business today, even For Working Ladies’ Chief Editor Elizabeth, has had the honour of being a guest in a recent episode. Also, renowned influential videos by Ted Talks provides excellent advice for those seeking answers to soul searching questions from relationships and global issues to health and lifestyle.
Planning on having a good week? Let me know about it in the comment section
Written by Hannah Hastings
