At the end of every work week, we have roughly 62 hours to prepare for the next one. That’s plenty of time to do laundry, prep meals, and give yourself a mental break before another week. But if you’re anything like me, you probably end up in a “mild” frenzy during the 8-hour countdown before the 7 AM Monday alarm goes off. Where did all the time go? Is it time to turn our clocks back an hour for daylight savings? How late is the grocery store open? All these questions and unfinished tasks make for a restless Sunday night sleep and a very difficult Monday morning. Aside from changing up the weekend time management strategy, there are many ways to avoid the Sunday night blues, bounce back from an unproductive weekend, and create a healthy path for a successful week.
Goodbye Sunday Blues!
The fun of the weekend might be coming to a close, but don’t worry, because after five days of work you will be granted another 62 hours of weekend time. Beating the Sunday blues is easier said than done though, so here are a few ways to combat this feeling without tapping into too much relaxation time.
- Avoid the Friday 5 O’clock Dash – When the work week finally ends on Friday afternoon, we normally want to make a mad dash for the door, but this is actually the main reason behind the Sunday blues! By spending a few extra minutes in the office tidying up our work areas, it will make Monday easier because we will have an idea of where we left off with our tasks.
- Spend Time with Friends & Family – After the hustle and bustle of the work week, it can be very refreshing just to go out to dinner, grab a quick cup of coffee, or have game night with friends and family. Creating a habit of connecting with people helps reduce stress and generates feelings of fulfillment over how we spend our weekend time.
- Schedule a Fun Sunday Afternoon Activity – Even if it is just watching the new episode of your favorite TV show or calling an old friend, filling in your time with an activity you look forward to will help alleviate some of those Sunday blues!
Hello Monday Morning!
Coming back to office Monday morning is hard. We understand, because IT guys never sleep. But for the rest of us, there are many ways to bounce back into the daily grind and set ourselves up for a successful work week.
- Minimize Distractions – Now this may seem obvious, but productivity turns into procrastination really quickly when we become distracted. In order to reduce the amount of time unintentionally wasted, we can temporarily block websites, close our office doors (during focus time), or just invest in some noise cancelling headphones.
- Start Off Easy, and Immediately – Getting out of bed Monday morning is difficult enough, let’s start off right away with an easy to-do. We know that great feeling of crossing a task off our to-do list! Accomplishing a smaller task and crossing it off the never-ending list can be just the confidence booster to kick off the rest of the day or week.
- Check-In with Your Emotions – If a task has become monotonous or frustrating, we sometimes run ourselves ragged doing whatever we can to just get it done. Every hour or so it is important to do a simple self-check-in to address whatever needs you may have. We don’t realize we may be fatigued, thirsty, or hungry until we take a minute to listen to our body and mind.
- Create Realistic Weekly Goals – Setting goals for ourselves or for our work can help steer us in a productive direction right away. For those of you like myself, I like to have a visual, written goal for each new week. It doesn’t have to be complicated, and, heck, it could just be to make it to Friday!
- Treat Your Time Like You Want Others To – Not all of us are morning people. Just like, not all of us are night people. By using our time smarter, we actually end up with more sleep time. Meal prepping, setting out clothes for work, or getting the coffee maker ready are all small tasks that we can draw out by trying to accomplish them early in the morning, which works great if you are a morning person. If not, then its easier to do them the night before, and you might even sleep more peacefully.
Earning that Weekend, Owning that Weekend
At the end of the week, it is beneficial to reflect on all that was accomplished and what still needs some further TLC (tender loving care). Weekends don’t have to be something we’re sad about every Sunday afternoon, but rather a reward, recharge, or relaxation that we look forward to after a successful week, every week.
Images Courtesey of Pixabay
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