Yes, Mondays Are That Bad: 3 Ways To Make Them Better

12 Apr Yes, Mondays Are That Bad: 3 Ways To Make Them Better

There are days when we all feel like Garfield and would prefer to stay in bed (maybe eating lasagna) when Monday rolls around. It’s a relatable lament for a reason! 

But there are ways to make Mondays a little less gloomy and a little more productive, if not exactly palatable. 

Here are three ways to deal with the Monday blahs. 

• Ease into the work week. If you want to ease the Sunday Scaries and help the Monday morning stress subside a little, don’t schedule meetings within the first few hours of Monday morning. Let people come in, get their coffee, chat with their colleagues about their weekends. Let them take their time getting set up and settled in and readjusted to a working mindset. If the business day starts at 8 a.m., don’t schedule any meetings, even check-ins, until at least 10 a.m. That way, by the time the meeting starts, people will be ready to go instead of feeling rushed or unsettled. 

• Switch up the routine. Most “company fun” activities are established practices on Fridays, but there are no rules saying these things can only happen at the end of the week. If you allow dress-down Fridays, consider changing that to a Monday, either every week or once in a while. If you host company happy hours on Fridays, maybe move them to Mondays. Any little fun activity that can brighten your team’s spirits and lift their mood can be scheduled for a Monday instead of a Friday! Give people a little break to get into a work mode and see how much it relieves those gloomy days. 

• Have time to reset together. Start the week with a status update. Get your team together — not first thing in the morning, of course — for a brief update on the big projects of the week. Use this meeting as a time to bring everyone up to speed and touch base on the week’s top priorities so everyone can be on the same page from the get-go. If something new has been added, this is a great opportunity for you as a leader to readjust what’s on people’s plates as needed and make sure everyone has a clear understanding of what they’re working to accomplish in the week ahead. Then everyone can head back to their responsibilities focused and ready to have a great week. 

Monday won’t become everyone’s favorite day of the week but it can be a little less painful, a little less stress-inducing and a little more comfortable. It takes a little creativity and might require some management of expectations, but it’ll benefit your whole team as a result. 

If you’re looking to add to your team, or want other ideas for making Mondays less stressful, contact LeadingEdge Personnel. Our recruiters are ready to introduce you to some great candidates that can help alleviate your team’s workload while also providing a little boost to the team’s morale! Call LeadingEdge today and let’s get started.