6 Things To Do To Start Your Week Off Right

I think we’d all like to start our Monday morning off on the right foot rather than feeling unprepared, exhausted, and in need of an extra day off.

Dreaded Monday mornings come and go; the only thing we can do to make them better is to (slightly) prepare ahead of time so you are a step in the right direction when you wake up for work.

1. Make your ‘Monday To-Do’ list.

This does not have to be an exhaustive list of everything you need to get done on Monday. Help yourself out and give yourself a rough to-do list of things that you need to get done on Monday so you’re not totally lost when you wake up for work in the morning.

A sample to do list could look something like:

1. Email Claire proposal for ‘x’ job when I get in
2. Text back Mom about Thursday night dinner
3. Pick up dry cleaning after work
4. 6pm yoga class if I feel up for it
5. Check out Lululemon sale that ends today
6. 10 minutes of meditation
7. Remember to throw laundry in dryer

It doesn’t have to be detailed or scheduled, it can be made up of rough notes of things that you need to get done for the day so you’re not going in totally blind.

2. ‘Meal Prep’… just a little bit

This means something different for everyone. Maybe you head to the grocery store and pick up a big bottle of pre-made cold brew iced coffee and breakfast bars because you know you’re lazy in the morning and aren’t good about picking up breakfast. Know you have a big meeting to prep for when you get to work? Pre-make brown rice, sauté and onion, bell pepper, and some snap peas and grab a few soy sauce packets. You’re all set with a delicious lunch that you can pop in the microwave when you get to the office.

Having a few basics around the house helps you stress less when Monday rolls around. There’s nothing worse than waking up groggy and having absolutely no idea what you’re going to eat for the day. Ya sure, you can grab a Starbucks breakfast sandwich before you head to the office — but isn’t it nice not having to rely on that?

Head to the store and grab a few essentials (your eggs for the week, a few avocados, whatever it may be) and have at least a day and a half worth of meals thought out so you aren’t trying to feed yourself at 7pm after a long day at the office only to realize that you’re out of frozen pizzas and you don’t have eggs left to make breakfast for dinner. You’ll thank us later.

3. Make sure you have clean laundry for the next few days.

Waking up to realize that you have no clean underwear or socks or that you haven’t picked up your dry cleaning is a real buzz kill. Make sure you have at least a few days worth of clothes ready in case you don’t have time to do laundry mid-week. It will seriously help your stress levels.

4. Check your calendar.

Make sure you haven’t double booked yourself for the week and that you’re aware of big dates, deadlines, or functions. Having a bad hair day Monday morning is okay, unless you’re also got a huge presentation or review with your boss that same afternoon.

Good things to note include important work appointments, deadlines, important family time, date night, birthdays, the yoga class you’ve been trying to squeeze in, wine night with your best friend that you haven’t seen in two weeks, and that hair cut you’ve been needing for a month.

Balance your calendar with work, play, and chores. Having too much of one or another can throw things off balance! By checking ahead of time, you’ll know if you need to tweak your schedule ahead of time so you’re not switching things up last minute.

5. Do something for yourself & decompress.

Yes. You should book time for yourself on Sunday to relax, decompress, and do something enjoyable for yourself. This could mean reading 30 pages of the book that’s been sitting on your nightstand, waking up late and drinking coffee in bed, or going on a run with your dog. Just make sure you give yourself a little time do something that puts a smile on your face.

It’s so important to start the week off with a positive attitude and feel like you got the most out of your weekend. Sometimes we get caught up doing chores late night on Sunday and there’s nothing worse than waking up exhausted and feeling like you need another day off to sleep in and relax.

6. *Sort Of* Clean Up.

Your house doesn’t have to be immaculate. Do yourself a favor and clean up a little bit so you aren’t going to sleep Sunday feeling stressed about piles of laundry, dishes scattered around the kitchen, unopened mail, and clutter from a project you’ve been working on. Try to minimize mess as much as possible so you have a more relaxing living space to return to after work.