How to cope with Monday Mornings

It's Sunday afternoon. You've had a great weekend with your mates and your family are round for tea. Before you know it, dinner is over, your family have left and you're jumping into bed getting ready for another week at work.

Great. Another week at work. Another 5 days dealing with your monotone boss and looking after the junior staff members who seem intent on doing as little as possible.

We've all been there. Even as I write this, I'm trying to deal with the fact that in 11 hours time I'm going to get up, iron my shirt and head into the office.

If you're like the millions out there that suffer the Monday morning work blues then this article. Here are a few tips to help you start the week on the right foot.

Are you going to eat breakfast tomorrow?

If you're anything like me then you've skipped breakfast all weekend because you've slept in until it's more appropriate to get up and have some lunch, not breakfast.

Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the deal. It gives your body the much needed top up it craves after getting you through hours and hours of sleep. Waking up and heading into work Monday morning without breakfast is going to leave you lethargic, hungry and generally not in the state for working. Whether it's fruit, cereal, toast or eggs - breakfast is an important part of starting your week in the right way.

Plan your week ...

I'm sure you've heard someone tell you not to take your work home with you - and I completely agree. Work should left in the office, no exceptions.

But when it comes to the doom and gloom of Sunday night, it helps to plan things in your head before you hit the hay for the night. Plan the shirt your going to wear over the next few days. What are you going to have for lunch? Plan a few days ahead and tidy up your bag or briefcase for the week ahead.

Why? Getting a few of the simple things ready, like clothes and lunch, will really help you get on top of things early. If you wake up Monday morning and your lunch and shirt ready to go, you'll feel efficient and ready to take on whatever work throws at you.

Leaving it all till Monday morning will have you running round the house looking for things, when you should be calmly heading off to work. Don't start the week stressing about what you're going to wear or where your keys are when you can get those things ready Sunday night.

There's no doubt that you'd rather do anything else on Sunday night, but it's well worth the 5 minutes to start the week off in the right way.

A tidy desk means a tidy mind

No matter what kind of week you've had - bad or good - try to leave a clean desk when you rush out of the office on Friday afternoon.

If you leave the reports, notes and general clutter lying round then you'll walk in on Monday morning and feel exactly the same way you did Friday afternoon when you couldn't wait to leave it all behind.

A clean desk Monday morning means a clean start to the week, and that will do wonders in helping you get on with it.

Ready, Set, Go ....

Monday morning is all about a new week, and a new chance to do a great job.

So once you've had your hearty breakfast, and made it into to work to your clean desk, stay in the moment by preparing yourself for the week. Get a coffee or tea, and set yourself up for hitting the ground running.

Pens ready? Do you know what meetings you have coming up? Are you ready for the catch-up meeting with your boss?

Start Monday as if the office revolves around you. That is, understand what you're doing, what you need to do and what projects need to be finished that week. Worrying about other people can wait for a few minutes whilst you take the time to be prepared.

The little extras

What's the best part about the weekend and time away from the office? Is it your family/friends? Vacations?

Whatever it is, it's worth bringing in some small bits of memorabilia to have on your desk. You could bring in some photos of family and friends, a souvenir from your latest trip or something else that reminds of the fun times away from work.

Why would you want to be reminded about life outside work? If you have photos or other bits of memorabilia on your desk then you'll feel more comfortable arriving at work on a Monday after the weekend. You spend a lot of time at your desk or place of work so it really helps to make it individual to you. Arriving at work to a clinical looking desk with nothing of individual importance just emphasizes the fact that you are at work.

You want to try to make your desk as comfortable as possible. Put in a plant to calm down the environment a little bit. Pin up a picture of your family or your friends on a night out. Bring in some pictures your children drew or a little souvenir from your latest trip abroad.

The little extras will help Monday morning when you come into a clean with all the extras that make you - you.

Monday Morning Meetings ... no thanks

If you're a busy person then this may be a tough one but definitely worth a bit of thought. If you're following the tips so far then you can see that Monday's are all about preparation and heading into the week with a clear head.

And that takes time. Not too much time - but just enough time to get you focused.

The last thing you want to do is head into the office at 5 to 9 and rush straight into a 9am meeting.

So give yourself a little bit of time for the Monday morning. I'd recommend leaving the meeting arrangements until 10am if you can afford an hour, but if you're a busy person then half an hour will do. Just give yourself a bit of buffer zone so you're not stepping through the door and straight into the boardroom. If you can, book out the 9am to 9.30am slot in your calendar so other people won't book a meeting at that time either.

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Just to re-cap on how to make it through the Monday morning blues. On Sunday night, get your clothes and lunch plans ready for the week. Monday morning, have a hearty breakfast to start things off on the right track. Make sure you're heading into Monday morning to a clean desk, which means you'll have to clear it up Friday night just before you leave. When you do make it into work, take some time to sort out your thoughts. Grab a drink and prepare yourself for the week ahead. Take in some photos or memorabilia to make your desk as comfortable as it can be. And last but not least, leave the meetings for an hour or two to give yourself time to get back into the swing of the working week.

Good luck with those Monday blues. Try to remember that work is just that - work. It's not your entire life and there's a lot more to who you are than your job title. Try to enjoy work as a place to push yourself and make some money so that you can enjoy the weekend with your family and friends. If you follow these simple tips then you'll find yourself having smoother and less stressful Monday mornings.

On that note I'm off to iron my shirt and make some lunch to kick start tomorrow in the right way.

Have a good week.