We all love the idea of making a fresh start. At work, constant re-charging can be really important if you need to hang on to your job. There are many reasons you need to constantly re-charge. It could be that you’re just tired and burned out because of a full personal life. It could be because that you don’t like your job that much and you want to find something new, but need to hold on to it and not get fired. It could be that you’re just someone attracted to the idea of new beginnings. There are so many reasons why constant re-charging is necessary for people who work.
One way to re-charge and feel fully energized all week, is to trick your mind to believe that the week starts on Tuesday. So, think of Monday as being part of the weekend. And even if you are physically at work, pretend that you are really someplace else, and that Tuesday is the first day of your work week. The next day after that, Wednesday, is already hump day. Friday is clearly the weekend and Thursday is often payday. So, really, if you think about it, with Tuesday as the beginning of the work week, you really end up just working one day per week! It’s great!
It is okay to go slower on Mondays and rev up engines on Tuesdays. Obviously, that does not mean that you sit at your desk and sleep the whole time just because it is Monday. It just means that you can give yourself permission to go a little slower than you normally would. It doesn’t mean that you announce to your boss and colleagues that you are taking it easy because it is Monday, either. This is just for you, to be kept in your mind. Your own secret garden where only you dwell that says: Monday is part of the weekend.
Mentally beginning your work week on Tuesday is good for your psyche. For one thing, this will make the work week seem shorter by a lot. But for another thing, studies have proven that Tuesday is the most productive day of the work week.
Inc Magazine recently did an article called “Why Tuesday Should be Your New Monday.” In it, the author wrote that:
“As a 5-day culture, we create this immense pressure to be as productive as possible every week. It may motivate you sometimes, but any less than stellar work or unfinished business comes back to bite us in the behind on Monday. It’s like the Ghost of Friday’s Past begins haunting on Sunday night – and by Monday morning, you are feeling the weight to make up even more for last week’s lackluster productivity (even if it isn’t actually lackluster).”
This is spot on and is exactly why you should just release Monday and focus on Tuesday instead. The only thing that Mondays should be used for, is to write your to do list for the rest of the week.
Besides, this cultural cliché that a work week has to last five days is almost as passé as the horse and buggy.