One of my friends messaged me today during work and asked if I knew a woman named Susanna Hoffs. I assumed he meant someone at work and the name didn’t some familiar. I soon found out she was in the Bangles and sang the song Manic Monday. I have now had that song in my head for about 7 hours and 20 minutes. Seriously, though, what a fun song – singing it to myself today has actually really made me smile!
Today was a manic Monday – one of those ones where you’re going from meeting to meeting, trying to figure out how you can maximize any spare time you have at work, while also having time to eat, go to the bathroom, and grab some more water from the kitchen. Now, to some this may sound insane, but this is a typical day at work for me and one that keeps me on my toes and energized! As I’ve said, I’m a go-go-go kind of person, so I love days like this (most of the time) and today was good one! 🙂 That’s not always the case, but I’ve found some useful tips/tricks in order to make these days as good as it was today. I can’t control how chaotic a day is sometimes or what last minute asks there will be of me to put together a presentation or write a memo, but here are some things that I have found to be helpful to ensure I’m in the right head space, especially going into a Monday!
Schedule time every morning to regroup on your day – I’ve found I’m my best if I have some ‘me’ time at work in the morning before any meetings. Time to think through my day, think through my key deliverables and deadlines, and for planning things like when I can eat lunch. I know, and likely others know as well, what happens when I don’t have this time in the morning, so I try pretty hard to respect this time I have booked.
Lists, lists, create a list! –Â I wouldn’t be able to do anything without lists. I think I have a decent memory, but creating a list allows me to stay focused throughout the day, when new to-do items are coming from every which way. I vary between where my lists are stored (google docs, sticky note, pieces of paper, journal), but at the moment I’m using a large yellow post-it note so I can physically check ones off I have completed, plus throw out the whole sheet when I finish or just want to re-write the list. The physical-ness of this is seriously so gratifying! Throughout the day, I always remember things I need to do after work or when I get home, so I have a home-list as well.
Take time the night before – Work/life balance is a hot topic for almost everyone I know – when should you shut off, when are you checking email on your phone too much, etc. I have the luxury of being able to do work from anywhere even though I go into the office all the time. Â Especially for Mondays, I find myself to be much more prepared if I take some time on Sunday to regroup on the next day and the next week. Mentally, it helps me get into a better mindset. I try not to disrupt my night too much, but even a little bit helps to get ready for the week!
Reflect on the weekend – I am the first to admit that I always think the weekend went by too fast (especially in the summer) and, if given the option, yes, I would like to be on the beach with my friend rather than in an AC freezing cold office! However….I do try to take time to reflect on this in a positive way. It may sound cheesy, but I love hearing how people’s weekends were on Monday when we get into the office and I love sharing fun tidbits about my adventures (even if I was only doing housework or something). Taking the time to appreciate the fun over the weekend helps me to stay in a positive mindset.
And finally…
Always laugh – This will not be the first time I mention this, but my favorite quote is “The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed” – written by Nicholas de Chamfort, a french writer. I never knew who actually said the quote, but I had a bookmark since I was a little kid with the quote and it really embodies me to a T! We should never go a day without laughing – find the tiniest thing, but make sure there is laughter in your life, especially on a manic Monday!!! (also, do you have the song in your head yet?!?!)
I’ll leave you some pictures of my weekend here!
-A