Whilst office workers can slump behind their desks, vat of coffee to hand, and trudge through the toughest day of the week, teachers must face the day with vigour, determination and enthusiasm.
If you want to move from faking it, to gaining some semblance of enjoyment from the first day of the intimidating working week, here are five simple tips:
1. Understand the science behind the Monday blues
As a teacher, you’re passionate about your job, however you shouldn’t feel guilt over your Monday dip, as there are several scientific reasons behind this energy drought.
Namely that our internal clocks are interfered with by a change in routine, that we overindulge on alcohol and poorer choices of food over the weekend, and that an emotional shift occurs when we move from Sunday to Monday; an off-day to a working day.
Moral of the story? If you wish to seamlessly move from Sunday to Monday, you should try to:
- Live well over the weekend – exercise and eat healthily
- Keep to your routine of waking times and bedtimes
- Undertake a little gentle work on Sunday evening to change your mindset before the start of the working week
2. Complete some Monday tasks on a Friday
Monday can loom large for those who are dragging themselves to an overfilling inbox and frantic to-do list.
Try to tackle at least some of these pressing tasks before the weekend begins (we know – easy to say, difficult to do!). Where this isn’t possible, try to re-schedule less urgent but still necessary tasks to your strongest, most productive days, and avoid that feeling of being overwhelmed on Mondays.
3. Invigorate yourself with exercise
Exercise, no matter how little, can get both body and mind ready and raring to go for the day.
Whether it’s 10 minutes of yoga, a swift walk to work or a full-scale gym session – a few of those feel-good endorphins will help kick start your working week and go some way toward banishing those Monday blues.
4. Jump into the right mindset
Being mentally ready is every inch as important as being physically ready for the Monday onslaught; Tony Robbins, motivational speaker and mediation guru, has a strategy for this that takes just four minutes a day.
A further helpful thought leader in this field is Angela Watson, who speaks of the importance of avoiding thinking about school outside of the allotted ‘work times’. In her book: Awakened: Change Your Mindset to Transform Your Teaching, she covers four strategies for this: dismiss, distract, reject, and replace.
5. Avoid distractions
In order to be your most efficient self (and be able to tackle Monday work before Monday) you must ensure that your allotted work times are as productive as they can be.
This means doing away with efficiency killers – such as social media, phone calls, watching TV, raiding the fridge, etc. Put your phone in ‘airplane mode’, avoid displacement activities and take regular breaks to keep your mind fresh.
How do you prepare for Mondays? Let us know in the comments below!
