What the heck are Maximizing Mondays? This is something that I have done for a little bit and thought that I should write about it. There’s a whole joke about how everyone hates Mondays. I mean, there are even posters people can buy that say I hate Mondays. However, I try my best to do the most that I can and optimize each day, especially Mondays.
So, come along with me and learn more about Maximizing Mondays. Maybe you can have a Maximizing Monday in your life!
What do you need to get done?
Mondays are the first of the work or school week, and it feels like the weekend vacation has just passed and is so far away. You’re receiving all this information on projects, assignments, papers, presentations that you need to do and you’re thinking, I’ve only been here for a couple of minutes and I’m already ready for Friday.
Well, I like to think of this Monday as getting as much as I can get done by the end of the day. That can be housework, schoolwork, or just work in general. Usually, on Sunday or Monday morning, I make a list of all of the things I would like to get done that week and during each day. For me, I like to pack quite a bit of things into the Monday slot.
For example, if there’s a presentation that I’ve been assigned to that Monday and I know that I have time for it, I’ll make sure that it gets done that day. Personally, I like to get all of the big list items out of the way before it’s the end of the week. That way, I don’t have to worry about doing them later, or even having to do them during my weekend. So, I have my list labeled as large items, medium items, and small items in that order.
Time management is key!
But it feels as if I don’t have enough time in the day to do all of this stuff? That may be true for some of you, and to others you may think that it’s true. I was the latter half who thought that I truly didn’t have time to do everything in that one day. However, when I really broke down what I spent my time on, I began realizing that I did have the time. It was just that I was spending too much time on things that should be minimized a bit.
For example, scrolling on social media is a nice destressor. But, if I’m spending hours upon hours on it, then it would make sense why it feels like I have absolutely zero time. So, I put a 5 minute timer on all of my social media platforms. When that 5 minute timer went off, I would put my phone aside and move on to other activities that I had planned for that day. And to be honest, I don’t go on social media as much now. Of course, I have my days where I just want to watch funny videos all day. However, for most days, I’m making sure that I’m getting stuff done before I fully relax.
My mom would always tell me to handle your business first before anything. Because guess what happens when you procrastinate? It doesn’t fall on someone else’s shoulder. Instead, it falls upon your shoulders because your past self told themselves that future me will be able to handle it. And now, you have to handle it.
So, look at your schedule. See if there’s anything that you’re spending a bit too much time on and see what you can do to fit in certain things to accomplish a bit more in your day. It doesn’t have to be you fitting in that 10,000 word essay that’s due in a couple weeks. Instead, it can be to do some research for the paper and write at least 500 to 1,000 words. You can lessen the workload, so by the time it gets to the end of the week, you’d have 2,500 to 5,000 words in that essay.
If you’re someone who just feels as if time is being squeezed out of you and you’re running dry, then I just advise the same: squeeze as much time as you can without wearing yourself out.
Get the s*** done!
A plan becomes a path when it’s executed. A map is just lines unless you use it to explore. So, your plan to do all of your work is only good if you actually do the work. If not, you’re just making yourself stressed because there’s a list of all these things that must be done and they’re just not. Again, it’s not as if you have to do all of these things all at once. You can do one a day, two a day, as many as you want!
I know that I don’t get everything that I want done in one day! I don’t punish myself for that, because I also know that there’s so many hours in one day. No matter how much I maximize my hours, I still need time to rest, eat, destress, have a life, etc. Life is all about balancing life, and sometimes finding that balance takes a bit of time. Once that balance is found though, it makes everything in life a bit easier to manage.
This, of course, is one of my own ways that I am able to maximize those days. Now, you may question, do I have other days of the week that have their very own system? And, I don’t! Because that’s too much pressure to put on myself to maximize every. single. day. I just use this one day to give me motivation to get through the rest of the week. It also helps me, again, lessen the load for my future self to enjoy their new free time.
Is the system 100% flawless? No. It has some kinks, and, again, sometimes life throws some things at you that you didn’t have planned. However, you evolve, you adapt, and you continue on. This system is just, in my opinion, a better way to make sure you have a plan on what you’re doing for the week. I’ve been using this since I was in high school and it has saved me many times.
So, give it a try and I would love to hear how Maximizing Mondays are going for you!
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