The noun ‘blues’ refers to a ‘sad’ feeling, and has nothing to do with the colour blue. This feeling may arise from laziness or lack of interest.
Employees often experience something commonly referred to as the ‘Monday morning blues’. All professionals may have experienced it at some point, right at the start of a work week.
Employees may suffer from the blues, mainly because their workplace has stopped pleasing them. It is a known fact that when work ceases to be interesting and the workplace stops being attractive, employees tend to feel tired faster, start slipping into depression, and lose hope. They may hate going to work because they are not appreciated or satisfied. Therefore, they end up dragging themselves to work simply because they cannot give it up and not because they enjoy it.
On the other hand, if employees are performing work that they are passionate about, they will look forward to going to work on a Monday morning. For them, the beginning of a work week offers another chance to do what they love. Now that we know who experiences Monday blues and who does not, it is easy to identify ways to beat these dreaded blues.
1. Switch off from work completely on Friday: Try not to carry work home over the weekend. In fact, it will be ideal if you refrain from even checking your official mails on Saturday and Sunday. Reserve the weekend only for your personal life, family, friends and hobbies. The break will refresh you for Monday.
2. Don’t keep work pending: When you leave the office on Friday, ensure that you clear all backlog or at least most of it. This will ensure that you get to see a somewhat clear desk on Monday and less work piled up for you to tackle. The sight of work piled up and waiting for you on a Monday morning can spoil your mood for the entire week and stress you out unnecessarily. Ensure that you complete all the complicated tasks on Friday itself.
3. Sleep early and wake up early: Retire early on Sunday night so that you get a good eight hours or more of sleep. This will ensure that you wake up fresh and well rested on Monday morning with a feeling of being ‘ready to take on the world’. Wake up half an hour early if you can, and you will see that you have ample time to sip your morning cuppa in peace. More importantly, you will not be rushing to get dressed and beat the traffic. You will arrive at work stress free.
4. Be grateful: When you leave the bed in the morning, thank God for being alive to greet a lovely day. Accept that there is a power above all that makes things happen. It is that same power that is responsible for your ability to enjoy the day. Thank the lift operator who holds the door open for you, the watchman at the gate, the auto driver who drops you, or even the peon or runner who runs errands inside the office. Just a ‘Thank you’ accompanied with a smile is enough to make their day. The smiles you get in return will infuse you with so much positive energy and feeling of goodness that there will be no room for the ‘blues’.
5. Listen to good music: Once the alarm goes off, switch on some good music. May be something soothing. It is a good habit to listen to the gayatri mantra in the morning. Let the chants penetrate every corner of the house and your mind. Then, after you have bathed and freshened up, put on some energetic music. Play your favourite songs and you will see how your mood is instantly uplifted.
6. Turn out smartly: Take time to dress up for work. Wear something smart; something that you love; something that gives you confidence. Your attire makes a lot of impact, not just on others but on your own self. Dressing up well gives you much needed energy and positivity, and of course loads of compliments. Armed with all that positivity, you will be ready to infect others with the same. What could be better for the working environment than people full of positive energy?
7. Focus on the interesting: By repeatedly thinking about the things that interest you and get you excited, you will ensure that your body remains energised and your mind remains enthusiastic throughout the week, and not just on Monday. For instance, you may have a concert to attend later in the week or may be participating in a friendly tennis match or performing in a play. If you realise you have nothing interesting to look forward to, then it is probably time for you to go over your lifestyle.
8. Tackle the tedious work first: If you do have a list of things to do, list them out in order of level of complexity. Then, tackle the tedious and complicated tasks first and get them over and done with. That will leave just the smaller and simpler tasks to be taken care of for the rest of the day. This will not only give you a feeling of relief but also lighten your heart.
9. Keep Mondays free of meetings: Important meetings should always be scheduled for a Tuesday. The first day of the work week should be for settling in and getting into the rhythm. So, don’t rush into it. Take your time. Let the body and mind gradually get into the groove.
10. Remember to have fun at work: Ensure that Monday is a fun day. Look for a reason to celebrate, cut a cake or order fancy food. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a birthday or anniversary. Celebrate somebody’s new dress, or new car, or just the fact of being together at the start of the week. Make Monday a day of feasting. This will give everyone a reason to look forward to it.
11. Find out what is wrong: Once in a while it is not unusual to experience Monday morning blues. But if you experience it every Monday, something is definitely wrong. It is proof that you have stopped enjoying your work. It is time to find a solution — switch roles or just switch jobs altogether.
