Monday motivation – how to power through the working week

Monday motivationThe start of a new week for the vast majority of us, means the end of the weekend and the return of work for the next five days. This is why most people hate Mondays, as it’s the time when our two days off are furthest away.

Though, there are ways you can motivate yourself and best prepare yourself to tackle the week ahead and even enjoy yourself at the very same time.

While it is important to work hard and achieve the very best you can while you’re at your job, staying positive and motivating yourself to do so can occasionally seem like a tedious and tough task.

Don’t let yourself get down in a slump; follow our helpful tips below and rock u to work on a Monday morning with the right attitude.

Set yourself some work-based goals

The key to getting through the working week is to set yourself a few goals you’re hoping to achieve along the way, by doing this you’ll know what needs to be done and how much time you’ll have to take to complete those objectives. When you accomplish something at work, you’ll not only be rewarded by your boss, who will likely make it clear that you’re doing a good job, but you’ll feel a sense of self-accomplishment too, and this will only add to your motivational skills.

It has been proven that employees whom receive consistent feedback at work, such as praise and guidance, feel the following:

  • Their company is 11% better at taking action on their feedback
  • They feel 11% more valued at work
  • Their work environment is 12% better
  • They are 9% more likely to refer someone to work for their company

If you’re the leader of a team of staff members, you should consider letting them know how they’re getting on, detailing how they can improve and letting them know when they’re performing well and doing a good job; you’ll be the one receiving the benefits in the long run.

Plan the fun stuff first

If you’ve got plans to look forward to in your down time, away from the office, you’ll no doubt find yourself having less trouble getting through the working week. Make plans for the following weekend at the start of your week, or fill a few of your evenings up with relaxing or entertaining plans, giving you that extra boost to get through work and enjoy yourself.

Take inspiration from others

Motivation and positivity is contagious, that is according to Positivity Blog anyway, which states, “When I find it difficult to up my motivation at the start of my week – or any time during week – I like to tap into the energy, enthusiasm and motivation of others. Because that stuff is really contagious and can quickly change my mood and outlook in a big way. Be creative about this and explore what gets you personally motivated and moving in the most powerful way”.

Seeing how others are thriving in and around the workplace will almost definitely have a positive effect on you as an individual and motivate you further, so that you can continue to achieve more and more. Look to surround yourself with other hardworking people and take inspiration from what they’re doing, and apply it to your own work-life.

Use your weekend break wisely

If you’re in a job where you get weekends off, try to see the positives in that and use your two days off every week to your advantage. If you’ve found yourself feeling tired lately, simply use the weekend to kick back and relax, rather than threating about something work-related that will only get you down and have you worrying. Recharge your batteries and prepare yourself for the next week ahead.

If you’ve been experiencing boredom as of late, why not do something fun at the weekend, go out with friends, go and see a movie, or perhaps you could visit some family members you haven’t seen for a while. Whatever it is that’ll keep you entertained, you should try and do it every once in a while, after all you need a good work-life balance to be able to find yourself motivated come Monday morning. Live your life and banish those Monday blues.

Put down the social media

Endlessly consuming social media all day long won’t do anyone any favours, so if you’re finding yourself scrolling through other people’s lives on your lunch break, you should probably think about stopping. Seeing someone else having fun while you’re stuck in the office isn’t going to help with your motivational factors, so avoid doing it at all costs.

Create the sense of a happy Monday for yourself and start your weeks off with some momentum and you’ll find yourself flying through the challenges of being at work with a great level of success.

Ask your boss how you can move up through the company

Do you feel like you’re stuck at work and you’ve hit a glass ceiling you simply can’t break through? If the answer to that question is “Yes”, you may well need to ask your boss/manager about moving through the ranks at work. If they can lay at some foundations for you to reach a higher spot within the business, one that earns you more money and offers you more enjoyment, you’ll become motivated to always work hard in order to achieve that promotion.

Don’t get too comfortable where you are right now, keep pushing forward and always try to achieve more. This is a great way of remaining motivated, because if you can see where the next step in your career path is, you can try and work out how to take it.

Inspirational quotes to get you through the Monday morning grind

Here’s a few quotes that some people choose to live their life by; others use them solely to get through the first part of Monday, when you’re starting work for the first time that week, though after a few hours it’ll likely feel like you’ve never been away.

David Dweck – Mondays are the start of the work week, which offer new beginnings 52 times a year.”

Germany Kent – “Your Monday morning thoughts set the tone for your whole week. See yourself getting stronger, and living fulfilling, happier and healthier life.”

Rita Schiano – “Believe on Monday the way you believe on Sunday.”

Now, you may be wondering what any of those quotes actually do for you, and the truth is probably not much, though the overall message is to start your week off in a positive way whenever you can. By doing this, you’ll find you hate that boring office job just a little bit less than before and you’ll be motivated to give it your all and put your full effort into it right from the start of the week.

The effect of the global pandemic

Trying to remain motivated during the global pandemic can feel like a mammoth-sized task at times, though currently it is the reality that we’re all living with, so we’ll simply have to do our best to do so.

Now is the time to focus your thoughts on the good points of your working life. Think about the aspects you’re still succeeding in, what’s taken a surprising turn for the best during these crazy times, has it brought any new opportunities with it? Focus your energy on being positive and you may just find that come Monday morning, things aren’t so bad after all

Have goals that aren’t solely work related

As we’ve already mentioned, having goals can be a great motivating method for anyone who wakes up on Monday morning and doesn’t feel quite ready to take on the week. Having something to aim for and work towards is a great way of ensuring you’ll get back to working hard right from the starting point of the working week. Though, these goals shouldn’t only be work-related; you need to have personal achievements you’re building towards, this way work isn’t your whole life, it rather becomes something that allows you to do the things you want to do in your own time.

Perhaps you need a set amount of cash to move to a new house, or you may need to build up some extra holiday time to take a trip you’ve always wanted to go on, so you need to put in the hours at work to get that time; whatever it is you want to do, if you can tie work to it, as a part of what will help you with your accomplishments, waking up on Monday morning won’t start to feel like such an effort.

By plotting out how to get hold of what you want, you’ll always have a personal reason to be at work, rather than only a financial one, and that way you’ll likely begin to enjoy your working life more. Even if those goals are based in financials, it’ll still add a further element to your working life, one that’s filled with a sense of pride and accomplishment.

Make an effort to go against the trend

It is apparently common for people to be far less productive on a Monday than on any other day of the working week, so make an effort to go against this trend and it may well put you in far better stead to tackle the long week ahead.

The Fact Site state, “It has also been found that the productivity of workers is at its all-time low on Mondays. With people being up to 30% less productive on a Monday, it is shown they often only manage 3.5 hours of work throughout the day”.

By making an active effort to force yourself away from being part of this trend you can set your mindset up for the remainder of the week, rather than just on a Monday morning/afternoon. If you can manage to do so, you will likely begin to start standing out more at work, as well as possibly being noticed more by your boss or manager or line manager.

The faster you can gain the recognition of those above you in your workplace, the quicker you’ll be able to fast track yourself to future promotions, etc. Make that extra effort at the start of your week and you’ll be redeeming the rewards of doing so in the near future, without a doubt.

Got a tough week coming up? Embrace it 

Sometimes work is going particularly well, and you seem to be sailing smoothly through the weeks like they are no challenge to you at all. Although, you get into the office one morning and you find a tedious, stressful project has been placed on your desk. This is the moment when you understand the next week isn’t going to be so fun.

You should not fear these moments, but rather, try to relish them and tackle any major challenges head on. Here are a few quick ways you can prepare for, and get through, a difficult working week you have lined up ahead of you.

Guarantee Your Down Time

When you leave work, don’t bring the stress of the day back home with you. Purposely make time for the things that are important to you outside of the workspace. Perhaps it’s preparing your favourite meal or attending a class at the gym you’ve been looking at for a while. Whatever it may be, ensure it’s actually about you. Rather than only doing things you need to get done, try and factor in some things you know you’re going to enjoy.

Set some daily goals

Revamp your priorities for the week and lay out objectives to accomplish every day. Commonly, the beginning of the week of work can appear to be overwhelming because there’s a full rundown of things to finish. Laying out daily objectives will assist your list with appearing to be overpowering and will be a propelling component as you get things achieved and begin seeing your plan for the day edge ever closer to completion.

Stand up and walk away

If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed by everything happening at work, have a go at taking a few 5-minute splits to leave and refocus. This allows you to let go of some of the stress you may be feeling and come back with a more positive mindset than the one you had prior to taking a quick break. This is an example of how breaks at work can make you more productive.

Recognise your own importance

Help yourself to remember your own worth, while at work and acknowledge how without you, things may not progress at smoothly as they do now. Keep in mind that you are significant to what the company achieves and without your input, a gap would be left, and struggles would appear. Give yourself a pat on the back every now and then and let yourself know that you’re doing a good job.

Remember what happened at the weekend 

Don’t view Monday morning as some sort of black hole that’s distant from anything good in your life, you’ve just had the weekend, so hang onto the memories you made over it and look forward to making more on the next weekend, which is in just a few days. If you work Monday-Friday you’re never really too far away from a couple of days off, so look ahead to that time and plot out what you’ll be doing when you’ve once again got that free time to yourself.

Each working day that reaches its end is one step closer to the weekend. If you can start each week by thinking of what you did over the course of last weekend, rather than clearing it out of your mind completely, you may just have a more enjoyable experience throughout the week. Don’t shy away from living your life in a way that just gets you through to your free time from one week to the next, besides the majority of us only go to work so we can get by and afford to do the things we truly enjoy.

When you’re sat in the office next week, attempt to think of what you’ll be doing when Saturday comes around and set your mind on getting to that moment. You’ll find that the days pass by much quicker when you’re not constantly in a bad mood because you’re doing things you don’t want to be doing during the working days of your week.

Business Finance Expert at PDQ Funding | + posts

Lee Jones is a seasoned Business Finance Specialist with over two decades of invaluable experience in the financial sector. With a keen eye for market trends and a passion for helping businesses thrive, Lee has become a trusted advisor to countless organizations seeking to navigate the complexities of finance.

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