Motivation Monday

The dreaded day.... Monday....sigh! Why do people dread Mondays so much? Here is an article I found recently that has a little insight into why we don't look forward to Monday.

https://www.inc.com/nicolas-cole/8-very-real-reasons-people-hate-mondays-and-why-you-should-be-concerned-if-you-f.html

Here are the main reasons and my commentary below!

1. You got a full night's sleep and yet you still feel tired. This is a very clear indicator that sleep is not the problem. The problem is you're not emotionally invested in what you're doing. Have you ever gone on a vacation or a trip where you're doing stuff all day, going to bed late, and still waking up early with tons of energy because you're excited to do more exploring? That's how you should feel every day, in some way, shape, or form. Do you love what you do? I think this is one of the main reasons that people do not get excited about Mondays. It means heading back to work for most. When you have a job that you don't love to do, it makes it so much harder. Now, I am not saying that you have to love working- who wouldn't rather be at home, somehow collecting a paycheck and not doing much for it? That is just not the way things work for most. We have to work to earn a living. I would suggest really looking at your job. Is it something you like to do? do you like the people you work with? Look at your commute, your workload and commitment. If the job is truly why you dread work days, try looking into something new to do, something you can feel good about doing and be at least a little passionate about. Change is hard, but sometimes change is necessary. 

2. You did not prepare yesterday for today. People despise feeling overwhelmed, and yet so many fail to realize they do it to themselves. Failure to prepare means you are preparing to fail. Mondays are only overwhelming if you did not take Sunday to get all your ducks in a row. And the reason why most people choose not to do this is because whatever it is they're doing isn't enjoyable to them. Routine! Routine! Routine! I have posted about this before. Make your life easier. Get organized and have a routine in place. We do all kinds of things to make life easier for us: Amazon Prime, Clicklist, certain days to get laundry done, cleaning schedule, iron clothes for the week. Prepare yourself for the week and it takes so much of the stress off.

Here is my post on this:

https://msenseneysjourney.blogspot.com/2019/02/lets-talk-routine.html

3. Everyone else hates Mondays too. It's easy to hate things other people hate too. "Misery loves company." It's impossible (or very, very difficult) to stay positive when your company culture is, "Hey Bob, how was your weekend?" / "Too short. Can't believe it's Monday. I hate Mondays." Next time someone asks about your weekend, try to think of something great that happened and share that versus saying "too short". Be positive and maybe others will follow! 

4. You aren't doing something you love. Obviously. You are not going to wake up feeling excited to go to a job you don't genuinely enjoy. It's astounding how many people choose things out of comfort, or fear of the unknown, and bite the bullet on years upon years of dissatisfaction. See #1! So true!

5. Social media either hates Mondays or crushes Mondays. Browse through Instagram on a Monday morning and you'll see half a dozen coffee cup quote graphics either sharing the pains of waking up on a Monday, or the relentless ambition one must possess in order to crush Mondays goals. What's more important is, what do YOU want? How do YOU want to be spending your Monday? And then what can you do in order to bring that to fruition? This is so dang true. I bet people post more about Monday and working that any other day (except maybe Friday!). Try to put a positive post out there in the world on Monday and give someone something good to focus on! 

6. You don't enjoy the people you work with. Most of the time, it's the people around you that define how long you stay in any given situation. Regardless of how you feel about the work, it can be very difficult to take satisfaction in doing something with people who don't bring you positive energy--and vice versa. See #1 again. I love my co-workers and the ones that don't bring that positive vibe, I try to be extra positive around them or avoid them if I can. Sad, but sometimes you just can't surround yourself with that if you are going to stay in the mindset to make Mondays better, make work better, be more positive!

7. Mondays mark the end of one life and the beginning  of the next. When you "live for the weekend," a Monday is the door shutting on your 48 hours of freedom--and that's a pretty strong indicator you are living double lives. One life is how you "pay the bills," and the other life is what you do for personal enjoyment. In some capacity, you want to find a way to merge the two. Otherwise, you will never find your work all that fulfilling. I am not going to lie, I LOVE the weekends. I always say I work to live, not live to work. I think it is super important to have priorities in life. I also think it is important to find that balance as well. People always want to separate work and life. Honestly, that's almost impossible. There will be times you have to take care of personal stuff while working or work while at home on your weekend time. Try to find joy, no matter what you are doing.

8. Because Monday means doing it "all over again." This speaks directly to our culture of chasing rewards as "means to an end." If you see every week as a sprint, and you endure it with the hopes that one day you'll be "done" and you can finally "enjoy it and relax," you're doing it wrong. You're missing the entire journey. You are aiming for something that doesn't actually exist. Fulfillment is found along the way, not in a treasure chest at the end of the rainbow. Every single day is a gift. God did not intend for us to view the days as something to "get done". Stop looking at it that way and try to enjoy the moments, days, weeks you are given. I would say also try to aim for productivity and relaxation in the same day. When you balance things out a little more and have time each day where you do something productive and then also have some relaxing time, you are likely not to view certain days as better than others. 

Working mom life

Question 1: What do you think is the biggest challenge faced by mothers in the workplace?
I think a big challenge for working moms is wanting to always be good at everything that you do at work and at home. It doesn't always work out that way. I think it's important as a working mom to realize that everything will not always been perfectly balanced. There will be times when something gets more attention than something else. It doesn't mean you aren't doing a good job, it just means you are human.

Question 2: What is the most important piece of advice you have for mothers who are pursuing a career?

Find something that you like to do. It is so much harder to get up every day and go to a job that you don't like. When you like what you do and can look forward to it, it makes it easier to wake up and go, even if it means leaving those kids at home. Also, give yourself GRACE- every mother needs grace in all things we do. 

Question 3: As a mother, how do you explain to smaller children why you have to spend time away at work?

I have always worked. My son was 4 months old when I returned to work. He doesn't know any different. He stays home with his grandmothers, so he gets to bond and spend time with them. He loves it honestly and I think it is really good for him. He knows mommy and daddy come home at the end of the day. We also both work in education so we have lots of time off to spend with him. 

Question 4: What can professional mothers do to manage their time better?

I talked about this last week. ROUTINE. CONSISTENCY. HAVING A PLAN. As a working mom, I have to have a plan. Now, that plan does not always work out perfectly, BUT I have one. I am flexible when things come up, you have to be as a mom, but overall having routines and a plan make me feel more sane for sure.

Question 5: Does raising kids teach you any skills that you can use in the workplace?

Patience. My son has taught me an incredible amount of patience. I also don't worry about so much like I used to. I try not to stress the small stuff and focus on what's really important in life. He definitely has taught me about what matters in life. 

Question 6: What should professional mothers consider before starting employment at a new company?

I would say with any job change you need to ensure that it is a good fit for what you want for yourself and your family. How will the hours change? Will they be flexible about things because you are a working mom? Commute? Pay? All good things to look at. Change is always hard, but it might be the right choice for your family if it makes going to work easier and you can maintain family as #1. 

Question 7: Lots of professional mothers feel guilt when making sacrifices. How do you deal with this guilt?

I think it is really important to leave work at work. I try my hardest to work when I am working and to be present at home when I am at home. I make an effort every day to make sure I spend time with my son doing something he wants to do. Mom guilt is real. I don't think there is a mom out there that would say she wouldn't rather be home with her kids. BUT we don't all have that option for one and for two some of us actually enjoy working. I would say WORK TO LIVE and NOT LIVE TO WORK.

How do you balance working mom life? What tips can you give?