How to Make your Monday More Productive

Monday. The worst day of the week by far, the day in which we all dread. Sunday evenings never have a nice feel to them do they? The start of the stressful work week is looming. But what if you could prevent that anxiety all together by making Monday as productive as possible, read on to find out how to do just that.

1) Write a To-Do List and Prioritise

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Kick-start Monday the right way by getting organised on Friday. Yes, you did read that correctly, FRIDAY. On the last day of your working week, set 5 minutes aside, grab a pen and paper, to create a to-do list for the following week. Jotting down tasks will help to clear your mind and prevent you from over thinking on Sunday evening. When writing your list, try to prioritise the most important tasks and put these at the very top. If you like to stay organised, I’d recommend doing this every day, that way you won’t be worrying about the day ahead. Doing this will definitely improve your overall productivity.

2) Get Organised the Night Before

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There is nothing worse than waking up on a Monday morning to discover you are completely unorganised. Prepping the night before is the perfect way to wake up stress-free. If, like me, you use a different handbag/purse for work, then it’s essential to get it ready on Sunday instead of time wasting the next morning. Have it ready next to your coat or jacket so you don’t forget it heading out the door.

If you take your own lunch to work then make it the previous evening. Pop it in the fridge and it’s ready to go in your bag first thing. Prone to forgetting things? Set a reminder on your phone or stick a note to the fridge so you remember.

Choose your outfit ahead of time. Lay out your clothes/uniform next to your bed ready to jump into in the morning. I am such an indecisive person, so it can often take me a while to select what I want to wear. Time is a precious thing of a morning, and you don’t want to faff around when in a rush.

3) Tackle the Hardest Job First and Stop Procrastinating

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We are all prone to putting off the most difficult task until the very last minute, however this is 100% halting your productivity. Tackling this job first will be a weight off of your shoulders and will make any other tasks feel less daunting. Also, our energy levels are higher at the start of the day so you’re less likely to get into a slump or procrastinate.

4) Do a Workout Routine

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I am fortunate enough to be able to work from home throughout the whole pandemic, but I have found I am less inclined to move around. Working out in the morning, or at any point in the day, will release those feel good endorphines and give you that extra burst of energy to make your Monday productive.

5) Turn Off Any Distractions

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We all have a bad habit of looking at our phones or scrolling through social media throughout the day. But switching that phone to silent, turning it upside down, or simply locking it away in a drawer will prevent those distractions. It is impossible to stop all distractions, but taking care of the ones we can control will increase our productivity levels drastically.

6) Keep a Tidy Workspace

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I absolutely hate working in a messy environment, it gives me anxiety and puts me in a bad mood. Keeping your desk free of clutter will help to clear your mind and give you focus on the task in hand. After each task, put away the paperwork and file everything away.

7) Listen to Some Mellow/Lofi Beats

This may be a a controversial one, as some people work well with a little background noise, whereas others need complete silence. I find listening to relaxing beats on YouTube really allows me to focus my attention on work, rather than lyrical music or the radio, which is often distracting. One of my favourites is this one below. Pop in your headphones and let the waves of producitivity wash over you.

8) Organise your Inbox

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Ever tried to find something in your overcrowded inbox which resulted in failure? Create subfolders for emails related to specific tasks. For example, if you deal with purchase orders for your company, create a folder solely for purchase orders. That way you will easily be able to find the email you are so desperately searching for. Another easy hack of mine is to only keep unactioned emails in the inbox so I know where things are up to. Once actioned I simply file it away in the corresponding folder. This will help to keep the inbox manageable and less cluttered.

9) Don’t Multi-Task

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Multi-tasking isn’t an efficent or effective way of working, despite what you may think. Juggling more than one task at a time is basically another distraction. Stick to one job at any given time by muting those email notifications. You will get the chore finished much faster and can then move onto something else.

10) Take Regular Breaks

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Breaks? I thought we were trying to be productive you might ask! Breaks are an important part of productivity. Our minds can only concentrate and focus for a certain time period. When referring to a break, I don’t mean take 15 minutes every hour, I mean go grab a coffee or a glass of water, go to the bathroom and enjoy a stretch for a minute or two. You are less inclined to get bored, stiff and lack motivation by taking a step away from your screen.

Staying productive and ignoring those distractions isn’t always that easy, however implementing a couple of my 10 suggestions above will definitely help to improve productivity levels, keep you motivated and make your more efficent. The majority of these tips not only work for our 9-5 jobs, college or university courses, but in our personal lives too. How do you stay motivated and productive on Mondays?

Until Another Day x