Mondays. Probably the most misunderstood, least exciting day of the week. For most of us, they are the first workday after the weekend. The first workday after two days of fun, relaxation, and disconnecting from work. No wonder you might experience Monday Blues once in a while. But don’t worry – here’s how you can turn Blue Mondays into Happy ones.
Why do you experience Monday Blues?
One explanation of why we experience Monday Blues is that Mondays follow upon the weekend. During the weekend, we usually try our best to disconnect from anything work-related. We try to focus on activities that we enjoy and tend to neglect during the work-week, like a walk in the park, or a long-overdue coffee with friends. In other words, we don’t lose a thought about work.
And that is important! Taking time to disconnect from work is vital and should be done regularly, not only during the weekend.
But what happens often, especially after we have successfully disconnected from work, is that we forget to reconnect to work.
“Reconnecting to work is just as important as disconnecting”
Why reconnecting is key.
Reconnecting to work (or what researchers call “reattachment”) means rebuilding a mental connection to your work, your upcoming workday and work tasks. In other words, reconnecting means switching from the “home mode” to the “work mode”. What is important, is that reconnecting must happen in the morning. Therefore, try to reconnect to your work while you drink your morning coffee at home, during your commute to the office or even 5 minutes before the official start of your workday.
By reconnecting to your work,
- you mobilize your energy toward work.
- you redirect your attention toward your tasks.
- you allocate relevant resources toward your current work goals.
What you will get out of it.
Reconnecting to work has various benefits for you and your work. You will feel energetic and enthusiastic. When you reconnect to work, investing effort into and focusing on work-tasks will become easier. Also, you will be less tired and more energetic even at the end of the workday. You will feel more positive emotions when you return home, and you will feel happier in the long term.
Sounds awesome, right? Here’s what you can do to reconnect to your work and beat the Monday Blues.
Start today!
1. Think about your workday ahead.
Reconnecting can be as simple as merely thinking about your upcoming workday. Where have you left off on that presentation that you were preparing yesterday afternoon? What tasks are important for this week? What meetings are scheduled for today? Which colleagues or clients are you going to meet? If you want, you can plan your day, for example by writing a To-Do list, but you don’t have to.
Just by starting to think about work, you can slowly switch into the “work mode”. This helps you to be more attuned to work, which helps you focus and concentrate on your key tasks.
2. Go a step further: Mentally prepare for the day.
Mentally preparing for your workday goes a step further than merely thinking about it. You can mentally simulate the upcoming workday. How will you continue working on that presentation? What will be likely discussed during today’s meetings? What is your contribution going to be in those meetings? What kind of interactions will you have with colleagues or clients?
Mentally simulating your workday allows you to have a deeper understanding on what you can expect, which in turn allows you to be better prepared.
3. Consider possible challenges and obstacles – and solutions.
Part of mentally preparing for your workday is also to consider possible challenges and obstacles. What information do you still need to finish that presentation? Where can you get the relevant information? For which tasks do you need to be undisturbed and how can you ensure that no one interrupts you? What are the challenges of this workweek and how can you master them?
It may sound counterintuitive to focus on potentially stressful work situations first thing in the morning. However, it is crucial for the success of your workday and -week to anticipate potential challenges and obstacles. The key is to also think about how to master these challenges. By thinking of solutions, you will do your future self a favor because you will be prepared and therefore minimize surprising and potentially stressful situations.
Reconnecting goes beyond saving Mondays.
You probably already guessed it – Reconnecting to work in the morning is not only beneficial for Mondays. In fact, it is a tool to use every single day to maximize your energy throughout your workday.
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March 17, 2023This post is based on the following sources and academic articles
Areni, C. S., Burger, M., & Zlatevska, N. (2011). Factors affecting the extent of Monday Blues: Evidence from a meta-analysis. Psychological Reports, 109(3), 723–33.
Sonnentag, S., Eck, K., Fritz, C., & Kühnel, J. (2020). Morning reattachment to work and work engagement during the day: a look at day-level mediators. Journal of Management, 46(8), 1408–1435. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206319829823
Sonnentag, S., & Kühnel J. (2016). Coming back to work in the morning: psychological detachment and reattachment as predictors of work engagement. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 21(4), 379–390. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000020
Picture Credits: Featured image from Pexels by Anete Lusina
