Monday morning is by far the most important couple of hours of the whole week. Why? Because Monday mornings set the pace for the next 168 hours. If you start your Monday morning off successfully, that increases your chance of having a killer week. If you have a really bad Monday morning, that sets a bad vibe for the rest of your week.
It is imperative that you start your Monday morning off right. Many successful people realize this and treat Monday mornings accordingly. Here are what successful men do on to get their weeks started off on the right foot.
They Start Monday Morning On Sunday Night
It’s already been established that Monday mornings are the most important couple of hours of the week. However Monday mornings also tend to be the most busy couple hours of the whole week. Most of the time you’re trying to pick up where you left off on Friday and get a handle on all those unanswered emails that accumulated during the weekend.
There is no rule that you have to start Monday morning on, well, Monday morning. Dedicate 1-2 hours every Sunday night to getting a head start on the upcoming week’s objectives. If you spend a couple of hours Sunday night working instead of watching TV, you can get a jump start on Monday, which leads to a more successful week.
They Wake Up Early
Although most successful people start their Monday mornings on Sunday night, they still make sure to get to bed early on Sunday night so that they can get a good night’s sleep and wake up early Monday morning. Given that you have a couple more tasks that you need to do Monday morning in comparison to other mornings in the week, it’s important you get up a little earlier so you can attack the day. Make sure to get at least 6-7 hours of sleep on Sunday night.
They Exercise
If you want to start each workday full of energy and ready to kill it, do some sort of exercise in the morning. Whether it’s running, lifting or yoga, just get moving. According to the Mayo Clinic, working out in the morning causes your whole cardiovascular system to work more efficiently, upping your energy for the whole day. When you get to work, you’ll be fully awake and more alert versus barely rolling out of bed 30 minutes before and showing up to work only half awake.
They Create A Plan Of Attack
I believe it’s important to take 5 minutes each morning to create a to-do list. I also think it’s important to take 10-15 minutes every Monday morning to create a longer to-do list for the week; let’s call this list your “plan of attack.”
These are the bigger goals that you want to accomplish during the week. Many times, your plan of attack for the week will be in alignment with your goals for that month, quarter and so on. Think about the big problems you need to solve this week. I’d suggest using something a little more sophisticated than a notepad to create this plan of attack. I’d recommend you use the free app Trello as a to-do list, with a new board for each week.
They Do The Most Important Task First
Studies show that we are more creative in the morning because creative activity is highest during and immediately after sleep. This is why it’s super important to do your week’s most important task on Monday morning. Whether this is working on a proposal, writing a letter, designing something or whatever your little heart desires, do it on Monday morning.
Setting this short amount of time aside Monday morning when your brain is operating at its peak performance will allow to accomplish your most important task and set the tone for the rest of the week. Also, if you fail or run into obstacles on Monday morning, you give yourself a lot more time to adjust and try again.
They Check Their Calendars
The busier you are, the more important your calendar becomes to your day-to-day activities. Given that most successful people are super busy, their calendar is their lifeline. Most successful people, even if they have an assistant, make sure their calendar is up to date and review it thoroughly every Monday morning.
Don’t get me wrong, successful people look at their calendar every day, but it’s important to look at it Monday morning so that you can plan for your week accordingly. You don’t want to push something off from Monday to Wednesday if you will be in meetings all day on Wednesday. Your calendar will change throughout the week but it’s important that you check out your calendar on Monday morning while creating your plan of attack for the week.
