I like Mondays.
It is a strange take on life. According to an article in Forbes, “Fully 80% of people say Monday is their most stressful day at work, and 41% of people dislike Mondays the most, compared to the other days.”
Don’t get me wrong—it’s not my favorite day of the week, but I like it when it rolls around.
You might wonder why.
It is a new start—a chance to return to work and make a difference.
It doesn’t matter if I am set to spend my week in my hometown, my office, or out in the world, traveling for work. Both opportunities excite me.
If I am going to be in the office, I look at my schedule and priorities to set my agenda. I want to accomplish what I need to make our company a long-term success.
If I am traveling, I consider where I am going and set my priorities to ensure that my actions will help our company succeed.
My role at Willmar Electric doesn’t allow for much practical, concrete sense of accomplishment. Seldom does anybody look at a specific action of mine and see a result. I don’t install light switches that allow people to walk into a room and turn on the lights, nor do I process invoices that allow vendors to get paid.
So, when the week is over, I can’t look back and see precisely what was accomplished unless I start my week, intending to make sure what I am doing will make a difference.
This week, for example, I will give a company report to one of our three offices, visit a project, work with a team on a unique long-term project, attend two pre-project meetings, and work with the executive committee on two not-for-profit projects.
The following week will be completely different. I will be on the road attending a board meeting for the NCCER, calling back, and checking e-mails to keep up with my regular job.
But each Monday, I will look forward to the upcoming week and the chance to start over new.
I understand that for many people, Monday means picking up where they left off the previous Friday. In many cases, they might not be as far along as they wish. Those people start the week feeling like they are already behind, which can be discouraging. I’ve had plenty of weeks like that in my life.
My solution to that issue is to use the new week to gain a fresh perspective on the tasks ahead. The break from work allows me to see things from a different perspective.
My Monday this week started with following up with a coworker I knew who had spent Saturday trying to get a project back on track. He was disappointed they hadn’t come closer to his objective. Rather than feeling defeated, my coworker used his Saturday experience to evaluate what led to the problems he encountered and spent the week ensuring it didn’t happen again.
If he succeeds, the project can look forward to a fresh outlook following Monday.