What Do You Do If You Hate Monday Mornings?
I just got off the phone with a friend who told me that they were in a bad mood. Why? Because it was Sunday night. What’s wrong with Sunday night? Nothing wrong with Sunday night except that it comes right before Monday morning. And Monday morning means back to work.
Hating Monday mornings is very common. But the fact that something is common doesn’t make it right. If you hate Monday mornings because you hate going to work then maybe it’s time to think about why?
When you aren’t enjoying your work it also affects every other part of your life. If you let it go too far it can even affect your health. Apprehension about work is why you are most likely to have a heart attack on Monday morning between 6 and 10am.
It’s soooo easy to spot someone who isn’t passionate about their job. The salesperson who dislikes his job, is the guy that you hope DOESN’T serve you. When you aren’t enjoying your work you spread your unhappiness to everyone you meet.
So if work is getting you down, here are some things to remember:
- All jobs have parts that we don’t like doing. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that there’s a perfect job out there with no downside. On the other hand if you hate your entire job and dread every day then that’s a sign that things need to change.
- Sometimes there are tough periods at work, when things are a bit more difficult than usual. This doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a terrible job. Make sure that you don’t confuse a rough patch with a bad job.
- Sometimes simply writing down the good and bad things about your job may be enough to help you see that either your job isn’t so bad or actually that it’s much worse than you thought!
- If you decide that you really aren’t enjoying your job, leaving it is NOT the only solution. Often it’s just a matter of making it better. Never assume that you can’t change anything about your current job.
- You should be trying to spend more time on the tasks that you enjoy and are better at. This will result in higher job satisfaction and productivity. This is the foundation of and rationale for delegation and out-sourcing.
- If the job you are doing is genuinely getting you down and tweaking it isn’t going to help then you have to consider your options. With the economy as it is, jumping ship isn’t the best idea, but of course it depends on your particular industry. Internal transfer is another alternative.
- Do you have a dream that you never dared follow? Often the Monday morning blues are your subconscious mind’s way of telling you that you aren’t doing what you were meant to be doing. You have one chance at this life so why hold back? Giving up the status quo and chasing a dream is definitely not for the faint hearted but it can be the most satisfying and rewarding thing you ever do.
Life is too short to hate what you do. And your job takes up too much of your waking life to allow yourself to be unhappy during working hours. Don’t settle for second best.
If you have the blues every work day, than I would think number 7 pertains for sure!
[Reply]
Comment by The Urban Cowboy — August 10, 2009 @ 8:13 am
Too often when it comes to work we have a “the grass is greener” elsewhere mentality. However, change for the sake of change, without a definite direction in mind, can often be self-defeating and we can find ourselves in the same rat race just in a different cage.
On a personal note, it helps me to begin each day with a minute of introspection. I like to look at a photo of my family, thank God for all the incredible advantages I’ve been given in life, and pray for the strength to always put the people I love first. It puts work in perspective and helps give it that sense of mission.
Great post Kaizan, excellent advice for us all to keep in mind.
[Reply]
Comment by Tyler@Feet to the Fire — August 11, 2009 @ 2:49 am
#7 is definitely what I’m aiming to achieve! It’ll take a lot of courage, but a risk we must all take to fulfill our dreams. Thanks
[Reply]
Comment by Ken Kurosawa | Wasabi Burger — August 11, 2009 @ 6:39 am
I used to hate Monday mornings as well. But then i figured, why hate when i still have to go to work anyway. And I happen to be one of the lucky one with a job in this time of messed up economy and here i am complaining. That ain’t right… So, i hate no more.
[Reply]
Comment by Karlil @ PDPro — August 11, 2009 @ 9:51 am
Some good ideas. I suggest putting yourself in a position where you are able to have leverage if you work for someone else. I know a lot of people I worked with were in debt so much, they had to make sure they made their boss happy over themselves. Make sure you are financially stable with a good emergency fund and you will automatically have more control in your position.
Good luck to all…
Dave
LifeExcursion
[Reply]
Comment by Dave — August 11, 2009 @ 2:36 pm
This is a great post. I know so many people who can’t stand Mondays. I often find that I’m slightly apprehensive on Sunday nights! Something that helps me is to look at a task at work and say, “Ok, what can I learn from this?” Looking at a task and seeing what you can learn from it seems to be a good motivator - especially more so than external motivators (a raise, recognition, etc.) Often when those external things don’t happen, we feel really disappointed. That’s why motivating internally helps.
[Reply]
Comment by natalie — August 11, 2009 @ 5:34 pm
I like number 5; it’s all about taking action to improve your circumstances, instead of just throwing your hands up in the air and quitting. I can say from personal experience that delegating and/or outsourcing work is a must, especially for rapidly growing businesses. The sooner we learn to use these tools effectively, the happier we’ll be at work.
[Reply]
Comment by Jeffrey Tang — August 12, 2009 @ 2:10 am
@Urban Cowboy
I think you’re right. Feeling bad about going to work every day is definitely not a good sign. I’ve been there and number 7 was really the only alternative. Thanks for the comment
@Tyler
Thanks for the comment. I agree with you that making change without thinking it through thoroughly can be dangerous.
@Ken Kurosawa
Good luck. Enjoyed your post this week
[Reply]
Comment by Kaizan — August 12, 2009 @ 9:34 am
@Karlil
Nice one. I agree, Why make life difficult for yourself?
Thanks for the comment.
@Dave
Good point. Sometimes just knowing you can walk away makes a job much more tolerable.It’s when you feel locked in that it can be stressful. Thanks for the comment.
@Natalie
Thanks for the comment. Relying on outside validation is always more uncertain than inner motivation. I think anyone who has achieved really big success has always had an inner motivation (not to say that they didn’t like the adoration too!)
@Jeffrey Tang
I like number 5 too! (I wrote it)
Thanks for the comment!
[Reply]
Comment by Kaizan — August 12, 2009 @ 9:37 am
Hey Kaizan! It’s posts like these that make me happy that I’m still in college ;). Anyway, this was a great list. What really stood out to me is the quote “Life is too short to hate what you do.” It really spoke to me. Keep up the good work, man.
[Reply]
Comment by John — August 12, 2009 @ 5:21 pm
I don’t get the cat photo. Why is it relevant to this blog post?
On the other hand, i guess the cat looks pissed off, cos it’s Monday morning.
wait a minute, I just answered my own question!
[Reply]
Comment by Robert — August 13, 2009 @ 2:22 pm
@John
Thanks for the feedback. Even if you’re in college, don’t make the mistake of doing something you’re not totally passionate about!
@Robert
yes, I wasnt sure if people would “get” the cat photo. For the people who have realised that it’s looking annoyed (because it’s monday morning), its a perfect photo for the blog post. For the people who thought the cat looked “sleepy” or “content” then it made absolutely no sense at all…
[Reply]
Comment by Kaizan — August 16, 2009 @ 2:46 am
Yes, I have to agree with you and The Urban Cowboy, number 7 is the key for many of us. I didn’t pay enough attention to number 7 for years and it came back and bit me hard. Sometimes the least “practical” thing to do is the most “practical.”
[Reply]
Comment by Wayne Key — August 26, 2009 @ 8:11 pm