7 ways to actually enjoy Mondays

Happyyyy Monday! 

How was your weekend?!

Ours was really nice–a good mix of staying in/going out/hanging with friends and time alone to start and finish a whole book! (Where The Crawdads Sing–it was really good!)

Anddd I know it’s Monday and before you get mad at me for being “Happy Monday” girl–I’m here to tell you–there truly ARE ways to make Mondays feel far less…Monday-ish. It might take a few extra creative tricks up your sleeve (like…any of the below!) but it’s not so impossible after all.

Have you tried any of these yet? 

1. Blast a happy song

This, I promise you, is the best Monday trick I know.

When I was 19 I spent a summer in LA with my best friend Alex, interning for a PR firm. We were very poor (sustaining only on granola bars and vodka sodas) and shared a king size bed for 3 straight months. Quickly growing accustomed to running up bar tabs until the wee hours in West Hollywood all weekend long, you can imagine that Mondays quickly became likened to sticking our heads into a Magic Bullet on a weekly basis.

The only thing that got me into my pencil skirt and out the door was the fact that we started a tradition of blaring this song the second the alarm went off. There was something about it that instantly put a spring in our step and kicked the week off on the right note.  If you don’t share the same taste in music as my 19 year old self, you might find success in my other amazing (yet, at times admittedly embarrassing) Monday morning rotation options: Sweat,Rich Girl, Drive, Centerfold, Shake, Departed, Naturally, Raspberry Beret, Say My Name and Wildcard.

2. Dust off your crock pot

Assemble what you need Sunday night (check out these recipes for starters), cram it all in that magical little contraption on Monday morning and you’ll be mentally salivating all day looking forward to that delicious dinner! Not to mention you’ll have zero cooking to do when you get home. And less cooking=more time to have another glass of wine!

3. Plan a girls night on Monday night 

Why do we never suggest Monday as an option when getting together with friends? We really should. Excitement to see someone you love makes the day go by so much faster! Not to mention, you need a reason to celebrate the fact that Monday is over! Bonus points if you invite your friends over for the dinner you assembled… in your crock pot!

4. Don’t hit snooze

This is SO hard to do–but hitting the snooze button 5 times before you get up is just setting yourself up for a crappy, rushed morning. Getting up an hour earlier to take your time, enjoy your coffee, maybe even read a book and linger in your PJs–or just time to wrap up what you never got around to on Sunday night–makes a HUGE difference.

If you haven’t heard of Hal Elrod’s Miracle Morning routine, listen to his interview with Pat Flynn (one of my favorite podcasters) and it will change your life!

5. Try something new with your hair, makeup, or outfit

Something as simple as a swipe of red lipstick works wonders for me–or even coming up with a new, different combination of your same workwear staples will put more pep in your step. Try a braid instead of your usual ponytail–just shake things up a little bit. You’ll be surprised at how well it works–you won’t feel “Monday-ish” at all!

Plus, when you try something new, people will notice–and they’ll compliment you! When do you need nice ego boosters more than ever? MONDAYS.

6. Start a Monday morning breakfast club with coworkers 

A lot of people do this on Fridays, but Fridays are already one of the best days of the week. Why not have breakfast to look forward to on the worst day of the week? Grab a group of coworkers and rotate bringing in breakfast–it can be something as simple as grabbing bagels from everyone’s favorite bagel store, or you could take things to the next level and do a “healthy breakfast challenge”–whatever! Get creative!

7. Wait until Monday to start a new book, tv show, or magazine 

Think of how excited you’ll be to wake up on Monday knowing that today is the day you come home and finally start watching the new season of Ozark, get around to actually reading Crazy Rich Asians or that new issue of Bon Appetit you’ve been patiently storing in your desk since last Wednesday.

What about you? What are your tricks for making Mondays more bearable?