It’s that time again which means you wave a fond farewell to the weekend that was, and get ready to power through the working week all over again. The only problem with this is that so many of us struggle to get up and running on a Monday morning. In fact, if you’ve decided to read this blog this morning then the chances are you could use a few tips from the productivity masters. Without further ado, here they are…

Avoid Social Jet Lag

This is a relatively new term which describes something we have all had to combat at some stage or another. When you get into the working week you probably settle on a fairly regular sleeping pattern that is dictated by when you have to leave for work in the morning. The problem is that when you get to the weekend you’ll want to cut loose and change things up.

There’s nothing wrong with letting off a bit of steam, but if you stay up late Friday and Saturday night and then rise around midday, by the time your alarm sounds on Monday morning your body is nearly ready to form a brand new sleeping habit. Bear in mind that it only takes 3 nights to reprogram the body’s sleep clock and you’ll soon see why social jet lag is such an issue.

Keep your late nights to once a week, or once every other week and you’re sure to feel the benefits. You could also still get up at your normal time the morning after, and supplement your shorter sleep with a hour-long afternoon nap.

Don’t Cut Corners on Fridays

The problem with Mondays is that they seem such a distant and remote concept on a Friday morning. It can be all too easy to cut corners and drop the pace on Friday so that you cruise into the weekend. The issue this creates is that you’ll often back yourself into a corner come Monday.

With more work than you would otherwise like waiting in your in-tray it can feel quite daunting heading to the office first thing at the start of the week. Pace yourself evenly throughout the week and you’ll get less of a culture shock when you get back into the swing of things.

Think Positive

When it comes to being productive and efficient there’s really nothing more important than your mindset. If you keep telling yourself over and over that you’ve lost out and you have to wait for what seems like forever to be free again when your weekends draw to a close then it’s no wonder that you’ll come to dread Mondays.

Instead you can reframe the issue by seeing it as a way to start earning your next weekend. Motivate yourself to hit the ground running rather than settling for watching the clock. This will give you a sense of satisfaction that carries you through the rest of the week.

Just remember, there’s no better way to get yourself psyched up for the coming weekend than to put in a real shift at work in the days before hand!