If you’re dreading Monday morning and find yourself worrying about the looming work week, the assignments due and the fact that you have five more work days before you get another day off, you need to address that stress. There are several ways to mitigate the back-to-work blues — starting with taking control of your Friday afternoons. Don’t make a break for it on Friday. It’s tempting to watch the clock all day then flee at 5. But if you do, chances are you’re leaving a work area that isn’t ready to go first thing Monday morning. Disconnecting early sabotages your chances to start Monday off right. So take five minutes to prepare your workstation for the following week — tidy it up, get any supplies you’ll need and organize your desk or work area so it’s ready to go as soon as you show up Monday. Take a look at your calendar and map out what your workday might look like on Monday. If necessary, leave notes to yourself about meetings or deadlines. Prepare any materials you might need first thing, so you’re not caught off guard when you come in. Prioritizing your time will help you feel in control when you come in on Monday because you’ll know what you’re supposed to be doing. Don’t leave unfinished business. If you’re deep in a project and it’s the end of the day on Friday, it’s often better to push through and finish it before you go home, rather than lose your train of thought and try to pick up the pieces on Monday. If you interrupt yourself, it can be difficult to get back into it with the same level of intensity — plus, you’ll probably be thinking about it all weekend anyway. If you find yourself scrambling on Thursday and Friday to wrap things up, you need to find a way to spread your work out throughout the week more effectively. If you’ve made a real effort to improve your Monday mornings and still find that you’re feeling miserably anxious on Sunday night, consider whether it’s the job itself that’s causing your suffering. If it’s simply not a good fit, then all the preparation you can do on a Friday afternoon isn’t going to improve the next week. If your anxiety is that bad, it may be time to look for a new job.
Posted on: Wed, 02 Oct 2013 18:22:38 +0000
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