It’s Monday morning after a 5 day weekend and it’s time to get back in the saddle and get back in the routine. What we do that morning is going to set up our week and get us going. Here’s my foolproof method for crushing the day and hopefully it finds you on the way back to a productive week and your time off gave you a solid restart.
Step One: Recognize what your body needs.
A little introspection never hurts. Sunday night we got home from a 6.5 hour drive and I wasn’t feeling so hot. 5 days of pretty bad sleep, overeating, and drinking way too much is all catching up to me. Monday morning recovery starts before Monday actually hits. To address any deficiency in my health I’ve got to get some healthy substances in, rehydrate, and give my body a break. Next part that could be the MOST important is to satisfy the mind and squash any anxieties. Monday morning is work for me, so get your mind right by understanding that and opening up your work calendar ahead of time.
Step Two: Address needs
I was parched and needed to get some fluids in my system, and some nutrition wouldn’t hurt. I went with a smoothie with Coconut water, power greens, protein powder, blueberries, Maca powder, Resveratrol powder, stevia, and some Greek yogurt. Delightful smoothie and this set me up for a good morning. Later that night I took some HTP 5, and slept like a baby. Due to overeating all weekend, I’m going for a 16 hour intermittent fast and won’t be eating anything until lunch. During this time I’ll be rehydrating with tons of water and drinking tea and coffee for a boost. Give my stomach some time to process all the food and have a rest, give my brain a boost to get me going.
Step Three: Get organized
We already looked at our calendar, but I took it one step further and made sure that my to do list wasn’t overwhelming and made a plan for when I would get to the gym. The plan is in place, all I have to do is follow it. Take any sort of will power discussion out of it. I know that I’m starting work at 7 am, with 5 tasks, and going to the gym at 9. Plenty of time for the tasks, and for me to get ready for the day. I also had a full suitcase of clothes that needed to be washed, so I started laundry when I started work. Clear the mess up in your life, clear the mess up in your head and man does it feel good. We’re not planning on overachieving after a long weekend, but we’re not slacking.
Step Four: Incentivize completion
Life is all about incentives. I am embarrassingly good at short time incentives. You know that famous marshmallow test where kids are given one marshmallow immediattely, or two if they can delay? I was never the kid to wait. Read more about it HERE , or don’t waste your time and understand that we all can’t delay incentives, and it doesn’t mean you’re going to suck at life. Now we need to tie those two strings together and put an incentive in place. Crush morning work with the to do’s, crush the gym let’s put a reward at the end of it. Once I’m done with the gym, I’ll be looking forward to a healthy, but delicious egg scramble. That might be one incentive, but I’m going to take it further and if I get it right, I’m golfing by 2 today. What was that? That’s right, I’m coming back from vacation and I’m crushing my day then finishing it on the course. After the gym, I’m giving myself a couple hours to get ahead of any potential issues, make calls, and with the incentive of getting to the course I have no hesitations.
Summary
The proper recovery starts ahead of time, and the organized life sets us up for success. Avoid the Monday morning anxiety attack and long weekend hangover by acknowledging that time away from productivity can be tough. Also if you like to overindulge, you can! Turn your Monday back into a day where you crush your to do list, work out, do laundry, eat well, and when you complete this you get a reward. For me, there’s nothing better than being on the golf course, so I work towards it. I set up my day so that I’ve completed my work tasks, and I’m still available through text, emails, and calls while I’m out there, but if I’m ahead of everything then I shouldn’t need to be.
The Better Life 