22 Jun Staying Motivated
It’s Monday morning after a long weekend and time to start the work week. Can we just rewind back to Friday? I open my laptop and I have zero battery left. How does that even work? But somehow my laptop and I have the same mood today. Low energy and wanting to shut down every few minutes.
Does this ever sound like the start of your work week? Sure it does, because guess what? You’re human. But when you run your business, you must keep going and keep your staff going. So how do you overcome the Monday blues? Good news, I have some practical tips for helping you jump-start your work week, even when you are tired.
The first step is to keep a running list of what needs to be accomplished. I have a white board facing my desk that breaks down different needs in each department of the business. This is a huge help when I just finish a big project and am looking for inspiration on what to tackle next. It also helps on Mondays to refresh my brain about what tasks are important.
As CEO, I am responsible for every aspect of the company. That doesn’t mean I know all the details. Which leads me to the second step of jump-starting your week: Meet with your department heads or executive team early on Monday. I find that helps both you and your team focus on what is most important for the business that week.
Use your calendar. That is the third and perhaps most important step to jump-starting your week. Think back to Friday when you were in the zone and knocking out projects. I guarantee you did not finish everything you wanted to accomplish. At some point you walked away and hopefully unplugged and spent time with your family. I use my calendar to help pick back up on projects I left unfinished on Friday. Before I leave the office for the weekend, I preschedule my day for Monday. I block off time to finish projects I started, and to also think about new projects I want to accomplish the coming week. I find I am more focused on work in the office before the weekend than I am the first few moments after walking in the door on Monday.
Notice that I did not say to open your laptop and start answering emails. That is the opposite of productivity.
Notice that I did not say to open your laptop and start answering emails. That is the opposite of productivity. Yes, you need to get to your emails, but you will be far more productive if you start working on a project or meeting with your team to discuss priorities before getting lost in your email.
It also helps to get a jump-start on your week if you take time on Monday morning for yourself. Before you get to the office, spend some time in quiet meditation. For me that is means reading the Bible and prayer journaling. Exercise to build up endorphins, giving you a boost of energy. Eat a healthy breakfast. All these activities before you get to the office have proven to help you have a better start to your work week.
What are your tips for jump-starting your work week? I would love to hear your ideas.
Scott Miller is the CEO of Centerpost Media and host of the Create, Build and Manage Radio Show and Podcast. You can find Scott on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter via “@scottmillerceo.” Centerpost Media is a marketing agency with a vision to help every business they encounter with their media needs by providing outstanding quality, service and value. Centerpost Media is the parent company to BizTV, BizTalkRadio, BizTalkPodcasts and Bizvod.