My 6 Mini-Motivators For Mondays

I recently gave myself a motivation makeover. Click here if you want to read how a crisis of confidence pushed me to develop my own motivational cocktail for success.

Mondays Matter

It's common knowledge getting motivated on Mondays is tough. Even the most upbeat, positive people in the world experience that sluggish feeling coming off a weekend that makes it tough to get back into a productive groove. When the Monday Blues hit, it can be easy to say, "I'll just slide through today and get on track tomorrow." But, succeeding at our goals requires consistency - and that includes making the effort, even when we don't feel like it.

Habit Stacking = Confidence Building = Success

One of the things I learned during my motivation makeover is the power of habit stacking. We all know a key to success is breaking bad habits and building good ones. However, I'd never considered the power of building simple habits on top of one another to experience mini-successes that could drive larger ones. Here's a great article on the subject by Dr. Isaiah Hankel.

As a result, I built a routine of six mini-motivators I do every Monday as a way to get myself in gear. They're as follows:

#1 - Post AND Ponder Some Positive Thoughts - For me, negative self-talk seems to be greater on a Monday. I have to proactively fight back. I start the day by reviewing motivational quotes (I keep a huge file of them on Pinterest), and settle on one that means something to me on that day. I then try to think about what life experiences have taught me this quote is true. Finally, I ask myself how I can use the message in this quote to be a better version of me. This mindful practice of gratitude and positive thoughts helps me set the right tone for the day.

#2 - 10 Push-ups (And Then, 10 More) - I have come to realize the larger and harder my goals are, the more physically prepared I need to be. Yet, getting motivated to workout is tough - and doing it on a Monday can feel 10X tougher. Thus, on Mondays I opt to go with, "a little is better than none." I do ten push-ups. As soon as I'm done, I'm reminded they took less than a minute out of my day to complete, and then I do ten more. This makes me feel strong, wakes me up a bit, and often inspires me to actually get a full workout in for the day.

#3 - Deliver A Compliment - Taking time to pay someone a well-deserved compliment makes me feel good. I love letting someone know how they've inspired me. I also know the likelihood they could use a compliment on a Monday is high too. Who doesn't like getting a nice note when they're struggling with their own version of the Monday Blues?

#4 - Complete One "Uggh Task" On My List - I have a list of things I hate to do, but need to do. Instead of forcing myself to do them all at once, I pick one and get it done. Then, I give myself a little reward (i.e. 10 minutes social media, etc.) to recognize I wasn't lazy and got something important accomplished. 

#5 - Drink 8 Glasses Of Lemon Water - We're always told how important it is to drink a lot of water. I'm proud of myself when I do something I'm constantly reminded is good for me. I put fresh lemon juice in mine. Something about the citrus makes me feel healthier.

#6 - Have A Belly Laugh - I always make time on Mondays to have a good laugh. I have a collection of funny shows, movie clips, etc. I tap into. Most recently, I enjoyed HBO's Silicon Valley. Instead of watching it when it aired on Sunday nights, I'd save it for Monday, when I really needed it. A good, long, deep laugh energizes me and keeps my perspective positive. Therefore, I think it makes sense to have a planned dose of laughter on Mondays.

Having a routine of mini-motivators on a Monday has helped me build my confidence and set the tone for strong weeks of productivity and accomplishment. 

I encourage you to identify and build your own mini-motivator routine for Mondays. 

And, I'd love to hear from other readers on how they cope with the Monday Blues in the comments below!

• P.S. - Have we met yet? First, thanks for reading my article! I have the privilege of being the CEO of CareerHMO.com. Besides writing for LinkedIn, I also write column for INC Magazine is called "Workplace Referee." I invite you to CLICK BELOW on some of my most popular articles:

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