Monday really isn't the worst day of the week. Which day are you really entitled to hate and why?
What do you think of when you say Monday? A hard wake-up call after a hectic weekend, a new batch of tasks and another long week full of unpleasant duties? It doesn't always have to be like that. In fact, there are some good arguments for why Monday is definitely not the worst day you can have.
Firstly, if you manage to rest and relax over the weekend, you'll go into work with a clear head and a lot more energy than you might have in the middle of the week. Second, even if you're running down a wild river, sweeping out bars or pruning an orchard at the weekend, at least you have another topic of conversation with colleagues, another way to shorten a long day.
Plus, Mondays are when you're most motivated to be really active and productive, to make the next few days easier. And if you're sick of Mondays, it's time to flush them out at a club for a "free Mondays" event or take advantage of the cheap Monday drink deals that have been proliferating in cocktail bars lately.
So as it turns out, the days that follow Monday are much worse. Because those just drag on. While Monday has new things waiting for you, Tuesday is simply a maintenance day, a reminder that no work is over and that there's still a long week ahead. After all, even school kids can usually endure Mondays when they see their friends again after the weekend. It's only the Tuesday routine that kills and disgusts them.
But Wednesdays are not very popular either. As a day right in the middle of the working week, it is not conducive to weekend prospects, rest or productivity. But Liveplan points out that Wednesday is not a day to be killed. It's just not conducive to focusing on a lot of small tasks. Rather, on Wednesday, you should get on with bigger, longer-term projects that will take you all day, or at least most of it.
The problem with Thursday, then, is that most people are already feeling Friday night and the weekend, kind of like a horse feels its stable. And a lot of people are already making the evening a "little Friday". So it's no wonder productivity drops exponentially. Liveplan advises making Thursday and Friday the opposite of Wednesday. These two days are best for routine activities, dealing with emails or other small things that need to be done or finished.
Friday night tends to be the highlight of the week, needless to say. Even the die-hard teetotaler and ascetic looks forward to the "machines going quiet" and being able to stretch out on the sofa with a good film, a book and a cup of tea without stressing about what tomorrow holds.Friday can only become such a miserable day in terms of satisfaction when suddenly half an hour before the end of your shift you get an email or the phone rings with a question like "How come X (after X add the task from a fortnight ago that you forgot in the mould) is not done?!"
But Sundays are not very popular either. Especially when one gets up after two wild weekend evenings with the vision that the fun is over and there is only a movie to watch tonight. And, of course, thinking about work. Unfortunately, that's life.
So don't be sad. There are far worse things that can happen to you than Monday. Like Tuesday. Or Wednesday. Or Thursday.
