Mondays are tough, but you can improve them.
Mondays have bad reputation. They have long been disparaged for being difficult, demanding and damaging to the tranquility or happiness created over the weekend. New data suggests that Mondays really are that bad for a large number of people.
But you can make Mondays—and all the days—better, reduce their negative impact and set yourself up for a great week.
The Monday Meltdown
Fully 80% of people say Monday is their most stressful day at work and 41% of people dislike Mondays the most, compared to the other days—according to new data from Zety. Following Mondays, Wednesdays took second place for the most disliked day of the week among 20% of people. Certainly it’s the shared pain of Mondays that drove the popularity of Just Another Manic Monday, released by the Bangles in 1986.
Interestingly, Mondays are most disliked by younger workers—those ages 25 or younger. And among those who dread Mondays and experience Sunday scaries, women have it worse than men—with 14% of men saying they’ve never experienced Sunday dread and only 3% of women saying they’ve successfully avoided it. Stress on Sundays is also more common among the self-employed (19%), those who work in the business and financial sector (18%) and Gen Zs (98%)—compared with other groups.
Perhaps ironically, while people disliked Mondays most, 22% said it was their most productive day—eclipsed only by Wednesday which was most productive for 33% of workers.
Bad Days at Work
But in addition to the trouble with Monday, people also report having plenty of bad days at work, regardless of the day. In fact, 65% of people report they have a bad day at work once a week or more. It makes sense that 50% of respondents blame work-related factors for bad days, but it’s also noteworthy that 42% of people say it’s external or personal factors that get in the way of a good day. For 8% it’s a mixture of both.
The top five reasons people cite for experiencing bad days are heavy workloads, demanding tasks and projects, working overtime to catch up with work, anticipating deadlines and negative coworkers. And Mondays are most disliked for the additional reasons of having to interact with the boss, having a lot of meetings and struggling to get motivated.
You can make bad days better by taking control of your work load.
Fewer Bad Days
Work will never be all butterflies and bonbons, but there are ways to make it more enjoyable more of the time.
#1 - Embrace Your Importance
Work doesn’t have to be a panacea, but it also doesn’t have to be a grind. Your mindset is important. Remind yourself that your work matters. Whatever work you’re doing, you’re contributing to your community and making a difference to someone. Embrace the opportunity to get out, roll up your sleeves and dig into doing something that has meaning. All work has dignity, and your work is impactful.
You can also feel better about your work by tying it to your identity. Perhaps you have a great work ethic and showing up everyday is a demonstrate of that. Or you care deeply about your family and your work makes it possible to put food on the table, a roof over your heads or pay for the soccer camp your daughter loves so much. Maybe you’re great at motivating others, and showing up and taking responsibility have positive impact on your coworkers.
Another little-known way to expand your happiness on workdays is to extend it on non-work days. When you’re happy outside of work, you tend to perceive greater happiness within work as well. So do things you enjoy—from gardening or rock climbing to volunteering.
#2 - Manage Your Workload
If you’re facing a mountain of work, take control where you can. As much as possible, schedule your work throughout the week so you have a more equal set of demands from day to day. Block time on your calendar to do heads-down work, so you don’t become overburdened with constant meetings. And avoid procrastinating, especially on Fridays. Your Friday self may want to push tasks into the upcoming Monday, but your Monday self will pay the price. Don’t do that disservice to your future self.
Of course, there may be aspects of your workload which aren’t within your control, so also keep lines of communication open with your boss. Make your work transparent so they understand not just the results you’re achieving, but what it takes to get there—in terms of the hours you invest or the supporting tasks you must accomplish. Meet regularly for updates, and raise a flag when you can’t get it all done. Talk through trade-offs and boundaries. Perhaps you can’t meet the requirement unless you set something else aside. Or maybe you can accomplish something within the next two weeks, rather than within the next week.
You can empower yourself to create a better work experience.
#3 - Build Relationships
A significant reason people struggle with Sunday scaries or bad days throughout the week, is because of challenges with co-workers or leaders. Build strong relationships by staying in touch and being intentional about spending time together. Statistically when you see people more, get to know them and understand them, you’ll have more rewarding relationships. Invite your colleague to have coffee, pull her into a project or get his input on something. Tuning in, asking questions and being present with others are meaningful ways to build connections which will make your days better.
Also give recognition to others. Don’t underestimate your own influence on others and on the culture. If you’re feeling overworked and under-appreciated, chances are others are as well. Give a teammate a shout-out, provide recognition and express gratitude toward others. You’ll help them have a better day, but you’ll also enhance your own wellbeing—since giving to others and feeling gratitude are correlated with your own happiness.
Also empower yourself to have positive interactions with your boss. Stay in touch, ask for feedback and be open about what you need from them. Also seek a mentor. Identify someone you respect and admire in another part of the business and ask whether you can stay in touch and obtain coaching from them. Another leader within your culture can be especially helpful in giving you advice, support and encouragement.
TGIM
Which day is the favorite? It’s no surprise that Fridays top the list, according to the data. But you can create TGIM moments as well, by reminding yourself of your significance, managing your workload and sustaining great relationships.
Perhaps most important is that you empower yourself. Work will never be perfect and you’ll have ups and downs—but there’s a lot you can control. Remember your influence and embrace strategies to make every day better.
