Monday gets a bad rap. For many of us, it’s the beginning of a molasses-like crawl through the dreaded workweek. But when you love your work, well—Monday is f*ing great.
Monday isn’t just the beginning of a new week, but also the start of a whole new creative adventure—if you’re doing it right. As a bossy babe, I like to start my Monday with a strong morning routine:
1. Meditate
In whatever you’re doing right now—seriously, if it’s making a sandwich, eating a sandwich or even throwing away a sandwich (I might be super hungry while writing this)—just stop immediately. Sit for a moment. Close your eyes and start counting. First, count all the sounds that are going on around you (1. Garbage truck outside; 2. Neighbor kids playing basketball before school; 3. Cars racing down the street on their way to work; 4. Coffee pot brewing in the kitchen.). Next, count all the smells that you are filling your senses (1. Sandwich; 2. Coffee; 3. Fresh laundry; 4., 5., 6., sandwich, sandwich, sandwich (guys, so hungry)). Then count everything that you’re touching right now, whether it’s the keys on your keyboard, the heat of the coffee much in your hand, the table under your elbows or the shoes on your feet. Lastly, think carefully about what you’re tasting (hunger? eggs? tea?). Now slowly open your eyes and concentrate on all the little things around that you see.
And congrats! You’re present. You’re in the moment. You’re damn near meditating. Once you bring awareness to all of these things around you, it becomes easier to concentrate on the little things in your work that you can appreciate and enjoy.
2. Exercise
No better way to get your brain active than to also get your butt moving. Go run, go walk, go do something, go do anything—just move and breath. Get your mind off your work and allow it some time to reset. You’ll find yourself bursting with great ideas that seem to come out of nowhere.
3. Experiment
See your work in a new light by experimenting with a new medium. Maybe you’re a painter and you don’t know what to create next. Maybe you’re a writer and you’ve hit a creative block for how to start the next article or chapter. Get busy with other parts of your brain that will stimulate your creativity in those old, stale parts to that seem to have stalled on you.
4. Connect
And by connecting, I mean disconnecting. Step away from the screen and grab some coffee. While you’re at it, chat with your favorite barista or the guy in line who’s also waiting. Chatting with other and forming relationships, even just for a second, gets us going again and fuels creative work.
5. Read
Pick a subject that interests you and start learning. There’s no better way to pull yourself out of a creative rut than to learn about other subject and give you a new perspective.
6. Write
Maybe you had a bad weekend. Maybe life is a bit too heavy right now. You need to write it down and get it out—then you can start to let it go.
Do what you can to let go of the creative blocks on your work and start something new. Tuesday will thank you.
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