I hated Mondays in school.
So much so that I’d get depressed every Sunday afternoon as it dawned on me that a new school week was about to start.
My disdain for Mondays was so intense that it carried on into my first 20 years in the workforce.
Then a few years ago, I finally figured out the cause of my Sunday afternoon depression. It wasn’t that I was lazy and dreaded having to go back to work. It was all about how my week STARTED.
In today’s podcast episode, I explain why finding the right workflow is essential to your productivity—and happiness.
The notes that follow are a very basic, unedited summary of the show. There’s a lot more detail in the audio version. You can listen to the show using the audio player below. Or you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Monday Morning Dread
Every Monday morning at school, we dove right into the first class, just as we did every other day of the week.
There was no accommodation for the fact that Monday mornings followed a relaxing weekend. It was the same intensity as every other school day morning.
I had the same experience once I entered the workplace. We were expected to hit the ground running every Monday morning. Often, these mornings were filled with meetings and appointments, and I found it very difficult to deal with those demands so quickly after a relaxing weekend.
It felt like diving into an icy lake after sitting in a hot tub.
Setting Your Own Schedule
Finally, a few years into having my own business, I started to experiment and blocked out my Monday mornings. No client work. No calls. No meetings.
What did I do instead? I looked back at the past week and reflected. I then looked ahead to the week in front of me and thought about what I wanted to accomplish. I used the time for planning, reading and journaling.
Then, after lunch, I felt ready to ease into client work.
The result was transformational! Changing my Monday morning routine made the rest of my week productive and fun. To this day, that’s how I start my week. I ease into it … then hit it hard … and then ease out into the weekend.
My point is this: you have to find the weekly workflow that works best for you. Some people prefer to front-end load their weeks, then ease out starting Thursday afternoon. Others prefer to ease into the week and back-end load their work.
Others, like me, prefer to ease in and out and put most of the work and intensity on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
There’s no right or wrong workflow schedule. The important thing is to experiment and find the flow that’s best aligned with your energy, needs and personality.
By the way… whenever you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help you grow your freelance business:
1. Grab a free copy of my book.
It’s called Earn More in Less Time: The Proven Mindset, Strategies and Actions to Prosper as a Freelance Writer. The title says it all. 😉 — Click Here
2. Join my implementation program and be a case study.
I’m putting together a new implementation group this month. If you’re earning $5k+/month (or the part-time equivalent) from your freelance business … and you’d like to grow your income quickly with better clients … just email me at [email protected]
3. Work with me privately.
If you’re a 6-figure writer who’s trying to earn more in less time, with less stress, I might be able to help you get there faster than you think. Just email me at [email protected] and put “Breakthrough” in the subject line, and I’ll get back to you with more details.
