It’s late Sunday afternoon and I am on a flight back to Boston wishing I had a couple more days to enjoy the beach having just spent four great ones in Boca Raton, FL. It was two days of work for an upcoming annual Board Meeting we are producing later this spring and two days of sun and fun with my husband who accompanied me on this trip.
I am one of those people who works hard and plays hard too. It is really only in the past few months, that I have truly been able to shut off over the weekend or when I am on vacation. My mind just keeps going and I dream about my events, wake up thinking about things I need to do, or in my most crazy of times, I wake up in a panic that I don’t have enough time to accomplish all I need to or that I forgot some detail. I don’t but the mind plays tricks sometimes.
My mood also almost automatically shifts on late Sunday afternoons. Sure we have Sunday Fundays and I have been known to stretch out a weekend here and there (especially in July and August) but for whatever reason that weekly Sunday night vibe is always a bummer.
Even today while sitting on the beach, I started thinking about my week – how much catch up work I will have after being away, how many weeks I have left until my next big event (two) and what I need to do to prepare for my next work trip which happens to be in a few days (NYC bound on Thursday). I realize now there is no use fighting these feelings – it’s just the nature of who I am and what I do. I think whether you love your job or not, many people suffer these very same feelings on a weekly basis. But I can trick my mind too. I have been trying some new things to help me combat the start of the weekly grind and that have also helped me better prepare for my week and even look forward to my workload.
See my list below and try incorporating one or two next week. You might just start to embrace your Sunday vibe too.
Make a plan to meet someone professionally or socially to start your week – this can be a weekly staff meeting to set expectations, grabbing a coffee with a colleague to share ideas or just meeting up with a friend after work for a glass of wine
Do something for yourself early in the week - get a manicure, indulge in a home spa night, make a bunch of healthy meal options that you can enjoy the whole week
Do a little retail therapy – while your face mask is drying, check out your favorite on line shopping sites and treat yourself to something new for the approaching season or score that coat that you have been eyeing that’s now on sale at 75% off
Make a list of all you need to get done that week – I have work plans for all my events, but I also write daily to do lists of everything I need to get done on any given day. Combine your professional tasks with your personal errands - being able to check off a bunch will give you immediate gratification. And sometimes when you list things on paper, they are not as daunting. Check them off one by one, you will be surprised how much you will get done.
I am going to draft my week’s plan now and then turn off my computer and sleep for a bit. Sure my list might be long, but it will be organized and in one place – just typing that made me feel a whole lot better.
Bring it Monday.