Monday is the start of a brand-new week, and I always want to kick it off right. I feel like my Monday really does set the tone for the rest of my week, so I do my best to start each new week off the right way. These are the five things I do every Monday to set my week up for success.
The first thing I do on Mondays is update my planner. I use the Simplified Weekly Planner by Emily Ley. It is not the cheapest planner you can buy, but it is simple, pretty, easy to use, and well made. I am going to switch to the daily version in 2020 so I can be even more organized. The weekly has worked well for me this year though.
On Monday mornings I match my planner up with my work calendar, Aaron’s activities after or before work, and my to-do list. Each day I add more things to my week, so the fact that is is fairly bare on Monday is a good thing. I use my Outlook calendar for work, but there is something about writing everything down and adding to-do list items each day works better for me.
The next thing I do on Mondays is to drink as much water as possible. Not really, but I drink a ton of water. I want to flush out the less than perfect food choices of the weekend and hydrate my body for the week ahead. When I start my Monday off with lots of water, I usually do it each day during the week. I use this Zak! 30-ounce tumbler at work and fill it as many times as I can each workday.
Every fitness instructor on the planet always says to never miss a Monday. I try really hard to never miss a Monday. Nine times out of ten, I work out using the Fitbit Coach app in my living room. I’ve talked about how much I hate going to the gym, so this is what works for me. I do go to the gym a few times a month just to run on the treadmill to switch it up, but almost never on a Monday. I don’t want to start my week off doing something I hate.
I follow up my workout with a shower and a good hair wash. I only wash my hair a few days a week, but almost always on the days I workout. It feels good to wash Monday out of my hair, do you know what I mean?
The last thing I do to kick off my week is cook dinner. We have a late dinner on Monday’s because Aaron takes a Kung Fu class until 8 pm. We usually eat between 8:30 and 9:00, but it is usually a homecooked meal. I use Home Chef for this exact reason. If left to meal plan I would order in way more often than I would actually cook. With Home Chef meals already in my fridge and ready to go, it makes starting our week off with a homecooked meal so much easier. You can get the recipe for the stuffed shells pictured above here.
What do you do to kick off your week? I’m always looking for new ideas to start my week off the best way possible.