Millions of people start their work week on a Monday morning. Ttoday I am also one of them, going back to work after working part time and my LOA. I am happy, excited, nervous, and a little bit sad. It’s weird going back to work after a long absence, but also not that different than anybody else’s Monday. We all have to regroup, do some organizing (or at least mind shifting) on Sunday night, and that was no different for me.
I’ve always had some denial on Sundays. I like to think that the full day is mine to do all my non-work and non-school activities, but that usually ends up badly. I have found that a little preparation for Monday morning goes a long way to improving the start of the week. If on Monday morning I’m shouting at my daughters about where they left their shoes, I know that it’s my own damn lazy fault for watching that 3rd episode of “House Hunters” instead of hunting for the shoes in our house.
It’s been a very long time since I have returned to work after such a long absence. Of course I’ve been on vacations, but it’s been ten years since I went from a such a different routine (maternity leave) to work routine. But, I have found it’s really not that much different than any Sunday night prep, it’s more about the mental preparation that has been involved. I’ve been talking about my return to my normal routine to my family for weeks now – I wanted them thinking about it and realizing that things would be changing. It’s helped to think some of that through with all of our collective brains involved. This has involved reinstating the Cleaning Calendar, and determining who will be doing pick up and drop off from school.
As for yesterday, it was about following through on the checklists that I have for the kids and I. I made sure I reviewed the calendar for the upcoming week and anticipated any challenges we may have coming up. Planning – what a novel idea!
It turns out that being in denial about Monday isn’t such a bad thing – a lot of people start worrying about Monday starting on Sunday, but all that worrying is cutting into your Sunday relaxation time, which is very important to your health and well-being. I decided to not start planning for Monday until after 4PM on Sunday.
What is your Sunday routine? Do you start planning for Monday mornings on Sunday?
