Monday: the only day of the week that the stock market actually falls on average. According to a study published by the Telegraph, workers, on average, only get 3.5 hours of productive work done on Mondays. We all know the feeling of dread on Monday and the stress that can come along with it. But guess what? We don’t have to accept that! Monday is an important day in the work week and can set the tone for the rest of the week.

Nothing about hating Monday is healthy. Or necessary! The first issue with that- the word “hate”. We have seven days a week in the precious life. We should not hate any single one of them! I am convinced that with a little tweaking in your routine, Mondays can become your new favorite day of the week and you can kill it  at work.

You’ll notice that throughout these Monday rituals, there are two consistent themes to focus on:

1. Indulgence. Treat yourself on Mondays! Splurge on things you normally wouldn’t. Today is the day you deserve to be spoiled.
2. Self-care- more so than other days of the week, this is when you need to focus on yourself and health. Monday shouldn’t be a day that you’ll need to rest later to make up for. On the contrary, Monday should be used to catch up from the weekend.

So, whatever indulgence and self-care mean to you are what you should focus on!

Monday mornings

Exercise

If you’re exhausted from a big weekend and only want to get a bit of extra sleep, I’d try to push past that and exercise. Exercise releases endorphins and gives you energy. Both of which are important additions to your Monday.

Breakfast

If you’re one of those people that get by on a banana on their way to work, today you might want to rethink that quick tide over and make sure you get a full meal. You never know what Mondays can throw your way, which means you might not be sure exactly when you can eat. Eating breakfast helps you concentrate, which we all could use a little extra help with on Mondays. It’ll also get your metabolism going and your energy up. Just do it.

$6 Latte

…or whatever your caffeinated guilty pleasure may be. Today’s the day to treat yourself, and you can use that extra boost of energy (and sugar!) after the weekend. It’ll also make getting out of bed easier and something to look forward to. It really is the little things.

At Work

Part of the reason that Mondays go so poorly at work is because we overexert ourselves with our goals and all we want to accomplish. We think we need to get all of our to-do lists done, plus everything that didn’t get done last week, all while new tasks for the week ahead are popping up around us. So, try to find balance in the day. It’ll reduce the stress and help ease you out of the weekend into the full force of the week.

Smile

The study published by the Telegraph found that, on average, people don’t smile until 11:16 AM on Monday morning. That. Is. So. Sad. So, an easy way to turn that statistic around? Make an effort to smile! It could be tougher if you feel like you have less to smile about, but it can make such a difference, not only in your day but the day of those around you.

Pro tip: set reminders to smile and be grateful. For years, my father sets aside 30 minutes during each work day to exclusively think about all he’s grateful for and has in this life. It’s amazing to see and he radiates gratitude because of it.

Chat with co-workers

According to clinic psychologist Alex Gardner, our hatred of Mondays comes from our deep-rooted tribal instincts. We go to work and feel isolated whereas over the weekend we have the freedom humans desire. So, chat with your co-workers so you can feel part of your “tribe” again, rather than throwing yourself into work alone, which is a quick road to burnout.

Organize

If you feel overwhelmed by your to-do list, it’s worth investing 30 minutes or so going through what needs to get done and prioritizing them first, rather than just diving in and trying to do. it. all. Don’t feel bad about not working on specific tasks right away. It’ll give you peace of mind and, following your organization time, you’ll be more productive and efficient than if you were just scrambling to get everything done.

Monday evenings

Do something weekend-ish

Go to happy hour on Monday (maybe instead of Thursday). It’ll give you something to look forward to throughout the day and actually make the week go by faster because you don’t feel like you’ve spent the entire time just waiting for the weekend. It’s a much easier transition into the work week than isolating yourself to work on Mondays after a weekend of socializing and/or family time.

Chill on your side hustle

If you have a side hustle (which you should!), today is the day you can give it a rest and just a be a normal 9-5 human. Like we established above, one of the fatal flaws that comes with Mondays is overexerting yourself. It’s easy to want to accomplish all the things, especially after the weekend. But by doing so, you’re shooting yourself in the foot because you’ll burn out and be less productive during the rest of the week. Use Monday to rest and plan your side hustle and Tuesday to hit the ground running with it.

Order Delivery

Though I normally limit my food delivery for health and financial reasons, I make exceptions on Monday. It’s the day I’ll order my favorite take out and enjoy every minute of it being delivered to me (me not cooking it). You can indulge here, but I still try to eat fairly healthy so I feel energized for Tuesday.

Plan Out Tuesday

So you can be easy on yourself on Monday, but Tuesday is coming and you need to prepare. I always make sure to plan out Tuesday. This way, I can rest assured things will get done (especially things that maybe didn’t get done on Monday). I use this planner to map out Tuesday and include the things I need to do that week at the bottom (get your planner below). By Tuesday morning, I feel rested, relaxed, and ready to conquer whatever is on my schedule.

By treating yourself on Mondays, Monday then becomes a relaxing and even exciting day of the week. Use this day to recharge yourself. I think that everyone deserves a self-pamper day and to me, there’s no better day of the week to do this on than your least favorite day of the week.