Jump Start Your Week by Kicking the "Mondays" to the Curb

I hate to admit it, but I hate Mondays. Have I mentioned that? If I haven't, it bears repeating! Whether it's an accumulated sleep deficit or a natural unwillingness for the weekend to end, getting going on Monday is one of the hardest parts of my week.

In honor of the fact that I'm on my second cup of coffee and my eyes still aren't open, I thought I take a minute and talk about the best way to beat off a case of the "Mondays". After all, you can't be at your best if you're still thinking about crawling back into bed! Here are some great tips to jump start your week:

1) Get up and get going. The hardest part of any Monday morning is actually getting out of bed. Resist the urge to slap that snooze button.

2) Grab a cup of coffee and a cold cup of water. You don't want to drink coffee until you can't through the day without it (that's a slippery slope) but a small caffeine jolt is a good way to get your day started. And rehydrating yourself with cold water not only gives your body a jolt, it starts the day off by pumping up your fluids.

3) At the end of your shower, give yourself a cool rinse. The cold water on your skin is revitalizing and will jump start your system so you feel refreshed and ready to go.

4) Wear bright colors, and resist the urge to rush through your morning grooming routine. The time you want to look your best is when you're feeling the worst!

5) Eat breakfast. Low blood sugar levels will only make it harder to get your day started.

6) Jump into your hardest task first. Slipping into the day's workload sounds like a good idea-until it's noon and you haven't even started yet! Sit down, check your email (quickly), respond to anything that can't wait and make your day's to-do list. Then jump in feet first.

7) Avoid the temptation to leave other browser windows open when you work. Temptations like Facebook and your personal e-mail are incredibly distracting, especially when your mind's really not on work in the first place. If you can work with music in the background go for it, but if it's going to distract you keep it off (or find some without lyrics-Pandora radio is a favorite of mine, but I've learned how to tune out the words).

There's no avoiding Monday, but with a few basic coping strategies you can kick those Monday blues to the curb and get your week off to a great start.