Five ways to beat the ‘Sunday fear’
Dreading work after the weekend?
A Monster survey has found that half of people have “really bad” anxiety on a Sunday evening when thinking about the upcoming working week, so much so that they want a new job! If you’re dreading Mondays and the week’s impending tasks, deadlines and meetings, you must address it.
The easiest way to get a handle on this is by preparing for the following week on Friday.
Don’t make a break for the weekend
Unsurprisingly, clock-watching doesn’t make time move faster, especially on a Friday afternoon. Whilst you’re desperate to get out and enjoy the weekend, disconnecting from work and running out the door at 5pm will make your Mondays much harder.
Try taking at least five minutes to prepare your desk and surroundings for the week ahead – throw away any documents which are no longer needed, ensure any equipment you will need on Monday is at hand and generally organise your working area. This way you can hit the ground running come Monday morning, making your first day back much less stressful.
Know what’s coming up
Take a look at your calendar for the following week and start mapping out how you will spend your time on Monday. Go one step further and leave notes for yourself about deadlines and tasks so that they don’t slip your mind. Knowing the order of your day allows you to prioritise your tasks better, which puts you in control and less stressed.
Unfinished business needs to be finished
Leaving on time on a Friday is a dream but if your deep in a project, push through the urge just to leave come home time. Telling yourself you will finish it next week is fine but you will lose the momentum you have built and resurrecting that on Monday might be challenging. Plus it will only play on your mind all weekend.
Plan ahead
If you cannot wrap up your work on most Thursdays and Fridays, it is worth reassessing how you spread your work throughout the week. By understanding what areas of work are more time-consuming than others, you can schedule better. If necessary ask your co-workers for help and if this is still not helpful speak to your manager about bringing more people on to help with the hefty workload.
Look at the bigger picture
If you’ve made an effort to improve your Mondays but still feel anxious about what the week is going to hold, it is worth considering if the job itself is causing you stress. Your current job may not be a good fit for you and no amount of preparing on a Friday afternoon can fix this. There is no harm in seeing what else is out there which may be more suitable for you.