Mar 2, 2026 7 min read Corporate Life

How I Made Mondays My Favourite Day of the Week

Hey there, I’m Jess ✨. On The Signature, I share reflections on beauty, routines, travel, wellness, culture, and everyday life. For those drawn to a calmer, more intentional way of living, I send a free newsletter each month on the 7th. You're welcome to join.

A friend recently spoke to me about feeling the Sunday Scaries and I realised I don't feel those anymore. I used to, just a few months ago, dread the idea of heading back to work and anxiety would creep in from Sunday afternoon onwards.

I decided to conquer my Sunday evenings and switch things up. I applied a few techniques to make Monday, who used to be my favourite day of the week years ago, become it again.

1 - Start with a great Sunday

I protect my Sundays fearlessly. I do not put too much on my plate as I already have very full weekdays and Saturdays are very errands-oriented. As socialising drains my social battery, I do not usually host on Sundays, dedicating it to writing for my newsletter, watching Formula 1 when it's on or, monthly, attend or host my book club. All of these things reenergise me and are things I look forward to.

More recently, my husband and I decided to bake a fresh loaf of bread for the week (his task) and a batch of muffins for our weekday evenings (my task). These make our kitchen smell divine! It is something that makes us genuinely happy on Sundays, which allow for calmer and less anxious evenings.

2 - Take care of yourself on Sundays

I wash my hair once a week - don't look at me funny, I have coily/afro hair and it takes days to dry, so washing 3-5 times a month is more than enough! - and I used to do it on Monday mornings before work. But I decided to give my hair more love and put on a hair mask for a longer period of time to give me the necessary hydration for the following 5-7 days. When I don't have to get out of the house, I sometimes apply a hair mask on Saturdays to wash the day after!

On top of taking care of my hair conditioning, I have the ritual of doing my nails on Sunday afternoon, so I start the week with a fresh manicure. I unfortunately don't have great nails and they break - I checked my iron levels, and they are as low as my patience! - so I sometimes have to redo in the middle of the week.

Having my hair and nails in order always gives me a mental boost to be my best on Mondays.

Moreover, I go to bed early on Sundays. I don't repeat the Friday or Saturday night patterns. I take a melatonin supplement if I need the extra help. I can only start on the right foot if I allow myself enough sleep.

3 - Protect your Monday mornings

I have confirmed the best way to keep my Mondays sane and a day I look forward to is that, when it depends on me, I don't have heavy prep meetings or team meetings where I need to be very vocal on my schedule. I put all of those and 1-on-1 meetings on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays (because I also protect my Fridays which are work heavy). This allows me not to have to prepare or review anything during the weekend, so that I can enjoy them and recover.

Moreover, I am a huge adept of the Inbox Zero method, so having my inbox clean on Fridays helps me tremendously to only focus on what is new and what happened during the weekend (as my corporate activity works 24/7).

My Inbox Zero System

As I wrote on Newsletter #16, I have been practicing the Inbox Zero system for over 5 years and I don't see myself changing it anytime soon. As a professional email pingponger for the past 20 years, this is how I tackle my inbox during the day: if an email takes me less than 5 minutes to reply, I answer it immediately. If it needs me to think furthermore or to check with someone else, I put it in the FOR ACTION folder. If it was just for my knowledge and I am not expected to intervene, I read it, I might react with an emoji (so practical, as it pollutes less than a whole useless email saying "read") and archive it immediately.

By close of business - usually by 5PM in my end of the world - my inbox is usually emptied unless I have had many in-person meetings or events and I like to keep it that way. I go back to my FOR ACTION folder on a daily basis to check any actions which are still pending.

This clear separation and organization allows me to start anew every morning. Yes, I have a few emails coming at night as well - and as some are time sensitive, I might respond to those immediately - but I like starting the day with new issues to solve, not past news. That clearly gives me peace.

4 - Remote Work on Monday

This will not be available to everybody but if you can make the decision, allow yourself a remote work day on Mondays, especially if you can only have one remote day per week. And it's not to make it a third day of the weekend and ditch work, it's to protect your sanity. Being face to face with other people, especially if you don't particularly enjoy the people you work with, can be one of the major reasons you dread Mondays.

Many people put their sole remote work day on Fridays, but Fridays are already filled with hope and lightness because the weekend is just up for grabs. Do the switch and work in comfier clothes, with your fuzziest home shoes, have a proper homemade meal during your breaks so that you get properly ready for all the mandatory face-to-face you will have for the next 4 days of the work week.

5 - Make Monday an active day

I promise it's not to put you off of Mondays but hear me out: if you do a workout session on Monday, it might help you feel more productive and inclined to do it again during the week.

Mentally being able to say "I already worked out this week" and it's just Tuesday is the most rewarding feeling and something inside you will not let you let yourself down.

I particularly enjoy doing an evening power walk on Monday evenings, as they keep me active and I can also assess the tone I want for the week whilst organising my ideas putting a few thousands steps in.

6 - Have your best weekday ritual on Monday

It can be to grab a matcha at your favourite Matcha place before or after your commute to work. It can be to play a newly launched episode from your favourite podcast during your commute or, if you can, listen to it while at work. It can be to have your morning or evening shower with your most expensive shower gel or indulge in an evening full-on bath... if you have a bathtub of course. It can be your weekly call with your girlfriend during your commute, to share what happened during the weekend or vent on what already happened that same Monday. Because a lot always happens on Mondays.

Personally, my favourite Monday ritual is to have freshly pressed linens in my bed. It feels the most luxurious and I look forward to it every week.

Whatever suits you, find your reward to celebrate Mondays, to make them a day you stop dreading and start looking so much forward to.

7 - Remember it's only another 24-hour day

Sometimes we are our worst enemy. A Saturday has 24 hours but so does a Monday. Okay you might hate your job, your commute might be too long, your boss might not have accepted you turn it into a remote work day, but do not forget the big picture. It's just one day out of seven. Every minute of our lives is precious but remember that everything passes. That nerve-wracking Monday team meeting will have an end. You will survive this day. You've got this.

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