Mindful Mondays

In other words, literally cleaning away the ‘debris’ of the previous week, and deliberately imprinting my thoughts and intentions for the following week in-and-on my immediate environment.

Housework transmogrifies from chore into ritual. It’s magical.

Having no appointments or outside-focused obligations means that the whole day becomes sacred and sublime. Just me and my home and my heart and my hopes.

Consequently, the rest of the week is potently productive because right from the beginning, I’ve curated the energy and strategies to ensure I’m sovereign and focused, rather than scattered,so work gets done and deadlines met.

I know it’s a luxury to have Monday mornings at my disposal – if you work outside the home, or have kids, it’ll take some extra planning.

Sunday evenings work just as well.

Let’s get deeply practical …

How could this look for you?
You may decide to spend half an hour on Sunday evening or Monday morning after the kids have left for school, scripting out how you’d like your week to look –
What would you like to get done? How do you want to feel? Who will you be when you’ve done that thing?

Then – and this is where the intentions get ‘materialized’ – consider how you could make your home reflect that Future You right now.

For example – Perhaps you realize that taking a lunch to work each day would be helpful in all sorts of ways.

So you script how you loved those moments of quiet away from your desk, and how you noticed having more energy in the afternoon, and how thrilled you are (on Friday) at the money you saved and the salt/calories/fast-food you avoided.

How could you imprint this now?

• Make a menu. Nothing elaborate, just a quick list of dinner meals that make good left-overs, or lunch options you know you’ll enjoy; (Bonus – no more 5pm scrambling to get a meal on the table)
• Put a reminder in your phone for a time during the evening to prep your lunch;
• Set out a suitable container and flatware on the kitchen counter where you’ll see it in the morning;
• You might find you need to clear/clean the counter first. See how this works? You’re not cleaning to please your present self. You’re cleaning to invite in your Next Self. Your Monday Self is already thanking you.
• Put a Post-It note on whichever door you leave through to remind you to take your lunch with you (nothing worse than prepping a delicious meal and leaving the damn thing at home!)
• Give some thought to WHERE you’ll eat –  any quiet spot away from your desk. Get creative.
• Plan something special for yourself on Friday to celebrate.

You get the idea.

Pretty much anything you want to Be/Do/Have in the future can be imprinted in your present.

Mindful Mondays make for marvelous weeks.

Give it a shot.
You can always go back to the old way if it doesn’t work *grins