Many people start to be filled with dread come Sunday evening, dreading Mondays. Monday blues, who doesn’t have them. According to LinkedIn and Headspace some 75% of Americans have anxiety on Sunday about the upcoming work week.
In a YouGov poll 2021 with 4,000 people, 58% of people expressed their dislike for Mondays. This is possibly why a ‘bare minimum Monday’ concept could really work.
Tik Tok creator Maris Jo Mayes made this trend popular so that people wouldn’t feel as stressed and could learn to cope with the work week and the Monday blues.
“I initiated this because I was putting too much pressure on myself, which made it difficult for me to achieve anything.”
Plus points of bare minimum Mondays
Bare minimum Mondays allow you to ease into the week rather than plunging directly into stressful activities.
In an interview with Insider, Mayes said that on Mondays for the first two hours she avoids meetings and takes things slowly. The rest of the day she does the easier tasks that can be managed. A slow start to the week also allows you to use your energy sustainably throughout the week.
Monday recharge lasts the entire week
Although many people especially employers may not be happy to hear about this, a bare minimum Monday concept can actually boost performance for the entire week as it helps eliminate burnout and increase concentration throughout the week.
This is in line with the concept of working less hours or not working so hard but working productively instead. A 2021 study in Sweden over 10 years revealed that reduced working hours lowered stress, reduce exhaustion and resulted in fewer negative emotions.
Research done in 2017 also revealed that a 25% reduction in working hours led to improved quality in sleep and decreased stress levels.
The thing to remain cognizant of is that more hours of work do not necessarily mean more output.
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