It’s the beginning of a new week and you’re still reeling from the weekend. Maybe you have a hangover, maybe its fond memories of sleeping in and watching Netflix in bed for two days straight that has you a little fuzzy first thing on a Monday morning. Either way, you are likely not equipped to shift into “work mode” as soon as you log into your computer. You’re not a robot.
“Monday morning meetings tend to start my week off on the wrong foot,” one New York native, 27, told Moneyish, adding that it slows down his workflow and is ineffective, saying he’d much rather use the time to catch up on emails and unfinished projects. Plus, he says, “it is impossible to productively contribute to any conversation [that early].”
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If the feeling of dread creeps up on you on Sunday night, you’re not alone. According to Moneyish, studies have shown that as many as 81 percent of workers get the “Sunday Scaries” — a severe anxiety that bleeds into the beginning of their work week. And according to data, one in three employees is likely not to show up to a meeting that’s scheduled for early Monday morning.
Experts say it’s much more productive for everyone to delay meetings until later in the day, when people’s brains are a little less foggy.
“When the weekend rolls around we really need it, and we may not be ready to jump back into Monday,” Deb Lee, a digital productivity coach, tells Moneyish. “Heavier, and more intense meetings should be saved for later in the day, or even on Tuesday when you’ve gotten into the swing of things and feel settled.”
Moneyish points to a study from 2017 that found the highest percentage of tasks are completed on Monday (20.4%), compared to on Friday, when only 16.7% of work assignments are done.
But it’s important to specify that people complete the most tasks at around 11 a.m., just before lunch time, suggesting that the 9 a.m. Monday meeting your boss has planned won’t be the most effective, the study also found.
If you have an understanding boss, Lee suggests asking your boss if they’d be okay with moving the meeting.
“You can say to this person, ‘how would you feel about doing a lunch instead?’ or ‘Would you mind if we met later, there are some projects I’d like to work on earlier in the day.’
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“I wouldn’t approach it with, ‘I’m not a morning person and I don’t want to do it.’ It’s more like, ‘here’s my schedule, and here are some things I’m working on. Now you’re telling your boss that you’re invested in your work and in your schedule.”
Good luck to you.
