By Dawn Onley

Mondays can be rough.

Add to that a sore, scratchy throat, a sinus headache and just the overall ick I’ve felt since Saturday evening, causing me to sleep half of the morning on Sunday and forego the writing that I desperately needed to finish. Bleh. Mondays can be downright depressing.

I try to look on the bright side, however, when Mondays roll around and I’m left feeling not quite ready for the work week. I do this by attempting to incorporate fun things into my calendar to help keep me motivated during the week. Some weeks, this can present a struggle, depending on my workload. But usually, I can eek out some fun. Actually, just the mere exercise of lining up fun things to look forward to doing is worth the time because it shifts the focus from things that I need to do to things that I want to do.

But in order to do this, I have to get busy lining up some joy!

These things are random – like scheduling a hair appointment or a pedicure to getting caught up on a TV show or reading a few chapters of a book. As I begin to jot down my list, I notice my attitude shifting and a smile emerge. Why should the weekends get all of the fun? By focusing on these daily drops of joy, it makes some of the more difficult parts of each day more palatable.

These activities can be virtually anything. The only criteria I have is it has to be something that I find exciting/fun/educational/uplifting.

For example, this is what I’m looking forward to this week:

• Celebrating my husband’s birthday!
• Helping my sissy celebrate a milestone birthday!
• Going shopping for birthday gifts
• Helping my son write out his Valentines (and going to the store with him so he can get his friends candy to go in said Valentines)
• Getting caught up on This is Us
• Watching Madiba
• Eating a kinkling or 2 (powdered donuts that are popular where I live during the month of February)
• Planning an upcoming family vacation
• Getting my hair done
• Trying out new restaurants
• Researching a couple of plays to see over the next few months
• Writing
• Learning. Thriving. Growing.

I have found that my work week becomes more enjoyable when I incorporate some personal fun in with my work days.

I think you should give it a try as well, if you’re not already maximizing your week days.

Is there anything you’re particularly excited about doing today? Tomorrow? This week?

Let’s line up some fun! Because … all work and no play makes for a dull week.