Missing: #MondayMotivation | Reward Offered

I don’t know about you, but this week my #MondayMotivation was seriously lacking. Sure, going “Back to School” or starting any new chapter is exciting for a while, but then a Monday is a Monday is a Monday, right? It happens to everyone.
 
I usually have big plans for my Mondays—wake up early, have a great breakfast, put together a super cute outfit, get to work early, accomplish everything on my to-do list, go to the gym, and drink 64 oz. of water while leaping tall buildings in a single bound. And sometimes, it happens, and you have a picture-perfect day and can post a cute pic of your completed to-do list or #OOTD! 
It’s a great feeling.
But real talk, sometimes it really doesn’t happen. Sometimes you wake up late, throw on a go-to outfit*, grab a granola bar, get where you need to be later than you want, and drag yourself through the day until you get to skip the gym and go home. It’s harder to accomplish what you want to, or to feel like you’ve accomplished anything. (For me, those days are usually Mondays.)
Those days happen, and though they don’t feel great, it’s okay to have them.
Most importantly, Monday or not, you just can’t let the bad days define your whole week. Having one bad day doesn’t mean that your whole week, month, year, or life has gone off track, even if it feels that way.
Whether you’re in school, in the working world, at home, or anywhere, this is for you. You can control how the rest of the week goes, and here are some tips to get your days back on the “right” track.
Take it one day at a time. Each day is an individual opportunity, independent of the day before it. If Monday wasn’t the best, it means you had a bad day, not that you’re going to have a bad week. (Apply as needed to any other day of the week.)
Be intentional and decide to have a better day. A new day is a new opportunity to be more positive, to be happier, and to set and accomplish your goals. But those things won’t just happen. You have be intentional about them. Choose to look for the positive, to experience gratitude, to let those little frustrations roll off your back, and to hold yourself to a (realistic) to-do list.
Clothes, lunch, backpack? Plan ahead. Pick out your outfit and make your lunch for the next day before you go to sleep at night (unless you have a uniform and/or a meal plan). Pack up your backpack with all your homework, books, etc. before you go to bed, too. Do as much as you can the night before to make getting out of the door in the morning much easier.
Make a list, then re-evaluate. So many of us have huge, unrealistic expectations of ourselves and what we “should” be able to accomplish. (I have a chronic issue with this.) Go ahead, make that long, long master to-do list, but then be kind to yourself. Make a shorter list of things that absolutely have to be done today, and what you can realistically accomplish without losing your mind. Please hear me: You are not a bad person because you can’t accomplish a hundred pages of tasks (for school, work, home, you, etc.) in a single day.
Get enough sleep. Take care of your body. Trust me, everything will be easier if you do. (Pro-tip: If your mind starts spinning with things that need doing as soon as you lie down, keep a notepad by the bed. Do a brain dump to get it all on paper, and deal with it tomorrow.)
I hope these help! Let me know if these tips work for you, or what tips you have for being intentional about your life and time.
Now, I’m going to try to take my own advice…😉
Love and gratitude, 
Katherine
*always have a go-to outfit, always.
Girl Talk is a peer-to-peer mentoring program that pairs middle school girls with high school girls who serve as mentors. Our mission is to see confident girls to grow up to be confident women who are strong leaders and are passionate about giving back to their community.