1. Wake up Early

It might seem a little crazy, but waking up early can be the key to a great Monday. Instead of staying in bed until the absolute last minute, get up early enough to get a head start on things. Throw in a load of laundry, wash the dishes, or just sip a cup of coffee and watch the news. You will be more relaxed through the rest of your day.

2. Make a List

To keep Mondays from feeling overwhelming, try making a “To Do” list on Sunday nights. Then just start at the top and work your way through it. If a task seems overwhelming, set a timer for ten minutes and just see how much you can get done in that allotted amount of time.

3. Get Some Mood Music

If you find yourself dragging on Monday afternoons, turn up some music that has a nice beat. Jam to some good 80’s tunes while you clean the house or load up some old school rap on your iPod while you hit the gym. Great music can make all the difference in your mood and energy level!

4. Reward Yourself

For those who truly loathe Mondays, you might need some incentive for getting through your day. Decide to reward yourself with a trip to the movie theater or dinner with your girlfriends. Having this special reward to look forward to will help you through the mundane tasks of Mondays.

5. Do the Minimum

Sometimes, you just need to put things off until Tuesday so Monday doesn’t feel overwhelming. Instead of trying to get everything done on the first day of the work week, pace your tasks to spread them out over the entire week.

6. Ask for Help

Don’t hesitate to ask your friends or family to pitch in to help get things done. Monday is a lot more bearable when you work together with the people you love. Besides, why should you do all the work?

7. Just Survive It

On the worst Mondays, you sometimes just have to get through it. Don’t try to tackle anything big and don’t attempt to get much accomplished. Just have a restful Monday to recover from a busy weekend... there's always Tuesday, right? And Monday only comes once a week for a reason.

Using these tips, Mondays can be more fun and less work. When you have a long weekend and Monday leaves you feeling drained, try using some of these tips to survive it. Or maybe you're already a seasoned veteran of surviving Mondays... if so, what is your best trick for surviving the first (and perhaps worst) day of the week?

Top Photo Credit: Shine_DoryDevlin