Full disclosure the day after any long weekend can be a challenge. I am physically tired from the holiday fun and also need to figure out how on earth I can cram five days of to-do’s into only four. The highs and lows of waking up and thinking YES! it is already Tuesday is quickly met with OH NO! it is already Tuesday. The calendar may say it is Tuesday but it certainly felt like a Monday to me this morning. How many of you are feeling this way today?
This kind of up and down start to a short week is enough to drag any of us down and certainly can dampen a productive, inspired week quickly. The trick is figuring out how to kick the it’s-a-Tuesday-but-really-it’s-a-Monday drag. Thankfully, I have learned that by taking just a few short minutes to disengage from a mounting to-do list I can allow my brain to hit reset. I know, I know surely you are thinking you are already on borrowed time but it is worth it! This reset will pay you forward immensely as you can increase your productivity all day as a result. Below is a trick I like to use to quickly get back on track on days like today when there is no time to spare.
5 Minute Mental Reboot
Scroll to a photo in your phone that brings you joy.
Scan the image for just a second and then quickly jot down the first thoughts that come to mind on a fresh piece of paper. (The notes section of your phone works too!)
For example I quickly found a photo in my phone from this past weekend’s activities and jotted down my first thoughts: laughter, dirt, friends, summer!
After you have these few words at the top of your page set your phone timer for 5 minutes.
Pick just one of the following tasks below to try.
- List as many of your favorite songs that either mention the word(s) by name or evoke that same feeling.
- Come up with as many words or nonsense words that rhyme with the words selected.
- Fill the page with doodles and random thoughts that either recap that feeling or that day.
Once you start keep working non-stop until the timer ends. No cheating.
Give yourself these few minutes!
When the timer ends that is it. Congratulations! Not only have you given yourself a quick mental reboot but you have also just completed a task that you can now cross off your to-do list.
If you have a minute or two more listen to one of the songs you jotted down or make a quick call or send a quick text to a person associated with the photo. They will love hearing from you and now both of your days will be lightend.
For added fun these are the random songs I thought of in my five minutes this moring when reflecting on the words laughter, dirt, friends and summer. An interesting part about this mental reboot is that in only 5 minutes I was able to come up with songs that are totally unrelated to one another and a few songs that I have not heard or even thought of in years.
You better believe my day will now be filled with these songs as I work!
Great Day to Be Alive- Travis Tritt
Humble & Kind- Tim McGraw
Sitting on the Dock of the Bay- Otis Redding
Higher Ground- Stevie Wonder
I love Rock and Roll- Joan Jett
Me, Myself & I- De La Soul
Kick the Dust Up- Luke Bryan
Margaritaville- Jimmy Buffett
Best Day of My Life- American Authors
I’d love to hear what you came up with in the comments below. What came to mind?
joyfulbrix.com 