7 Ways to Beat the Sunday Blues

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Before I launched my own small business, I suffered from an acute case of the Sunday blues. A low hum of anxiety about the coming week made every Sunday bittersweet — and made my weekends seem exceptionally brief. Friday night and Saturday felt like the only time I could truly unwind and recharge. If you're in the same spot, it's time to add a new feel to your Sundays. It's time to reclaim your whole weekend.

1. Prepare on Friday

Before leaving work each Friday, take care of your Monday morning self. What can you do with the last hour of the workday to give yourself a head start next week? What task is most likely to needle away at you all weekend long? With a shorter list of Monday morning to-dos, you'll be less likely to suffer from Sunday blues.

2. Create a fun Sunday night ritual

Wanna make Monday feel miles away? Create new routines. Every Sunday night, lose yourself in a classic movie, host a low-key potluck dinner with a few close friends, or play moonlight miniature golf with your significant other. It's simple psychology: The more fun you're having, the less you're thinking about Monday. (See also: 8 Ways to Make Your Weekend Feel Longer)

3. Indulge yourself on Monday

Ease into your week with a Monday treat. Take an early morning yoga class, schedule breakfast out with a friend, or work from home the first two hours of your day. Little indulgences like these can take the bite out of Mondays. (See also: 12 Frugal Skills You Must Have to Survive Mondays)

4. Nix the Monday morning meeting

If you have any control over the schedule where you work, do everyone a favor and kill the Monday morning meeting. Frankly, no one's head is really in the game before 11:00 a.m. on Mondays, anyway. Let the first two hours of each new work week be about finding the nearest coffee pot and catching up on emails.

5. Avoid after-work obligations

Make Monday an extension of Sunday by avoiding any after-work obligations. Just knowing your Monday evening is free of meetings, appointments, or late-night projects can help minimize Sunday-night stress.

6. Plan a mid-week break

Weeks don't seem as long when we have something to look to forward to. Plan a fun or relaxing mid-week event. A massage, a date night, an intense game of racquetball — whatever you choose, make sure it's something that's easy and doesn't come with hidden stressors (traffic, parking hassles, or obligations immediately afterward).

7. Strategically schedule PTO

Who says you have to take a single two-week-long vacation every year? Instead, sprinkle days off across the calendar. Give yourself a three-day weekend every month and avoid Mondays altogether. If you work in the public sector and accumulate comp time, take it on Mondays and revel in few more stress-free Sundays.

In the end, overcoming the Sunday blues is all about making more conscious choices. Bend your schedule to your will. Beat Mondays into submission. Game your brain so it feels like you have more downtime. Whatever you do, defend every precious hour of your hard-won weekend!

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