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Monday affirmations

30 affirmations in 4 sets · Updated

Monday affirmations are short, positive lines for the start of the week, such as “It’s Monday, and I can take it one hour at a time”, to help you begin with a clear head instead of dread. The 30 below are grouped for Monday morning, a fresh start, Monday dread and getting going.

They’re written for real Mondays: tired, a little reluctant, with a full inbox. None of them ask you to love Mondays. They just help you start.

Read them on Sunday night or Monday morning, pick two or three, and pair them with one small first task. The short routine below shows how.

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Monday morning

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  1. It’s Monday, and I can take it one hour at a time.
  2. I don’t have to love Mondays to have a good one.For anyone who feels they should be more upbeat. You don’t need to feel cheerful about the week to handle it well.
  3. I can ease into this week instead of sprinting.
  4. I can bring a little of the weekend’s calm into today.
  5. Getting out the door is today’s first win.
  6. A slow first ten minutes will serve me better than a rushed one.
  7. I can be tired on a Monday and still do good work.
  8. I’ll say good morning like I mean it.

A fresh start

Read by Ivy
  1. This week is a clean page.
  2. Last week is finished. I don’t have to carry it into this one.
  3. This is a good week to start the habit I keep putting off.Pick one small habit and attach it to something you already do on a Monday, like your first coffee or your commute.
  4. I can choose one thing to focus on this week.
  5. Whatever went wrong last week, I learned something from it.
  6. Mondays come every week, so this one doesn’t have to be perfect.
  7. I can set the tone for my week with one good choice.
  8. I get a new chance this week, and I’ll use it.

For Monday dread

Read by Ivy
  1. The week ahead is a set of ordinary days, not one big mountain.
  2. I’ve started plenty of weeks feeling like this, and I handled them.
  3. I don’t have to solve the whole week this morning.
  4. I can feel the Monday heaviness and get started anyway.You don’t have to wait for the feeling to lift before you begin. Often it eases once you’re moving.
  5. If my inbox is full, I’ll start with one email.
  6. I can ask for help this week if I need it.
  7. Dread is a feeling, not a forecast.

Getting going

Read by Ivy
  1. I’ll do the most important thing first, before the day fills up.
  2. Ten minutes of focus will get me moving.
  3. I’ll write down this week’s three priorities and start on one.
  4. I can walk into Monday’s meeting prepared enough.
  5. Progress on a Monday doesn’t have to look impressive.
  6. Once I start, Monday gets easier.
  7. By tonight, I’ll have made a start, and that’s what Mondays are for.

How to use Monday affirmations

  • Start on Sunday night. If the week is already on your mind, read the “For Monday dread” lines before bed, then write down the first thing you’ll do on Monday so you don’t have to hold it overnight.
  • Pick two or three for the morning. Say them while the kettle boils or on the way to work: one for how you want to feel, one for what you’ll do.
  • Name this week’s three priorities. Write them down, then start on one before you open your messages.
  • Put something good in Monday. If you get to choose, give Monday something you enjoy too: a good lunch, a call with a friend, a walk after work.

Why Monday is a good day to start

There’s a reason so many plans begin on a Monday. Researchers who studied what they called the “fresh start effect” found that Google searches for the word “diet”, gym visits and commitments to personal goals all rose after natural markers in time, including the start of a new week, month or year (Dai, Milkman & Riis, 2014). Their explanation is that these markers put past slip-ups in a previous chapter and help people see the bigger picture, which makes a new effort feel worth trying.

You can use this on purpose. Choose one small thing to begin this Monday, and let the “A fresh start” lines remind you why. Keep it small: treat the fresh start as a nudge, not a demand to become a new person by Friday. And if this Monday doesn’t go to plan, there’s another one next week.

When Monday brings dread

Plenty of people feel a pull of dread on Monday morning, and it doesn’t mean the week will be bad. The lines in “For Monday dread” don’t argue with the feeling. They make the week smaller: one day, one task, one email.

If the dread is about something specific, such as a hard meeting or a difficult colleague, write a line for that exact moment, like “I can walk into the 10 o’clock meeting and say what I prepared.” Specific lines tend to be easier to believe than general ones.

If Monday dread is part of a low mood that doesn’t lift on most days, it may be about more than Mondays. Affirmations aren’t a replacement for care, and talking to a doctor or counselor can help. If you’re struggling or thinking about harming yourself, you can call or text 988 in the US (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), or find a helpline in your country at findahelpline.com.

For the night before, try Sunday affirmations. For the rest of the week, there are lists for Tuesday through Friday, and a general list of daily affirmations.

Loops to play

Questions

What is a good Monday affirmation?

A short, believable one about starting, like “It’s Monday, and I can take it one hour at a time” or “Once I start, Monday gets easier.” Choose a line that makes the week feel smaller, not one that demands you feel amazing.

How do I stop dreading Mondays?

Make Monday smaller and kinder: write your first task down on Friday or Sunday, start with something easy, and plan one thing you’ll enjoy on Monday. If the dread is heavy every week, it’s worth looking at what’s causing it.

Why is Monday a good day to start a habit?

The start of a week is a natural fresh start. Research on the “fresh start effect” found that people are more likely to act on goals like exercise right after markers such as a new week, month or year.

Sources

  1. The fresh start effect: Temporal landmarks motivate aspirational behavior · Management Science, 2014