If the very thought of “Oh...it's Monday again” holds you back, it is probably a good time to rethink your weekly routine. You are the architect of your week. Why not build a weekly routine that makes you jump out of the bed excited to start a new week every Monday? Let’s huddle and develop a strategy to win over the Monday blues. The following is a game-plan of ways to make Monday morning a positive experience with meditation:

#1 Meditation For Mondays

Meditation can be a great means to help us clarify our goals in life. Meditating before you plan your week can help you sift necessary tasks from not-so-important ones as it settles the scattered or disturbed mind and brings focus. It is also a good way to rejuvenate your otherwise sleepy mind.

You can meditate on Monday mornings. The most creative "Me-time" around is meditation. To get ready for meditation, you may sleep a little early on Sundays so that you wake up early enough to adjust to your slow pace on Mondays. This way, you can find enough time to meditate, which is uplifting; go for a leisure walk; or see the sun rising as you sip coffee.

With the extra time on Mondays, meditation is a chance to really drop everything and let the body and mind rejuvenate itself naturally. You can listen to a great guided meditation for Mondays to recharge and kick off the week!

#2 Watch Your Sleep

Getting enough good-quality sleep is the foundation for the week. Have you ever felt oh so very busy on weekends, staying up late and packing in so many activities? And when you were just getting over the weekend rush, along comes Monday—too soon! Make peace with sleep. It is a good idea to limit your activities to only the most important ones on the weekend. Sleeping early on Sundays can help you adjust to the fast-paced Monday routines.

#3 Schedule Creative Me-Time

Important activities are not necessarily work-related must-dos. This can be much needed Me-time for creative pursuits like writing or learning a musical instrument. Look at this time as a way to enrich yourself with things you love to do. An avid artist since the age of three, I relish drawing and painting, along with making music. As I draw in my sketchbook, I feel my stress-crunched back and neck muscles relax and drop the stress. It’s as if I can erase away stress while I draw.

#4 Dress For Success

The best way to dress for success is to wear a smile! The rest is just details. Still, you can have fun with dressing up for Mondays. A winning strategy is to dress for the position you aspire to be in, and not your current position. You may be "on the ground floor" as an entry-level manager or even an intern, but no one has to know that by the way you dress! Don’t feel guilty to crack open a fashion magazine or ask for fashion advice from well-heeled friends. Whether for men or women, fashion can be a fun and subtle way of expressing your creativity and professionalism at work. And having just finished your morning meditation, you’ll have an extra burst of radiance. So shine on and get noticed by your team and clients!

Grab four more tips to beat the Monday morning blues in the sequel to this article.

Written by Marilyn Galan