5 Ways to Move Mondays to Your “Smiley” List!
This isn’t one of those change your perspective kind of pep talks. No, this is about planting things in your day that make you smile as big as this 3rd Place Winner! Of course, depending on your job or daily responsibilities, your Monday may actually be a different day of the week, but here’s the thing. This list works any day, or better yet, every day!
Here are five ways to move Mondays to your “Smiley” List!Let’s look at the “how” of doing these things. 1. Write a fortune cookie style intention and carry it with you.
1. Write a fortune cookie style intention and carry it with you.
2. Plan a specific “happy” thing to do during a break.
3. Snap a pic of something pleasing in your space.
4. Plan a doodle escape. Stick a Jotter Journal and pen in your lunch tote and doodle while you eat.
5. Take Live Art Journaling Class each Monday and have something to look forward to that puts a smile on your face all day!
Little scraps of paper in my night stand drawer are essential for me. I have a gazillion art and writing ideas that float through me at any given moment and I have to catch them before they flow away. In the mornings of days that I expect to be a little more challenging then most, I write an intention on a scrap and carry it with me through the day.
By writing it in fortune cookie style, like a vague prophecy, you are setting an intention that wiggles around in your mind through the day. It’s like planting a seed to creative thinking. And, when you are thinking creatively, your smile is bound to be triggered.
My Monday morning fortune style intention is “Sipping the magical water washes away the sharp side of sugar.” Can you tell I am on a sugar detox?
2. Plan a specific “happy” thing to do during a break.
Breaks have never been in my vocabulary…ever! They throw me off. My mind gets on a roll and taking a break is like wedging a stick in the wheel of progress. But, with my osteoporosis so bad, I need to take breaks and move around a bit to give my back a rest from leaning over my studio table or sitting at my desk. Now I plan a “happy” thing to do during a break so I reward myself for pausing.
If you do something in your day that is a personal reward, write it in your planner to assure you take the time to do it. Perhaps you take a morning coffee break and go sit outside for the first few sips or you take a ten minute walk to clear your head in the afternoon. Writing down these plans plant a seed of anticipation in your mind and encourage you to be more present in the moments when they arrive.
My two Monday break plans include a 20 minute unprotected soak in the sun to absorb vitamin d and a rendezvous with a lavender vanilla latte that I make my self, complete with almond milk froth; all sugar free, of course!
3. Snap a pic of something pleasing in your space.
This one is surprising and delightful. I take photos all the time now because of building my social media presence for my art and teaching and I really try to make them as authentic as possible.
Here’s my trick…
4. Plan a doodle escape. Stick a Jotter Journal and pen in your lunch tote and doodle while you eat.
Set an alarm on your phone and name it photo snap. When the alarm sounds and you reach for your phone to turn it off, click on your camera and look up and take a picture of something in your space at the moment. That’s it! Of course you can share it, study it, analyze the importance of it, but the point truly is to not over think it. The point is to notice it. You can decide if it makes you happy or not later. I bet though, that either way, that picture will make you smile because you are proud of yourself for noticing.
As a Plant-Stained Paper artist that captures the beauty of nature in the pages of journals, I always have a journal around. My pocket sized Jotter Journals are here, there, and everywhere! They are placed within reach, but not necessarily to encourage use unless I need to jot down fleeting thoughts or sketches. However, by planting one in my lunch space, not a lunch tote since I work from home, I give myself two things… an opportunity to release some energy, either creative or stress, in a relaxed way, and I stay off my phone where I have a tendency of scrolling social media which often does not lead to a relaxing lunch break.
5. Take Live Art Journaling Class each Monday and have something to look forward to that puts a smile on your face all day!
Think about your lunch routine. Do you work at an office and go to the break room or grab something quick at your desk? Do you work from home and snatch a yogurt out of the fridge or reheat leftovers? Are you on the go and stop for a fast bite in between client visits or meetings and appointments? Whatever your usual is, plot a journal and pen within reach and take a few minutes to make marks on a page. They don’t have to be profound words or a detailed sketch. Just the mere act of moving your pen around the page will be like your brain is on a playground which is sure to make you smile!
This is my favorite, of course! I have taught some form of Art Journaling for the last (almost!) thirty years! Whether it’s been at my own studio, a museum, a gallery, or an art school, I seem to have always taught Art Journaling on Monday evenings. I always thought it was a great way to start the week, but it wasn’t until my students started to tell me how much it meant to them that I really felt the power it radiated.
For many, Sunday evenings can have a bit of stress, especially when school-age children are involved. We are wrapping up the weekend fun and getting ready for a new week. As we put the finishing touches on Monday’s agenda, prep lunches, pack school bags, and negotiate schedules, any kind of rest we may have soaked in starts to seep out through crevices of Monday morning blues. However, anticipation for Monday evening is a great remedy!
Over the years, I have heard from countless students about the amazing impact weekly Art Journaling classes have on their lives. I love hearing that what I facilitate is so powerful and important in their lives. Then, when my students mention its particular importance for being their Monday night routine, I am enthralled with their perspectives.
To sum them up, there’s energy in looking forward to something and they feel that strength helps them get through the day. In fact, many tell me that energy gets them through the week and carries them to the following Monday when they get another shot of it!
This isn’t a sales ad for Art Journaling class, but, of course information about registering for weekly LIVE online Art Journaling is below! It is, however, an illustration of how something you have in your routine at the start of your week can fuel your smiling energy for the rest of the week.
You can find out more about Art Journaling by clicking here… Art Journaling with Rachelle Eason.
Try some of these suggestions! I would love to hear how they go for you. Make sure to respond and share some of your stories and insights on the Rachelle Eason Artist page on Facebook.
Of course, you are invited to join my weekly Art Journaling classes! I offer LIVE online weekly classes on Mondays and Tuesdays at 6PM EST. When you register for one night, you have the flexibility to pop into the other night each week depending upon your schedule. I also record the classes and make that recording available to all registered students by Friday afternoon each week.
Originally published at https://www.rachelleeason.com on August 23, 2021.
