Manage It Monday

My first sensation was of being slightly cold, as I awoke to the brisk spring morning. I pulled myself under the covers and buried my face contentedly in my pillow for a few more moments of sleep. Too soon, my alarm sounded. Still not awake, I rolled over and turned off the offending noise. I had purposely picked this alarm clock for its obnoxious ring, and it was a rare morning that I did not wake before it went off, for I hated its harsh sound! This morning, however, its loudness seemed muffled by the blanket of sleep still over me. I had slept well, but too briefly, and could have slept several hours more, I was sure. Six o’clock came too quickly. As I struggled to a wakeful state, I lay a few moments more, and began my routine: thinking my thanks for the goodness of the Lord, and another day of life. Pushing aside thoughts of what unpleasant tasks I faced in my day, I thanked the Lord for the coolness of the night, for sleep, for His presence and blessing on the Sunday service the previous day, for all the events which had encouraged and refreshed my soul. I purposed not to think ahead towards the busyness, or my daily list, but reflected only on His goodness, faithfulness, and the peace at that moment. I committed my day into His hands, as I dragged myself out of bed.


Thus began my “management” of another Monday. Mondays are always a challenge for me. They resemble mornings in my mind, but are longer. I am not a “morning person” and never have been. I don’t think well until afternoon. I build up momentum, my mind becoming clearer and my body less stiff as the day progresses. It’s important to know yourself, and how you function best. For me, the beginning of the week, much like the beginning of the day, needs to be “managed” to be successful. Knowing my propensity to “fogginess” in the beginning of the day, and my tiredness at the beginning of the week, when my children were small, I made sure that routines were in place, and that the children who could function independently, did so, so that I could go about my morning, and beginning of the week, routine, practically in my sleep, and still be getting something done. As they got a little older, it was best to be able to set the children about schoolwork, and music practice, knowing what it was they were to be doing, but without needing direction from me too much. Then they could be accomplishing something, and especially, not needing me to make any decisions. Managing Monday for me means I try to catch up. I try to accomplish things which are easy for me, and yet are priorities, in the beginning of the week. I try to put the house back to rights, to gain a sense of order, and establish direction for the rest of the week. I try very hard to stay home on Mondays. Especially do I not plan to be anywhere on Monday morning! When Homeschooling, Monday was a low-expectations (schoolwork-wise) day—the bare minimum! It was a housework catching-up day, because the weekends tended to be very busy, and sometimes my house showed it! A very successful stratagem for Mondays was to plan it to be an organizational cleaning day--to pick up the house, do some cleaning, maybe get on top of the cooking a little. It was planned into our Homeschooling Schedule and called “Life Skills”. I used this day to train the children in areas of cleaning and organization, (of course, in the afternoon). I believe this is a very important area of a child’s education. One which makes them better able to function in society, because they are more organized and know how to do ordinary skills, such as cleaning. Knowing my limitations and accepting them and learning to Manage Mondays has become an important life skill for me as a mom and a key to success in many areas of my life.