WHY DO MONDAYS GET A BAD RAP?

The start of the work week fills many with dread, and with good reason. In 2021, 1 in 4 people quit their jobs in a global movement known as 'The Great Resignation.'

Mondays are the most common day for calling off “sick.” In fact, in the US the day after the Super Bowl is referred to as ‘Super Sick Monday’ because so many people suddenly have a bad case of IDONTWANNAWORK-ITIS.

But beyond the humorous aspects of calling off sick, there are more serious and troubling statistics. Research shows people everywhere start expressing their dissatisfaction with Mondays almost as soon as the weekend hits. Supply chains slow down at the start of the workweek, which has a big impact on businesses. And most disturbing, in the UK Mondays are the most common day for committing suicide.  

Seeing how bad Monday’s make people feel, you can almost feel tempted to scrap the day altogether and just mandate a three-day weekend. But this isn’t realistic in most of the world. Instead, we propose another solution.

At El and Al Co, our mission is to promote work life harmony, which is a unique integration of your personal and professional life that fosters joy. Balance is aspirational, and work life harmony is a reality-focused solution for combating burnout, dissatisfaction, and time management.

A big part of work life harmony is beginning the work week with momentum. Weekends can lull us into lives of leisure that are abruptly ended when the Monday alarm rings. Now, many people enjoy their jobs, but for a large part of the globe – a job is just . . . a job. It is a means of providing for family or avoiding homelessness. It is not some deeply inspiring calling.

I mean, think about it. If you go on Tiktok right now, you will see video after video of people proclaiming that they "don't dream of labor."

While videos like this can be thought-provoking, or even amusing, at the heart of this sentiment is a devastating realization. We are losing the joy in work.

Yes, you read that last sentence correctly. Believe it or not, work is supposed to be a positive thing. Human advancement requires labor. But there is a gap between the jobs people work to pay the bills - and the deep satisfaction that comes from a vocation that matters.

Rethink Monday is not about finding a dream job – it is about rediscovering the dream you. Once upon a time, you were an imaginative little kid that had a new job everyday – firefighter one day, doctor the next – Oscar winning actor after that - somedays you were even all three at once!

But then, adulthood settled in. The dreams took a backseat to the 401K, the health insurance, the “security.” And with that sense of security, you once again put you on the backburner. The you that saw the world as your classroom. The you that believed anything was possible with enough grit and determination. And the you that used to dream of one day being a grown up with a job.

Well now is the time to unearth that dreamer and find a path back to what really matters in your life.

A person dreading Monday doesn’t need 'motivation', they need a new framework for what labor actually means.

Rethink Monday relaunches in 2025. Every weekend you will receive an email designed to help you face Mondays with joy in your heart. You'll receive a framing question and an optional journaling exercise to think about Monday as a fresh start in your life. The Rethink Monday framework is based on science-backed methods of habit formation, mindset reorientation, and positive reinforcement. These three methods are the fuel for sustaining change in your life.

You will also get a curated list of work life harmony resources and tips on topics including:

• Surviving job dissatisfaction
• Combating work related stress
• Coping tips for unhealthy work environments
• Career advancement
• Teleworking and Remote Work Life
• Personal Development and more

Are you ready to take back ownership of your Monday? Sign up below to begin receiving the Rethink Monday email each week in 2025.