My week starts with Mondays, and other ways perspective influences life
| happy, life, reflection, workOn my blog, the calendar week starts with Monday. This is standard practice in Europe, but not in the Philippines or Canada, where the calendar week typically starts with Sunday.
I like starting the week with Mondays more, though. It’s the same week, but the framing changes subtle things. Mostly, it means seeing my weekend as a block of unstructured time, instead of split up into two individual days.
Seeing my weekend as a weekend makes it easier to plan productive things that take time. I don’t see my weekdays as an interruption of my weekend. They’re part of a cycle, a rhythm. I even like Mondays. I see weekdays as a chance to dig into things I’d like to do at work.
I like starting my week on a Monday. I like thinking of it as investing time and energy into work, and then rewarding myself by investing time and energy into other things I love. I like that more than starting my week on a Saturday (which feels like I enjoy myself first, and then I have to work) or a Sunday (which feels more fragmented).
It’s funny, but little things like that matter. How you frame things determines what you see.
When does your week start?
Thanks to David Singer for the nudge!
5 comments
Vinod Kurup
2009-12-21T19:57:41ZI used to run a lot and it was nice to have 2 "free" days at the end of the week to catch up on mileage. So, if I was a little low by Friday, it wasn't the end of the world. Now that I run less frequently and work an irregular schedule (where weekends no longer exist), it doesn't matter anymore, but I still like starting my calendar week on Monday.
Sacha Chua
2009-12-22T00:04:35ZVinod: Yes, it's funny what a little change in perspective can do! =)
What's the irregular schedule like for you? It's one of the things that really tempt me to consider freelancing...
Vinod Kurup
2009-12-22T02:20:28ZI prefer an irregular schedule, as long as the actual schedule is fixed in advance. I get my schedule 6 months in advance, which allows me to plan trips and family events. My wife's schedule is also irregular and with 2 young kids, I don't know what we'd do without Google Calendar. I like the flexibility, both in having days off during the week when others are working, and in being able to cram a bunch of work into a short period to give myself longer breaks at other times.
It's also key that when you're off during the week, you're really off and not implicitly expected to be around or available. Otherwise, you end up just working all the time. That's currently an issue for me.
What do I miss about a regular schedule? I miss the "TGIF" feeling that you get with a regular schedule and I miss having my free time coordinated with the rest of the world. As an introvert, those are less important to me :-)
Rachelle
2009-12-23T19:45:20ZThis is an interesting post - I've thought about this myself before and realized that I always thought of Monday as the first day of the week as well. And I don't like it! If my week starts on a Sunday, I get to finish each week with a Saturday for doing things I like/need to do on my own schedule, but I've found that when I change my perspective to start the week on Sunday, I feel more rested and relaxed about the entire week, because I've had that Sunday to prepare quietly and set the tone. I think for me, using Sunday as a softer transition to the workdays makes a big difference because I have difficulty with transitions.
Sacha Chua
2009-12-23T20:13:31Z<grin> Looks like you've figured out what works for you - great! More people should think about when they want their week to start. It's so easy to move around... =)