No two ways about it, Monday was a rough one for me. I had such plans!
But I was under the weather (no details needed, trust me). You know how it goes. Let's just say it led to one of my least productive days so far this year.
All is not lost, however! Tuesday is always Monday’s second chance.
Long ago I compiled a generic, go-to list of things to do on Tuesday to get your groove back and salvage a productive week, and I held it here because I knew that inevitably it would happen—and I’d have an astoundingly apt newsletter to share.
Granted, I'm writing this early Monday evening, so we'll see if my prescription pays off. Maybe I'll update with a scorecard tomorrow.
Anyway, here's my 7-part, all-purpose, Tuesday-rescues-Monday plan. Weigh in with addendums if you would, in the comments.
1. Get up early.
In a perfect world, you’d plant the seeds for this first step on Monday night by going to bed a bit earlier, but regardless, a great Tuesday where you're making up for lost time probably starts a bit early.
2. Get some exercise.
Even a very brief workout, just seven minutes or so, is proven to increase endorphins and make you happier. As it happens, I have only two speeds: total neglect and extreme obsession, and having recently switched to the latter when it comes to working out, I'm pretty sure I'll have this one covered.
3. Eat breakfast.
Mom was right: breakfast is most important. Again: I have the zeal of a convert on this one, so although my food intake was limited Monday to Rice Krispies (sorry, TMI), I'd be willing to be the farm that I'll make up for it Tuesday.
4. Pick up one thing from Monday.
The first three items on this list are preamble, but the smartest move is often to break off a small piece of what you intended to do on Monday and accomplish it. Achieving any small, fast victory can create momentum.
5. Ask for help.
I am terrible at this. It's something I've had to work on. Anyway, asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. Chances are the help you need isn’t far away, and be sure you’re known as someone who will be willing to return the favor when it’s needed.
6. Cut something out.
Tuesday requires triage, so cut things from your schedule and turn down requests as needed. Bonus: Choose your language carefully. Often the best ways of saying no don’t involve that two-letter word.
7. Plan for the weekend.
Make general plans and work backward. Think about what you will have to accomplish to feel as though you’re ready to enjoy the weekend. Doing so reminds you that you have only four more traditional productive workdays left in the week–and encourages you to use them well.
7 other things worth knowing today
Canada's Liberal Party on Monday party won the most votes in the country’s election, meaning Prime Minister Mark Carney will almost certainly keep his job. However, the Liberals won a plurality, not a majority, so they’ll need to negotiate a coalition to form a government. Still, the Liberals were 25 points behind in the polls a few months ago, until President Trump's tariffs and threats of annexation reshaped the election dramatically. (National Post)
Catholic cardinals on Monday set May 7 as the start date for the conclave to elect Pope Francis’ successor, delaying the secret voting for two days to help them get to know one another better and find consensus on a candidate before they are sequestered in the Sistine Chapel. (AP)
A huge power outage brought parts of Spain and Portugal to a standstill on Monday, grounding planes, halting public transport, causing panic buying and leaving the two countries scrambling to restore power to millions of homes and businesses. (Reuters)
White House border czar Tom Homan on Monday blamed the parents of U.S. citizen children the Trump administration sent to Honduras over the weekend. The children, all under aged 10 and including a 4-year-old U.S. citizen with Stage 4 cancer, were placed on deportation flights to Honduras on Friday after their mothers checked in with a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in New Orleans as part of a government program that allows immigrants to stay in their communities while undergoing immigration court proceedings. (Source NM)
Virginia Giuffre, a woman who accused Jeffrey Epstein and Prince Andrew of abuse when she was underaged, has died by suicide, according to a report. Giuffre, 41, was one of Epstein and Andrew's most prominent accusers, filing a lawsuit against the English royal in New York in 2021, claiming she was forced to have sex with him three times between 1999 and 2002 when she was underage. Giuffre died in Neergabby, Australia, where she had been living. (Fox News)
He was a Dylan-loving peacenik who wanted to save the environment, a young man, his father said, who “would not hurt a flea.” Last April he was killed in Donetsk — one of the few Americans to have fought with Moscow’s forces in the war against Ukraine. How Michael Gloss found himself on a Ukrainian battlefield is even more unusual. The 21-year-old was the son of a senior CIA official and an Iraq War veteran, raised in a comfortable Washington suburb. His father, Larry Gloss, says Michael struggled for most of his life with mental illness. (The Washington Post)
A judge sentenced a former Disney World employee to three years in prison after he hacked into the park's menu system to remove peanut allergy information, add profanities and change fonts. Michael Scheuer, 40, of Winter Garden, Florida, will serve three years in federal prison and must forfeit his computers and pay $687,776.50 in restitution to the victims. (Fox News)
Thasks for reading. Photo by Pascal Bernardon on Unsplash. I wrote about some of this before at Inc.com. See you in the comments.
Unless we live in the sky, we are always under the weather.
Good easy read that also has the benefit of easing you back - nice cover!