Stop Your Sunday Scaries with Fearless Fridays
Readtime: 4 minutes
The "Sunday Scaries" is a feeling that many people face as the weekend draws to a close.
It’s anxiety about going back to work on Monday morning.
For high performing professionals, this anxiety normally arises from things we have to do that are out of our comfort zone.
When these thoughts arise on a Sunday, we try and ignore them, as we don’t want our weekend to be (even more) occupied with work.
But when those thoughts are actually worries, it’s hard to make them go away.
You worry because you don’t have a plan – you know you need to do something, but you haven’t worked out how to do it yet.
This happens because your brain doesn’t like ‘open loops’ on things that are important to you.
But there is a way to stop these feelings, so that you can get your Sundays back and enjoy all of your weekend.
And the answer lies in something I call "Fearless Fridays".
Fearless Fridays
Fearless Fridays are about ending your week on a proactive, positive note.
It's dedicating a small part of your Friday – I suggest 30 minutes in the morning – to prepare for the next week.
I know, you don’t want even more work to do on a Friday when you’re trying to wrap things up for the week…
But, there is a definite trade here – a little planning on Friday so you can enjoy your weekend.
Pro Tip: Set a recurring meeting in your calendar for this.
How To Do It
In this 30-minute session, look at your calendar for the following week and identify the tasks or meetings that you're most apprehensive about.
Consider why they make you feel that way.
It will likely be because of one or more of the following:
The thing itself is hard.
You don’t feel equipped to deal with it.
You’re unclear on what is being asked of you.
You don’t know where to start.
The consequences of getting it wrong are high.
You don’t have enough time to deal with it.
Once you’ve identified what is causing your apprehension, take small steps towards preparation.
It could be creating a brief structure for a presentation, writing down key points for a meeting, or doing some background research.
The key point is to make a very small start on the things that you’re most worried about.
Making a small amount of progress is very different to not having thought about these things at all. You’re starting to close the ‘open loop’.
You won’t eliminate all concern about these things from your weekend, but when you do think about them you’ll notice two things:
You will feel much more confident about them. This happens because you know you’ve done some planning (and it’s the fear of the unknown that is the cause of much of the anxiety).
You will find it easier to go back to whatever else it is you were doing on your weekend.
Bonus Benefit – Subconscious Help
Taking this approach also has the less obvious benefit of your subconscious mind working on the challenges over the weekend.
This happens because you’ve already started thinking about what you’re going to do. So instead of just having some background worry, your subconscious brain is thinking about what’s next.
When next week comes, you may just stick with your original plan from Friday.
But you’re also likely to have come up with new, perhaps even better, ways to handle the challenges – giving you more options to get your week off to a great start.
That’s it!
In summary
Congratulations, you now know how to stop the Sunday Scaries with Fearless Fridays.
Fearless Fridays works by starting to close ‘open loops’ of incomplete thinking on things that we’re worried about.
Allocate just 30 minutes each Friday to do a small amount of prep for the week ahead.
Identify the things you’re most worried about in the upcoming week and take small steps to getting them started.
Not only does this help alleviate the Sunday Scaries, but your subconscious mind will also be working on coming up with other solutions.
Try it out tomorrow, and feel the difference on Sunday!
On a personal note
I know how tempting it is to only do what you must do on a Friday and push other things into the following week.
However, whilst this might get us to the weekend faster, we’re less likely to then enjoy the full weekend.
On the Fridays that I stick to this, I feel much more in control of what I have on the following week. It allows me to be much more present for the other things I had planned to do on the weekend.
So, whilst it may be another thing for you to do at the end of the week, I strongly suggest giving it a try!
One quote to get you going
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
Follow me on LinkedIn and subscribe to my Newsletter to be happier and more fulfilled by changing how you work.
P.S. Here’s how we can work together:
1. For Companies
I can help you with three things:
Increasing productivity and reducing burnout risk (yes – at the same time)
Responding to and improving employee survey feedback scores
Senior leader coaching (through Pelham Street)
2. For Individuals
Want to start being happier and more fulfilled at work?
Maybe you want to earn more money, and have more free time as well?
Work with me one-on-one and get access to the same techniques, materials, and coaching that I use with some of the biggest companies in the world – all uniquely tailored to be powerfully effective just for you.
Simply click here now to find out more, with no obligation.