10 Things You Should Always Do on a Monday

Mondays can often feel dull, especially after a relaxing weekend. However, they don’t have to be! This day can be a fresh start and a chance to set the tone for the week ahead. When you want to be productive, start your Monday with these 10 chores.

Fill up your gas tank

If you drove a lot over the weekend and need to fill your tank, wait until Monday morning to hit the gas station. If you do, you’ll almost definitely get a better deal, according to research from Popular Mechanics. The overwhelming majority listed Mondays and Tuesdays as the cheapest days to buy gas. Of course, if you’re driving by the station later in the week and see a price drop, feel free to deviate from this pattern! 

Start a diet

No matter how tired you are on a Monday morning, you’ve got to admit—the first day of the week provides a built-in opportunity to start anew. That feeling is particularly helpful when it comes to starting a diet, according to The Healthy. The trick is in not tiring of your new plan by Wednesday. And if you do fall off the wagon, don’t wait till the following Monday to restart. Jump right back in the next morning.

Schedule a surgery

Researchers already know that the morning is the safest time of day to go under the knife. It’s when hospital staffs are most alert and least likely to make a mistake. That same earlier-is-better approach applies to days of the week as well. The risk of death after undergoing a non-emergency surgery is lowest on Monday and goes up every day of the week thereafter, according to a report in the British Medical Journal. But don’t panic if your surgeon has spots only on Thursday. The increase is a mere fraction of a percent—from 1 percent on Monday to 1.44 percent on Friday.

Gossip with your coworkers

The Monday blues are real, and scientists guess that one reason we get them might date back to caveman days. “Humans are social animals, and to feel happy we need to feel comfortable in our place in a ‘tribe,’ so to speak,” writes Mental Floss. “Even after just two days away, according to scientists, we need to make sure our place in our work environment is secure. Gossiping with your co-workers is an important part of gearing up for the workweek, and if you don’t do this, you might feel out of sorts.” It’s an interesting idea, and at the very least, you’ll value the catch-up time.

Dine out

Mondays are stressful enough without the need to prepare a homemade meal—and deal with the resulting dishes. Let someone else handle the cooking and enjoy the fact that Mondays offer the best deals at restaurants, according to Nasdaq. After the weekend, which is the busiest time of the week for restaurants, they’re likely to offer a discount or promotion to keep diners coming through the doors. If you want to stack the savings, go out a little earlier and take advantage of happy hour deals in addition to any Monday promotions.

 Buy a house

If you’re in the market for a new home, you’ll want to be strategic with the day of the week you close the deal. It could mean major savings—or major losses. Monday is the best day to close, according to MoneyWise. People who seal the deal then tend to get prices that are an average 2.3 percent below market value. Thursdays are the worst. Closing then will get you a price just 1 percent below market value. Experts say it’s because sellers are less likely to get amazing offers early in the week, which means they’re more inclined to consider mediocre ones.

Invest in the stock market

There are many things you need to know before investing in stocks, including that the key is to buy low and sell high. And it turns out, because of a slew of market factors, stocks have a tendency to drop on Mondays. That’s bad if you plan to sell, but if you’re in the market to add to your portfolio, you’re likely to snag a bargain.

Wash your hands

For one reason or another—and we won’t begin to speculate—Mondays are the most common day of the week for calling in sick. In fact, according to one British study, more than a third of all sick days take place on the first day of the week. It’s hard to say whether that’s because Monday is truly the day you’re most likely to fall ill, or because a stunning number of folks want a three-day weekend. Whatever it is, we’ll leave you with this advice: On Mondays—and every day—wash your hands. 

Head to the gym

For similar reasons that Monday is a great day to start a new diet, it’s also the perfect opportunity to hit your goals at the gym. The Atlantic found that Monday is the most popular day of the week for gymgoers. And while that might mean you have to wait in line for the best machines, it also means you’ll start your week on a healthy footing. We can’t argue with that. Of course, with Monday being the busiest day at the gym, you’ll want to be extra careful to avoid any faux pas. Know the etiquette.

Make the ultimate to-do list

When it comes to goal setting, what better day of the week to lay things out than Monday? Research published in Psychological Science suggests that we may be more likely to follow through with our professional goals if we start on a Monday rather than a Thursday. And while there are a ton of ways to make the perfect to-do list, we like this goal-setting idea from Peter Gasca. “I make it a point to set one new and aggressive personal goal for the week, such as trying a new exercise, reading a book, or learning a new song on the guitar,” he writes on Inc. “The point is to provide you motivation during your busy week to pursue an interest that you enjoy outside of work.”

Story by Juliana LaBianca for RD©

Photo credit:  © Provided by Reader’s Digest