Monday is more than just the start of the week. It’s a loaded word with some less than cheery connotations. Obviously, it’s not hard to see why. Monday symbolises the recommencement of work – and after a weekend of relaxation and leisure – that’s not always welcome.

But do Mondays have to be so negative? Perhaps the problem isn’t the day itself, but our attitude towards it. There’s no denying its association with stress and responsibility. In an ideal world, we’d approach the start of the week feeling refreshed and ready to tackle what’s in front of us. Sadly, more often than not, it’s actually spent scrambling around, trying to pick up the threads of last week’s projects.

That’s why there’s a real case to be made for bare minimum Mondays. It might sound controversial at first, but creating space for thinking comes with a whole host of benefits. It might also just be the best cure for the productivity paranoia, which is so rife in our age of hybrid work.

What is productivity paranoia?

Productivity paranoia refers to the increasing sense of disconnect between leaders and employees. Since the pandemic, remote and hybrid work have become normalised, meaning leaders aren’t always able to physically check in on their teams to ensure they’re on-task.

It is this lack of contact which has, sadly, led to increasing paranoia – with many leaders concerned that their teams aren’t working as they should be. But this paranoia is exactly that: paranoid, with no basis in fact. 

A 2022 report from Microsoft confirmed this. They found that while 87% of employees said they were productive at work, only 12% of leaders said they had full confidence their teams were being productive. So, what’s going on here?

Clearly, the problem isn’t that teams aren’t working – but that leaders don’t trust that they are. Sadly, there’s no magic wand that can be waved to instil trust. Instead, leaders need to stop micromanaging their teams via constant video calls and emails, and actually give them time to get on with what’s in front of them. 

Uncovering true priorities 

Contrary to what many would have you believe, we’re not actually capable of successful multitasking. The human brain is wired to focus on one task at a time, and when we try to do multiple things, something is always sacrificed – usually quality.

Unfortunately, our modern working world often encourages us to hop between tasks. Whether that means jumping to answer emails as and when they come through, or breaking away regularly for aimless meetings and video calls that achieve very little.

This sense of being ‘busy’ is dangerous as it can trick us into thinking we’re being productive and getting on with work. In reality, we’re not achieving much in terms of output. While we may think of doing the bare minimum as a bad thing, it can actually mean honing in on what you actually need to do. Setting clear priorities and sticking to them no matter what. 

Strategic mind wandering
Another crucial part of embracing bare minimum Mondays is making time to think. We tend to undervalue the importance of breaks in ensuring we’re performing at our best. While working through your lunch might look like commitment, it actually causes stress to build up in the brain and can eventually lead to burnout. 

It’s important to recognise that time to think isn’t the same as scrolling social media or reading a book; it means time alone with your thoughts. Mind wandering has been linked to a whole host of cognitive benefits, including improved creativity, productivity, memory and even mood. 

Carving out short periods throughout the day where your only goal is to take time out to think, guarantees your Monday will be much more pleasant. It’ll freshen up your ideas, improve your focus, and boost your mood. And who couldn’t do with more of that on a Monday?

Top tips for creative daydreaming

Not all daydreaming was created equally. It’s important to note that the kind of mind wandering that leads to creative insight is a particular type of daydreaming. It is distinct from worrying, dwelling and maladaptive daydreaming (fantasising to escape reality). 

Crucially, the type of mind wandering that leads to the best creativity is wide-ranging and free-moving. You can tell when you’re doing it correctly. It’s as if each new idea and topic is a prompt which leads you to the next one. 

There are a variety of ways to reach this state, but the below tips will help you on your way to daydreaming up your best ideas.

1. Power up. You want to focus your daydreaming session by fuelling your mind. For example, if you’re looking for ideas in a particular area, make sure you’re as clued up as possible before taking time out to daydream. Think of this as the stage where you can input the raw material that your subconscious brain can then play with.
2. Rhythmic or repetitive. The best way to enter the daydream state is to do something which occupies you enough to prevent you from scrolling your phone, but still leaves your mind free to wander. Rhythmic tasks in particular seem to get the creative juices flowing – but whether it’s the washing up or a walk, all that really matters is that it works for you personally.
3. Capture the sparks. Remember, the point of the daydreaming session isn’t to think about ideas specifically, but to think about other things until the ideas crop up on their own. This is why ideas are so often depicted as lightning strikes or a bulb above the head. When an idea occurs to you, make sure you jot it down before continuing to daydream – you don’t want to forget it later on!

Chris Griffiths and Caragh Medlicott are authors of The Creative Thinking Handbook. Griffiths is also a keynote speaker, and founder of the AI-powered brainstorming app, ayoa.com.

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