The Sunday Blues are Really a Thing

Patrick Lencioni, in his book The 6 Types of Working Genius, calls it the Sunday blues. It’s that feeling of dread that creeps up during your Sunday fun. While you’re enjoying brunch with friends, playing baseball with the kids, or watching the game with family, your brain starts calculating how many hours you have until work starts on Monday. The stress weighs you down, and before you know it, your Sunday fun is overtaken by the Sunday blues.

The Sleep Judge surveyed over 1000 people and asked, ‘Do you experience elevated anxiety on Sunday in anticipation of Monday?’ A whopping 81% answered yes.

 It’s no secret, then, that the Sunday blues are a thing. The question is, how do you, as a leader, help your team (and yourself) eliminate, or at the very least reduce, those Sunday blues?

The solution lies in the environment that’s created Monday through Friday.

A Little Game of This-or-That

Let’s play a game of This or That. Is your current work environment…

~ one with daily back-to-back meetings that result in no clear actions taken or one with spacious time to allow team members to focus on important, fulfilling work?

~ one where gossip and backbiting are prevalent or one where transparent, honest communication happens daily?

~ one where people are publicly criticized or one where crucial conversations happen privately and respectfully?

~ one where requests for mentoring and support are ignored or one where this type of request is encouraged and welcomed?

~ one where mistakes are vilified or one where mistakes are seen as learning opportunities?

This game could go on forever, and of course there are nuances to each ‘this or that’ scenario above. In sharing a few examples, my goal is simply to help you think about your current work environment and why the Sunday blues might be affecting your team members (and yourself).

Measuring Those Negative Emotions

If stress, anger, frustration, conflict, and anxiety could be measured on a scale, would you be proud of the number that pops up?

If not, it’s time to do something about that.

When people enjoy their work; when they feel appreciated for what they do; when they have space to learn and grow; when they feel their contributions make a difference– the Sunday blues fizzle away.

Gains Seen When the Sunday Blues Disappear

What’s the upside for you and your organization?

Productivity increases. People love what they do so they don’t get caught up in the distractions they once did.

Communication improves. People aren’t afraid to share their process improvement idea, their annoyance at what a colleague said or did, their honest feedback on how a new program is going. They talk about important things. Respectfully. Professionally. And with each other rather behind each other’s backs.

Conflict declines. Or more specifically, unhealthy conflict declines. Disagreements within strong work teams will always happen. With an aligned workplace environment, people respect each other so much they’re willing to listen to another’s point of view, share their own, and come to a solution together.

Harmony expands. No, not the musical kind (unless you’re in the music biz, I guess). This is team harmony. It’s the harmony that happens when people spend most of their time in their two working geniuses (back to Patrick Lencioni’s The 6 Types of Working Genius). Because when we do more of what we love, it’s so much easier to positively contribute to a healthy, collaborative environment.

Let’s Make It Happen Together

Think you’re ready to dissolve the Sunday blues for you and your team? That’s where I come in.

I’m Tracy. Your partner in developing confident, capable leaders; workplace harmony and alignment; and improved time management and productivity. Let’s revive Sunday fun by creating weekday satisfaction and fulfillment. Learn more here: tracybianco.com.