Happy Monday!  I read 2 different Facebook entries this morning from friends stating they had great weekends, but need another day just to catch up. 
       I  feel that way most Mondays!  So, on my calendar, I carve out until noon most Mondays to catch up, and call it my Monday Charger Morning. I do not schedule clients on Monday mornings, so I use the time to catch up on weekend stuff, take care of routine home chores and plan strategically for the week to come, both personally and professionally.
       If you don’t have a Monday morning to spare, the same results can be achieved by spending a couple of hours on a Sunday evening Charging up for the Week.   Monday morning, after delivering everyone to school:

1. I come home and plug in my cell phone, blue tooth ear piece and IPod (hence the origins of “Charger” Morning)
2.  (1 Hour) I get my home Back To Ready now that everyone is back to school and work. I complete my BTR routine, working room by room in the same order every week:       a.  Beds Made, bedroom surfaces cleared off;
         b.  Clothes and shoes dealt with – dirty ones in the hamper, clean ones put away;
         c.  Sweep all rooms and Empty all trash;
         d.  Kitchen cleaned up, dining room table wiped off;
         e. Bathroom cleaned up, towels hung up, surfaces clear, mirror wiped clean; 
         f. Laundry started in washer and/or dryer, dishwasher loaded and running, crock pot on!
         g. Papers gathered together for me to work on them, or purge or shred them.
3. During my BTR Routine, I jot down the random ideas that occur to me during this particular exercise. The ideas could read “Need laundry detergent, need snacks for baseball, bake cookies for friend, new dress shoes for A, change smoke detector batteries, etc.”
4. (1 hour) I exercise. I find that if I can do this on this first morning of the week, it sets the tone for the rest of the week. I do my 45 minutes, come home and take a shower.
5. (1.5 hours) I sit down at my desk, now that my house is tidy and I am energized by my walk. I pull the personal papers that need my attention. Today the list includes:        a.  Schedule Medical appointments for two of us;
           b. Gather information for new front door and garage door, for purchase and installation;
           c. Write a check and fill out a permission slip for a school activity;
           d. Set up an on-line account for a fundraiser for a cancer walk next month;
           e. Send out an email to friends and family regarding a Cub Scout / Boy Scout fundraiser;
           f. Call church about music for an upcoming event this week;
           g. Pay bills for my Business, write out Thank You notes and birthday cards to drop off at the post office tomorrow on my Taking Care of Business Morning (next week’s topic!).

      My Charger Morning gives me a chance to personally re-charge and take a breath before jumping into our busy life. It gives me a chance to clear my desk and my head, and provides focus and clarity for the rest of the week. So carve out an hour or two at the beginning of your week to set the right tone for an Organized and Charged Up week!