Minimizing the grind: Why less can actually be more on Mondays, baby!
Holly T
No more pretending I belong to the workforce. Gen Z'ers, those 11-26-year-olds ready to inherit the Earth whenever Millennials are satisfied (or irrelevant), are the ones on a mission to claim what's left after our fun-loving generation bowed out. After hearing whispers of the newest TikTok trend, I found myself hobbling on my creaky joints, Googling "Minimal Monday" and angry with the results.
Entirely thanks to TikTok founder and CEO Marisa Jo Mayes, she shares a compelling perspective on our obsession with overbooking our Sundays and unrealistic expectations on Mondays. Rather than overdoing it on the first working day, rejecting the notion that we must cram our To-Do's and stress the crap out of ourselves, many TikTokers have discovered the joy of pacing themselves and saving energy for the week ahead. A feeling akin to stumbling upon a magical secret potion!
Unlike the misleading label of "Quiet Quitting," Minimum Monday comes surprisingly close to fulfilling its promises. However, it does share one crucial aspect with other rising trends among our younger generation: a growing sense of self-care and personal empowerment.
But even when Generation Z manages to sail through its minimalistic Mondays (or chooses to take a break from working entirely), odds are they will still face a less than ideal work-to-reward ratio in comparison to Baby Boomers and Gen X-ers. Picture their work week. Picture yours. The bones of the struggle remain the same, even as new generations join the workforce.
A Millennial myself, I've lived through the slow crawl to career success – after earning my lackluster degree in 2010. The lingering effects of the recession and uncertainty about internships left me working like a dog just to secure a stable income.
Conquering the business world often means relentless hard work, sacrificing personal needs in the process. It's a fierce competition, and success feels like retribution.
My days in those early years – if you could call them days – were spent in a haze of fluorescent lights, having breakfast at 4 am with only caffeine and carbonated sugar to keep me company. My paychecks fell short of the rent I would pay in a decade's time, and my love life and business relationships alike were conducted in a state of adrenaline-fueled hyperactivity.
The barista at Pret a Manger offered me a free croissant, which I gratefully accepted even when I had no place to stay. Those were the times I dreamed of stability made available only to the well-off Gen X apartment owners. But somehow, I couldn't help but miss the thrill of making it against all odds.
New York's notorious It-girl author and best-seller, Cat Marnell, understood the cyclical nature of this struggle in her 2017 literary gem, "How to Murder Your Life."
"Internships are an eerily friendly prison," she wrote masterfully. Even during the early stages of our careers, there was a hope for better times, albeit tough as nails. But our elders from Generation X held on to the belief that their wealth would somehow improve or their contributions would one day be rewarded.
The generation caring for the TikTokers preaching minimalistic work practices? Well, they're still working harder than their Boomer and Gen X counterparts, perhaps haunted by the fear that no matter how hard they work, they won't have anywhere near the financial stability they were promised.
Still, even the loudest TikTokers retweeting their peers' news of fleeting unemployment seem to be doing it the hardest. Unlike the Millennials who dare to hope for a better tomorrow, Gen Z seems to have seen the writing on the wall: there will be no easy salvation by the time we're all in our 40's and 50's. Instead, we'll be left with a watered-down Millennial marketplace, plagued by emotional coffee intolerance and stale pastry crumbs.
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Enrichment Data:
Finding a healthy work-life balance while embracing the concept of "Minimum Monday" requires a proactive approach towards personal organization and self-care. Here are some techniques to help you:
- Advance Planning: Utilize a planner for both work and personal tasks, and create short- and long-term goals. Prioritize those areas that matter the most.
- Self-Care Routine: Set aside time for personal activities such as exercise, meditation, or hobbies. Your mental and physical well-being are essential to keeping up with your workload.
- Task Batching: Group your tasks based on their nature – administrative vs. creative tasks, for example.
- Flexible Work Arrangements: Introduce flexible work hours, remote work, or a flexible schedule. This allows employees to customize their schedules for better work-life balance.
- Mindful Monday Practices: Incorporate activities like meditation or exercise to start the week off right.
- Regular Progress Tracking: Use a planner or tracking app to chart your progress, reflect on your successes and challenges, and make adjustments as necessary.
When you look at work-life balance from this perspective, you'll find that it's more than just a buzzword. It's a practical lifestyle choice that allows you to live more fully, producing better work and creating lasting personal connections.
