The Educated Emotion

There is no getting around it! Monday, with its 700 emails and malfunctioning alarm clock, comes every week. According to a recent study, the average worker is only productive about 3 1/2 hours each Monday. That means at least 5 hours each week employees are paid for complaining about Monday, traffic jams, running kids to school after they missed the bus, locked car keys, eating out after leaving lunch on the counter, stressing out about starting the week, anxiety, head and stomach distress. There is even a 20% increased risk of having a heart attack on a Monday! Even as an entrepreneur with a home office, I still fall prey to the dozens of unplanned distractions each week that all seem to occur on Monday. To help you get through this Monday, and the 32 Mondays left in the year, I have a couple ways to help you be more productive on Mondays. Preparation - I was sick this past weekend. Consequently, my mom and a friend brought me lunch and dinner, respectively, yesterday.

[ View the story "Happy Mother's Day!!" on Storify ]

The Crime Scene. Within minutes of the robbery, my local coffee shop was transformed into an action scene with detectives and all! Last Thursday, me and a writing buddy were at one of my favorite local coffee shops when, in broad daylight, an armed robber clad in a ski mask came and demanded cash. Unbelievably, I was so engrossed in my work that I missed the entire altercation. By the time I noticed that there was even a robbery, the suspect was out the door and a police car was speeding into the parking lot. My first reaction was that this had to be the quietest thief ever! How could I have missed a masked man, a woman shoved, a foot chase?  As a "regular" and a writer, this was pathetic. In hindsight, though,  I was lucky...blessed even. What could have been a very scary scene was more of a warning to be more observant and chance to give thanks and be grateful that nobody, including my teen baristas, were physically harmed.  Thankful Thursdays   For the last