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Bare Minimum Mondays

2023.03.27


Bare Minimum Mondays should be mandatory.

Yes, you read that correctly.


Bare Minimum Mondays are an effective construct with a backlash-inviting name.

They’re not about being lazy or slacking.

They’re about pace and capacity.

They’re about intentionally establishing the cadence of your workweek.


Too many people mistakenly believe that “doing” the work is the only thing that counts as work.

I get it. It is much easier to focus on the visible outcome than to champion the invisible process that makes it possible.

These outcome focused people must believe that somehow priorities magically set themselves. That planning and reflecting aren’t necessary. That delegation is as simple as saying “take care of doing [x]”.

They forget that “defining” the work is just as important as doing it.


In fact, correctly defining your work is the secret ingredient to being sustainably productive.

And that is where Bare Minimum Mondays can be genius.


With the volume of responsibilities contained within the typical knowledge worker’s portfolio, a day to define work, to set priorities, to follow up with others, to schedule things, and then of course to “do” some work is not only reasonable, it is necessary.


Though the unfortunate term might be relatively new, the concept isn’t. And I've seen it work firsthand.

Back in 2020 I worked at an organization that implemented No Meeting Mondays and it quickly became a BELOVED piece of the culture.

What I noticed the rest of the week across the organization:

  • People were prepared for scheduled meetings. Agendas came out in advance, materials were read, etc.
  • A significantly higher proportion of emails got followed up on in a timely manner.
  • People were more intentional with what they were working on, less deadline-reactive, and much more likely to give others a heads up on things.

What would it take to get a planning/quiet day established for your team?


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