The Problem With Mondays

We’ve all done it. We decide we want to start a new habit—whether it’s a fitness routine, a healthier diet, or a productivity habit—and then we say, I’ll start on Monday. It feels logical, structured, and as though Monday holds some sort of magical power for fresh beginnings. But in reality, waiting for Monday is just another way to procrastinate and set ourselves up for failure.

Why do we wait? Because we believe that starting on Monday will provide a perfect, clean slate. Much like delaying change until a New Year’s resolution, we convince ourselves that the timing needs to be just right, that we need the perfect circumstances to begin. But the truth is, there will never be a perfect time, and Monday won’t change that.

By putting off change, we build up unrealistic expectations. When Monday finally arrives, we often find that things don’t go as planned. Maybe work throws an unexpected challenge our way. Maybe we wake up tired or unmotivated. And then, because things weren’t perfect, we feel like we’ve failed. We abandon the new habit, and it gets lost in the pile of other failed attempts. Our goals get derailed before they even have a chance to take off.

The key to lasting change isn’t waiting for the perfect moment—it’s starting imperfectly. Go into any new habit with the expectation that things won’t go perfectly. There will be obstacles, unexpected disruptions, and days when motivation is low. But if you expect imperfection, you’re more likely to push through those moments instead of letting them derail you.

Instead of saying, I’ll start on Monday, try saying, I’ll start now. Take one small action today. If you want to improve your fitness, do five push-ups. If you want to eat healthier, swap one processed snack for a whole food. If you want to be more productive, set a five-minute timer and tackle a small task. These tiny, imperfect actions might not seem like much, but they compound over time. A 1% improvement each day can lead to massive changes over weeks, months, and years.

Progress isn’t about perfection—it’s about consistency. The problem with Mondays is that they trick us into thinking we need a perfect beginning to make real change. But the real secret? Just begin. Start small, embrace imperfection, and watch how consistency transforms your goals into reality. The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll see just how powerful incremental progress can be.