Why ‘Bare Minimum Mondays’ will kill your career

TikTok has produced yet another viral gen Z workplace trend known as ‘Bare Minimum Mondays’. Similar to ‘Quiet Quitting’ or ‘Act Your Wage’, ‘Bare Minimum Mondays’ is all about burnt-out and undervalued employees only doing the absolute minimum amount of work tasks required from them on Mondays to avoid the anxiety that comes along with the ‘Sunday Scaries’ (the phenomenon of spending Sunday night dreading the work week ahead). 

While the trend’s creator, Marisa Jo Mayes, may have had good intentions, as a successful entrepreneur and founder of The Entourage, I can confidently say that ‘Bare Minimum Mondays’ puts you on the fast track to killing your career. High achievers and those who progress in and build successful careers LOVE Mondays. They start on Sundays, setting clear priorities for the week, and on Monday they are the ones who hit the ground running to get on top of their workload and to-do lists. While culturally ‘TGIF’ is a popular saying, TGIM is the saying of high-achievers and successful people.

@resumeaddict

I’m not telling you to slack off, but you can only do what you can do 🤷🏽‍♀️ You’re human! #bareminimummonday #fyp

♬ original sound – Charnay | Resume Expert

In today’s free market, competition is fierce, and everyone is vying for the top spot. If you’re looking to stand out in your workplace and be recognised with promotions, pay rises, and more responsibility, then you need to be willing to put in the hard yards and go above and beyond. Now, I’m not saying that you should tolerate working for a company that doesn’t value you. If you find yourself in that situation, it’s time to move on. However, some companies have a high-performance culture and show they care by investing in their employees’ training, development, and career progression.

Are you in the wrong career?

If you hate Mondays or only want to put the “bare minimum” into the day, you are in the wrong career. If you are living for the weekend, and you are counting down the days, you are in the wrong career. Living a life where you hate Monday and you’re counting down the days until the weekend is a miserable existence — we spend over 30% of our lives at work. If you hate what you do, you’re giving up that 30% of your life to something you don’t enjoy. That’s what people do when they think they are without a choice.

But in 2023, no one is without a choice. Anyone can learn anything, anyone can develop any skill through Google and YouTube, and anyone can connect to anyone else to support their progression. Gone are the days when only certain people had access to knowledge and education. These days everybody has the same access to the best knowledge and the best education on the planet at the touch of their fingertips. If you hate your job, you’ve chosen that and there’s no excuse for it. You may have even chosen it through indecision. You need to stop, pause, and recalibrate to decide what you want to do with your life.

To succeed in your career, it’s crucial to set reasonable boundaries. Negotiation is a critical skill that you need to master to find a win-win situation for yourself and your employer. Remember, healthy boundaries take into account both your perspective and your employer’s. It’s essential to understand the difference between asserting necessary boundaries and making one-sided demands. With the right balance, you can build a mutually beneficial relationship with your employer and thrive in your career.

The truth is, no one is going to care about your career as much as you do. If you want to progress in your career, you need to take ownership of it. You need to start taking action, and you need to start taking responsibility. If you’re not happy with where you are in your career, it’s up to you to change it. No one is going to do it for you.

So, what can you do to avoid ‘Bare Minimum Mondays’? 

Set achievable goals: Before starting your work week, set achievable goals for the week. Break them down into daily tasks and prioritise them based on their importance. This will give you a clear direction and purpose for your week, and help you stay motivated and focused on your work.

Embrace challenges: Instead of shying away from challenging tasks, embrace them as an opportunity to learn and grow. Stepping outside your comfort zone can be uncomfortable, but it can also be incredibly rewarding. Remember, the more you challenge yourself, the more you’ll learn and develop new skills.

Reflect on your accomplishments: Take a few minutes at the end of each day to reflect on your accomplishments. This will help you stay focused on your goals and help you identify areas for improvement. Use this reflection time to think about what went well, what you learned, and what you could do differently next time.

Take breaks and recharge: Taking short breaks throughout the day can help improve your productivity and focus. Instead of scrolling through social media during your breaks, take a walk outside, meditate, or do something that helps you relax and recharge. This will help you stay energised and focused throughout the day.

While the ‘Bare Minimum Mondays’ trend might have started with good intentions, ultimately, doing only the bare minimum is not a healthy way to approach your work. It’s not fair to either you or your employer. Getting a head start on the week and embracing the challenges on Monday requires a proactive and positive mindset, effective planning and organization, and a willingness to tackle the most difficult tasks first. By following these strategies, you can set yourself up for a successful and fulfilling week, and avoid the trap of ‘Bare Minimum Mondays.’

Jack Delosa is the founder and chairman of business coaching provider — The Entourage — with a global community of over 800,000 business owners. He is also an investor, media personality, best-selling author and 5x AFR Young Rich Lister.