Ops ... IT'S MONDAY!

 

-SPECIAL FEATURE-

What It Really Feels Like Getting Set for Work on a Monday Morning

Monday mornings have a reputation. For some, they’re a fresh start; for others, they’re the weekly reminder that weekends are fleeting and reality is relentless. In Nigeria, “getting set for work on a Monday morning” is more than just a routine, it’s a sensory, emotional, and cultural experience that begins long before the alarm rings.

The Sunday Night Prelude

The morning starts on truth is, Monday Sunday night. Around 9 p.m., the weekend’s energy begins to fade. The fan hums lazily, a neighbour’s generator grumbles, and family WhatsApp groups light up with blessings for the week ahead. You respond politely, but your mind is already calculating how many hours of sleep you’ll get if you close your eyes immediately.

Then comes the small domestic negotiations: the shirt you meant to wash but didn’t, the lunch you planned to prep but forgot. You tell yourself you’ll “manage it like that”, a quiet act of surrender to the inevitable. By bedtime, you’re lying in the dark, eyes open, thinking about traffic, deadlines, and that one colleague who greets Monday with suspicious enthusiasm.

The Monday Morning Shift

When the alarm finally goes off, it’s less a gentle nudge and more a villain’s laugh. You rise slowly, shedding the warmth of your bed like a reluctant hero stepping into the cold. The air feels sharper, the light less forgiving.

The morning routine is part muscle memory, part mental warm‑up: shower, dress, breakfast (or just coffee of messages. In), and a quick scan the kitchen, the steam from your tea or Milo feels like a small blessing, a liquid form of courage.

Outside, the city is already alive. Danfo buses screech to a halt, conductors leaning out to call destinations. Okadas weave through impossible gaps. Street hawkers move between cars with trays of gala, pure water, and plantain chips balanced like trophies. The commute becomes a moving meditation, part anticipation, part bracing for whatever the day will throw at you.

The Emotional Landscape

Getting set for work on a Monday morning is as much about mindset as it is about movement. There’s the slow gear shift from weekend rest to weekday responsibility, the quiet resistance to leaving comfort behind, and, for some, the flicker of motivation that comes with a clean slate.

It’s a balancing act between dread and determination. You’re aware of the week’s demands, but you also know that once you step out the door, momentum will carry you forward.

The Friday Payoff

The unspoken truth is that Monday morning is only tolerable because Friday evening exists. By the end of the week, the air feels lighter, the streets more forgiving. Hawkers’ calls sound like celebration, and the clock’s hands move with a kindness they didn’t have on Monday.

That first step out of the office on a Friday evening is the mirror image of Monday morning’s reluctant departure from bed, except now, you’re walking toward rest, not away from it.

Why It Matters

To “get set for work on a Monday morning” is to participate in a shared ritual,  one that blends personal discipline with the rhythms of the city. It’s a small but significant act of resilience, repeated week after week.

In the end, it’s not just about getting ready for work. It’s about re‑entering the current of life, with all its noise, colour, and unpredictability. And while Monday may never be loved, it will always be survived, one cup of courage at a time.