According to a LinkedIn survey, 80 percent of professionals say they experience the “Sunday Scaries,” with more than 90 percent of Millennials and Gen Z reporting they feel it. What is that you say? Sunday Scaries?
I will admit, I do often find myself “mentally” working Sundays -- usually going over the job schedule or planning specific jobs in my mind, checking weather, trying to remember any last-minute details for Monday. Until I read about the Sunday Scaries, I thought it was just part of being an entrepreneur (some truth to that!). But I wondered if most contractors face it and how (or if) they try to control the Sunday Scaries.
Organization, Planning are Key
At the recent PAVE/X 2024 in San Antonio, I brought up this concern to numerous contractors and I found that virtually everyone experiences the Sunday Scaries to one degree or another. So, how do they combat it? Everyone’s first suggestion was more organization and better planning – certainly the right place to start.
But there’s more to it than that.
We run a very organized operation with plans down to small details. Projects are scheduled well in advance; materials are ordered, and equipment and personnel are assigned to each job. In fact, we often don't even plan for larger projects to commence on a Monday, just to allow that extra day of prep time. But for years I found myself creating a level of anxiety in my mind.
Some of it is part of my desire to triple check everything and not forget – it’s just in my nature. Some is the fact that the buck ultimately stops with me, and forgetting something could be a problem that ultimately could cost crews time, cost us money, and even worse cost us a client.
Don’t get me wrong, some of that Sunday Scaries mental energy was certainly spent in excitement for a job, so not all bad. But it was all still taking up space in my mind; I was expending mental energy, making it difficult for me to relax on what I always hope will be an “off day” amid the busy season. I was still mentally entrenched Sunday evenings.
My Personal Solution
So, I turned to Life Coaching. As a business owner I had previously hired a Life Coach, Kellie Madsen Coaching, to help me with mindset strategy. Many of you may know her as we have co-presented sessions at the Pavement shows.
Her coaching helped me realize that the Sunday Scaries was all a mindset issue for me. I couldn’t fix anything Sunday evening at home, and really, we had already prepped to the best of our ability at work for the upcoming jobs. So, I had to train my mind and convince myself that things were set, and to trust that thought and be able to keep work out of my mind. I know the importance of being able to relax, even a little, so if I couldn’t do this, it only made the upcoming week harder and increased the likelihood of mid- or later-season burnout.
As I said, we are a planning and organization machine, and life coaching helped me learn to trust our system. We start planning the week before each scheduled job. I pull the teams together to review the job, equipment, materials, any onsite issues, even client expectations. Crew members can ask questions and by the time that meeting is finished we have tools and materials set and crews lined out with personal job responsibilities. Then we check the weather and schedule accordingly. By Friday everything that was needed – everything we could control – was completed.
I then had to tell myself – convince myself -- that we were indeed completely set and ready to go. I wasn't going to allow any more mental thought or internal discussion in my mind doubting that things were ready.
And it’s working.
I’m now more likely to be able to enjoy a full weekend without the “Sunday Scaries” or that anxiety that previously used to build up to the point of even affecting my sleep. Realizing that it wasn't lack of planning or preparation, but rather a mindset issue, allowed me to control my thoughts about it and really look forward to the week instead of dreading it.
Turning to a life coach helped me adjust my thinking and gave me my mental free time back -- but you don’t have to rely on a life coach to get the same result. Just make sure you’re doing all you can to organize and plan well in advance for each week, then trust your system. Control the things you can control, then they won’t be controlling you with the Sunday Scaries.
