I hate Monday morning meetings 😂
Always have.
Specifically: team meetings. You know the ones. The boss, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, kicking off at 8:30am with “Let’s get everyone aligned!” Meanwhile, half the team are still trying to remember their passwords.
Even when I became the boss, I hated them. So I scrapped them. Gone. Vanished – nay, banished – from the calendar.
And guess what? Most of your staff probably hate them too.
Don’t get me wrong. A Monday morning client meeting? No problem. A 1-on-1 with one of your best people? Happy days. But those dreaded all-team meetings, where no one wants to be there and everyone’s faking enthusiasm? No thanks.
Some managers insist, “But they’re essential! Such a great start to the week!”
Sure. You do you. Stick with that 8:30am Monday meeting your team is absolutely dying to attend. Just know you’re missing out on an easy win.
Here’s why Monday morning meetings are a bad idea. And no, it’s not just because of the Boomtown Rats (shout-out to the slightly older folks like me, out there). It’s because after a weekend of switching off, people want to do exactly one thing:
👉 Come to work, and do some work.
Actual work. Productive work. The kind that helps them make that crucial mental shift from home to office. Unlike sitting in a circle, nodding along to project updates, pretending to care.
And when a manager says, “But I need to tell my team what to focus on. Plus, I need to know what they’re going to achieve this week.”
My first thought is … you should already know that. And so should they. What I’m really hearing is a lack of trust. Or a love of control. Maybe both. Good old Taylorism, with its stopwatches, micromanagement, and rigid schedules. Frederick’s fingerprints are all over the outdated idea that a Monday morning meeting is good for business. But that’s a rant for another day.
So, when should you run your team meetings?
Honestly? Just pick another day.
Tuesday at 2:30pm? Sure.
Wednesday at 8:30am? Knock yourself out.
But if you want my pick, from 40+ years of turning up on a Monday, here’s the sweet spot:
👉 Friday at 11:00am.
Why?
✅ Fridays have good vibes. The weekend is a stone’s throw away. People are relaxed and often come to the meeting with a smile on their faces (I sure did).
✅ 11:00am gives everyone time to knock over some proper work first. No groggy starts.
✅ You wrap up the week nicely, share updates, set priorities – and everyone hits Monday ready to go.
✅ It flows straight into lunch. Meeting ends, stomachs rumble, time for food, everyone!
Granted, this worked better pre-Covid, when people still came into the office on Fridays. If that’s no longer the case, shift it to Thursday at 11:00am. Same logic applies.
As always, my advice is simple: just try it.
Give it 3 months. Then ask the team: Keep it or tweak it?
But hey, if you’re convinced your crew are thrilled to kick off the week in a meeting … I’ve got some beachfront property in Canberra to sell you.
👇
Want to shake things up and become a better manager?
Keen to be the boss who actually inspires your team – and yourself?
I can help – let’s talk 📞
