It's Monday – avoid (deadly) conflict

Did you know that we're 33% more likely to have a heart attack on a Monday? Apparently so, according to an article in the Saturday "Work" section of the Guardian, which confirms that the Monday Blues are all part of a definite rhythm to the working week.

The article refers to research by Debbie Moskowitz, a psychologist at McGill University in Canada, who has mapped the weekly pattern of our moods. "She found that workers tend to be more demanding, aggressive and task-focused earlier in the week and more submissive and open to negotiation as the weekend approaches," reports the Guardian.

You probably won't be surprised to hear that we're not at our best on a Monday. This is peak day for calling in sick resulting in a phenomenon called Seasonal Absence Syndrome, which basically means we're short staffed and stressed out. We're more demanding and aggressive on a Monday, so it's a good day for "delegating, organising and setting goals, following your boss's direction and avoiding conflict."

Once you've got that pesky Monday morning heart-attack risk out the way, you may want to plan the rest of your week accordingly. Here's a summary of how our moods are likely fluctuate:

Tuesday: We're feeling better today – "for many this is peak day for work output and efficiency." Intellectual performance will peak between 10am and noon.

Wednesday: We're relaxing into the working week, but we're not exhausted yet. Today's the day for creative thinking, strategy and brainstorming.

Thursday: Today we're relatively more submissive and open to negotiation. Basically, we want to get our work completed by the end of the week so we're ready to compromise if needed.

Friday: Having safely made it through the medical minefield that was Monday, we're not out the woods just yet. Today, workers take more risks and have more accidents. We're likely to make riskier decisions today. And it's not a good day for meetings – we can't concentrate. Having said that, business psychologist Alastair Hamill rather cunningly points out that calling a meeting on a Friday afternoon could be a tactical advantage: "you are pretty certain to get a decision because people don't want to linger."

Sneaky.