Returning to work after the weekend can begin with a pile of messages that everyone considers urgent. If we immediately accept every request, the first day of the week becomes an attempt to meet several different deadlines at once.
A useful start is a brief review with the team: what really takes priority, which task is waiting for information, and who needs help. This gives each request a place in the schedule, rather than allowing the order in which messages arrive to determine it.
A good plan for Monday cannot resolve an excessive workload. It can make it visible in time. The week then begins with an agreement that takes people's capacity into account, rather than an expectation that everyone will clear the entire backlog alone.
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