bare minimum Monday

Bare minimum Monday means doing only the essential work on Mondays, starting slowly and putting your wellbeing first, so the week doesn’t begin with stress.

What bare minimum Monday means

Wikipedia describes bare minimum Monday as employees doing the minimal amount of work necessary on Mondays, which may involve starting later and prioritizing self-care. The idea is that a gentle Monday makes the rest of the week more manageable. It’s also called minimum effort Monday.

Supporters see it as a defense against burnout. Critics, Wikipedia notes, see it as antiwork and warn that disengaging could cost people their jobs. It’s often grouped with quiet quitting.

Examples

• “It’s bare minimum Monday: emails, one meeting, done.”
• “I start bare minimum Monday with a walk before I even open my laptop.”
• “My boss would not appreciate bare minimum Monday.”

Where it came from

According to Wikipedia, TikTok creator Marisa Jo Mayes coined the term in 2022, describing it as a response to burnout from the Sunday scaries, hustle culture and worker exploitation. Wikipedia says it’s more common among millennial and Gen Z workers. There’s an old precedent too: “Saint Monday” was the historic tradition of workers taking Mondays off.

Related terms

• Quiet quitting: doing only what’s required.
• Sunday scaries: Sunday-night dread.
• Lazy girl job: an easy, well-paid job.
• Soft life: choosing ease over hustle.

See more terms like this in our work and money slang guide.