We all know what TGIF means—it’s the end of a work week, we’reready for a break, and it’s time to relax and enjoy theweekend.

Of course, weekends are most enjoyable if there’s been a goodweek preceding it, and a good week in selling benefits depends ongetting off to a good start, having a good Monday. Let’sconsider how to get off to a good start.

First, my Monday starts over the weekend. On Friday afternoon Ipack my briefcase with three types of material. First, any readingI might want to do at home is tossed into the bag. This can bestudies from LIMRA or Eastbridge, the most recent issue ofBenefits Selling, competitor data—anything I plan to readgoes home with me, to be reviewed during football games (not toneglect football, but have you ever noticed how few minutes in agame are actually devoted to playing football? If you develop theability, as I have, to go back and forth between a game and anarticle, you can get hours of reading done during a single contestjust by reading during timeouts). Second, I bring my task list fromthe previous week. Third, I bring my calendar for the comingweek. Of course, these last two items are on my iPad and noton paper.