Why Monday is preferable to Friday for taking a day off:

Why Monday is preferable to Friday for taking a day off:
There are three benefits to the day off: 1)obviously, the short work-week, 2)again, obviously, the long weekend, and 3)not so obviously, the anticipation of a long weekend.

Given these three benefits to the day off, only Monday, as the day off, maximizes the benefits. Consider a person starting work on Monday looking forward to the long weekend. Because of benefit 3 the anticipation of the long weekend will make the work week a little less arduous. By looking forward to an extended rest, the cares of work are somewhat lessened. And though he has to work on Friday, he knows he has an extra day on the weekend to enjoy his rest. Then within the weekend, this man also has the benefit of going to bed on Sunday night knowing that the dreaded Monday morning can be spent snug in his bed whilst sleeping in. Returning to work on Tuesday, then is less of a pain, because 1), it's not Monday, and 2) he knows that this work week is shortened. On top of that he will experience the rare pleasure throughout the week of thinking Wednesday as Tuesday and Friday as Thursday. In short, the Monday off plan carries the pleasure of a day off throughout two full weeks rather than just one.

Conversely, a man beginning work on Monday anticipating Friday off, will return to work the next Monday just as dejected as he is on this present Monday.