(Oh, come on; you know how I love a themed series, right?)

I read a quote (author unknown) that was something like, “Tuesday is Monday’s uglier sister.”

I disagree.

Tuesday, for me, is the sweet spot day.

Tuesday is early enough in the week that one might say, “Let’s meet early in the week – say, Tuesday…” because Monday is too too early and Wednesday is already mid-week.

It’s the best day of the week to buy a plane ticket. Research indicates it’s the most productive day of the week. It’s the day on which there’s the lowest likelihood of a fatal traffic accident. The best day to find (or post) a job. The most popular day for fitness classes.

Tuesday is the ultimate blank-slate day.

Which means it can also easily become no-woman’s land, a lost-in-limbo day that lacks the reboot energy of Monday and the get’er-done pressure of Thursday. Maybe that’s why the Tuesday haters hate it?

I’ll offer two ways to look at Tuesday, then, for your consideration — even if you’re in the “I hate Tuesdays” camp:

• It’s the day to dream, plan, think big, etc. It’s the day to Ideate+Innovate (words you’ll see again, soon, here). It’s a great day to keep the calendar completely clear so you can use your full brain to look ahead.

OR:

• It’s the day to get as many of the week’s obligations out of the way as possible, so you can use Friday to do all of the things listed above, if Friday is the better day for you to do such things.

Me? I’m a Tuesday dreaming kind of gal. While some Tuesdays have to follow that second model, my preference is to keep Tuesdays loose and open, with the only blocked out time on my schedule blocked for intense learning/thinking/planning/creating. It’s why Tuesday might be my favorite day of the week in general and certainly my favorite day of the work week.

If you haven’t ever given much thought to Tuesday and your Tuesday habits or mindset, then maybe today’s the day you’ll give it a minute’s reflection. Because I’ll bet you have a Tuesday habit, even if you don’t recognize it consciously. A moment’s reflection on that is as good a place to start as any.

So, happy Tuesday. Why not?

P.S.

I promised that every January post would include something about cooking, but then yesterday I was so deep into Monday busyness that I fell down on my end of that bargain. Maybe this add-on will make up for it?

Kid approved, for Taco Tuesday, and super easy: Smoky Chicken Tacos (Martha Stewart) (Don’t judge; just try it.)

More grown-up, and better, for Taco Tuesday, and also super easy: Chicken Tacos with Chipotle (David Tanis, NYT Cooking) (Alternative, from Food & Wine, if you don’t have an NYT Cooking subscription: Chipotle Chicken Tacos.)