I’m a huge fan of using my Sunday to plan and set myself up for a productive week! I hope this list of 6 things to do on Sunday inspires you to do the same! These habits are simple and tangible but adopting them will make a big impact on your life!
Yes, these things take time and effort and this may not be the way you WANT to spend your Sunday. By taking a portion of the day on Sunday to do some of this prep work, the rest of your week can run so much smoother!
We’re used to hearing about self-care as bubble baths and face masks. But self-care is actually doing the things you need to do to thrive and be happy, healthy and successful.
Sometimes self-care looks like taking an hour out of your Sunday afternoon to prepare for the upcoming week!
I’ve tried approximately 21458 different planners, and just wasn’t loving any of them. So, I made my own printable weekly planner!
I love it so much that I’ve decided to share it with you. You can sign up for my email list (Don’t worry I won’t spam you!!) to receive your free printable copy.
CHECK YOUR SCHEDULE
It’s a good idea to start out by looking at the upcoming week. Are you having dinner guests over one evening? Do you need to bring an appetizer to a work party? Do you have an important appointment?
Reminding yourself of these things will be helpful as you go through the rest of the steps throughout the day!
For instance, if you’r having dinner guests on Wednesday then when you do your regular grocery trip on Monday, be sure to pick up those extra things you might need for your guests!
If you have an important meeting outside of daycare hours, make sure you’ve communicated this with your spouse before it comes up to avoid stress!
It’s a great idea to go over your schedule with your spouse or your family. Make sure everyone is on the same page and knows what to expect with the upcoming week.
BRAIN DUMP
I LOVE brain dumps as a way to organize your thoughts and minimize overwhelm. If you aren’t familiar with the concept, basically you grab a pen & a piece of paper, set a timer for a few minutes and just write EVERYTHING that comes to mind.
Don’t try to control your thoughts, just write what you’re thinking. When I’m feeling overwhelmed this helps me visualize the 10312492 ideas floating around inside my head!
The goal here isn’t to have an organized list of the things you need to do. It’s just to get it out of your brain!
Sometimes we carry around so many ideas and expectations and we might not even realize it! A braindump really helps to put these things into perspective.
NARROW DOWN YOUR PRIORITIES
After completing a brain dump, look at ALL of the things you wish to accomplish and prioritize your top goals for the week as well as the things you want to do on Sunday. If you wrote massive goals like “train for a marathon”, “start a blog”, and “redo the kitchen” in your brain dump pick a few TANGLIBLE and REALISTIC goals that will help you one day reach those big goals.
Maybe aim to go for 3 morning runs, and take a 30 minute online webinar about creating your own blog. Write those goals down and plan a time to accomplish them. Keep this list somewhere you can see it and check things off as you accomplish them.
When we narrow down our priorities and focus on 2-3 instead of 20, we will actually be and feel MORE productive.
When you have a list of 20 things to do in one day but only accomplish 5, you end the day discouraged and frustrated that you didn’t get more done.
Instead, if you have a to-do list with 3 items and finish them PLUS 2 extras, you’ll feel encouraged and energized by the end of the day!
FOOD PREP
Meal preparation or planning can look different for everyone. Some people like to physically pre-make their breakfasts or even all of their meals. Personally I like to (and have the time to!) make my meals fresh every day.
Either way, there is room to do some preparation on Sunday.
Take inventory of the food you have, and make a grocery list. Write out your dinner ideas for the week. Soak some dried nuts to have on hand. Make a loaf of bread or a batch of muffins. Wash and cut up fruits & vegetables for quick snacks.
Whatever your preference, taking some time on Sunday to do some batch preparations can save you a lot of time throughout the week!
CLEAN HOME
Starting the week with a clean and tidy home is a game changer for me! We usually clean the entire house on Saturday and then tidy up before going to bed on Sunday.
There’s nothing better than starting Monday morning with clean bathrooms, the laundry put away and all the dishes done!
If you don’t have time to deep clean your home every weekend, try to at least do the tasks that will have the biggest positive effect on your week!
Read more of the daily cleaning habits we follow to keep a tidy home!
UNPLUG
“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes….including you.”
Unplugging from social media, the news, and maybe even other people can help us recharge before starting a new week. Consider turning all your devices off for a few hours on Sunday!
You could use that unplugged time to do something productive, or you could just spend that time with your family or reading a book.
Being unplugged from the world really puts our lives into perspective and allows us to slow down.
FAMILY TIME
Family time may go hand-in-hand with unplugging. Take Sunday to do something fun as a family! Whether it’s just sitting down for a nice meal together or going out to do an activity, focusing on your family or your spouse for even a few hours on Sunday will have such a positive impact on your week!
If you’re single or live alone, you could even make Sundays the day you call your parents or grandparents.
Or maybe what you need most is just to spend some quality time alone!
If these tips are all new to you, start implementing one at a time!
It often feels overwhelming to completely overhaul our habits at once. But adding one new habit ever week or every other week should feel more manageable.
I hope you found these things to do on Sunday helpful and I hope they inspired you to have a productive Sunday to prepare for the upcoming week!
Be sure to pin one of the images below to share with a friend or to refer to later!