A Sunday Routine For An Amazingly Productive Week
If your week is always hectic, here is the perfect Sunday routine for you to get organized, relax, and be ready to hit the ground running on Monday.
I love Sundays.
A clean house, an organized week, time spent in nature with family… *breathes deep sigh of contentment*
I used to hate Sundays because it meant Monday was next.
wasn’t in a great place in my career and wasn’t feeling very fulfilled by life. Half of my weekend was spent dreading the start of a new week.
It was an awful way to live!
But since I took on my personal growth journey, now I LOVE SUNDAYS. I think they might be my favorite day of the week! Why?
I’ve created a Sunday routine for myself that sets my whole week up for success! It’s fantastic because it includes some prep work, some self care, and some organization. It makes me feel prepared for whatever life throws my way, and ready to move mountains come Monday.
Here are the 5 things I do to maximize productivity, clear some head space, and achieve more.
// 1 // Cleaning and decluttering
God forbid I wake up in the morning and there are still dishes in the sink. What an awful way to start a Monday! If there are laundry baskets overflowing with clothes everywhere, I feel so demotivated!
But this is the way I often lived, until I realized that all that clutter was making me unfocused, agitated, and stressed.
I take an hour on Sunday to tidy up a few things so that I can start fresh for the week. It is such a good feeling! For me, this means
- Kitchen is back to neutral (surfaces are clear & dishes are done).
- Laundry is all washed AND put away (6 baskets of clean laundry aren’t much better than 6 dirty ones!)
- All beds have clean sheets (this is the best feeling after Sunday night baths – a ritual you should start!)
- House is vacuumed
- Bathroom is deep cleaned (this is one that I do spend a good chunk of time cleaning, because it gets so filthy between our family of 4. I just do it while the kids are in the tub.)
- One space is decluttered (like a closet, or one cupboard, or a desk/table). I get a weird rush from decluttering something, and although it’s overwhelming to do the entire house, I love having just one space that’s back to basics!
Secret confession: if I’ve decluttered the closet, I’ll open it every time I walk by to just stare in pride and contentment… anyone? Or is it just me?
If you haven’t built a habit of cleaning and decluttering yet, my list might be overwhelming for you, and that’s okay! Start with one thing (like wiping down your kitchen counters), and work your way up to a clean/decluttered house.
Having a clean and clutter free space keeps me more focused on work and on family the rest of the week. I’m not trying to organize or vacuum a room when I should be working or playing. Plus, there’s the instant gratification you get with cleaning, and there’s just something so refreshing about starting the week with a clean house.
// 2 // Meal planning and meal prepping
This is a big one! If I don’t know what we’re eating for supper the following week, we will definitely be eating junk out of the pantry. Pinterest + bullet journal = 7 delicious & nutritious dinners planned for my family.
Use Pinterest to your advantage, and find healthy recipes you can fuel your body with all week.
Write out your plan
- in your bullet journal,
- on a chalk board, (if you want to get real cute!)
- or a sticky note on the fridge (if you just need to get started!)
Then, based on your meal plan, put together a grocery list for Monday. I use the free ‘Out of Milk’ app so that I can share my list with my husband when he goes to the store. I love keeping the list on my phone so that I can add to it whenever I think of something!
I also prep the snacks for the week. I put together 5 different snacks for each of us into our glass tupperwares and store them in the fridge. This makes it SO EASY to grab and go in the mornings.
Related Post: 7 powerful ways entrepreneurs boost their energy and create motivation
Before I started batch prepping the snacks, we’d spend almost 20 minutes every night packing lunches.
I save so much time throughout the week by batching this process into 30 minutes on a Sunday.
For the kids (and for me, to be honest), I pack:
- Organic plain greek yogurt with walnuts and honey OR maple syrup and strawberries
- Carrots with hummus OR salad dressing
- Mini pitas with hummus OR cheese and deli meat
- Apple sauce with cinnamon
- Apples and cheese OR crackers
All together, meal planning/prepping takes me about an hour, and saves me at least twice that the rest of the week!
// 3 // Goal setting and time blocking
I take some time to myself every Sunday morning to do my morning routine as usual, but I also tack on a little extra time to set my goals for the week before bed. I have an awesome goal setting routine that helps me stay focused and motivated on the things I want to accomplish each month.
I review my objectives for the month and break them down into actions that need to happen next week in order to stay on track.
Once I’ve got my goals for the week outlined in my bullet journal, I block out chunks of time during the week to work on those goals. This is the most important step – don’t skip it!
Time blocking is much more effective than a long list of to-do’s. Why?
- You’ve thought of how long each goal/task will take which prevents you from jam packing your day with unachievable amounts of tasks
- You’ve already committed the time which means you’re more likely to do it
- You’ll avoid cramming all the things into the last day of the week, or the last week of the month!
If you’re interested in hearing more about time blocking, Brooke Castillo has a great podcast episode on how to throw away your to do list and embrace time blocking instead!
Related post: How To Simplify Your To Do List To The Essentials
With my goals outlined and prescheduled for the week, I know every day will matter, and will bring me closer to the life I dream of living.
This step has honestly revolutionized the success of my week. I know I am living intentionally because I’ve taken the time to prioritize what matters into my calendar.
Related: How To Measure Your Progress On Your Personal Growth Goals
If you’d like a checklist to help you achieve every goal you set so that you can live your dream, get the goal setting template and success checklist FOR FREE when you join our email community!
// 4 // Adventuring in the great outdoors
It can’t be all work and no play! Fresh air is so good for clearing the mind and invigorating the spirit. It can be tough to get outside in the winter, you may wonder what on Earth there is to do? Especially if you weren’t practically raised outside. Here’s what we like in the winter:
- Go for a hike in a local park
- Set up some hammocks by the water and bring a picnic
- Snowshoe off the beaten path
- Get out skiing/snowboarding
- Find a place for sledding!
- Take the family skating!
- Explore your neighborhood walking trails
- Take the dog to the local dog park
During our (Canadian) summers, we basically do the same things, as the snow doesn’t melt until June… just kidding… kind of. My favorite summer activities are
- Mountain biking
- Hiking
- Canoeing/kayaking
- Going to the beach
- Having a bonfire
- Watching the sunrise/sunset
Whatever it is, take 1-3 hours and get your body moving. Spending time outside makes for great therapy, and is much more effective and budget friendly than ‘retail therapy.’
// 5 // Self care
Make time for you.
You’ve got a big week ahead and if you want to bring your best self all week you need to reenergize and refuel your mind, body, and spirit on Sunday.
Related post: Self Care Is Critical: 10 Ideas To Start Today
My favorite self care activities include
- Taking a bath with candles right before bed
- Spending the entire evening reading a good book
- Practicing yoga
- Meditating for reeeaallly long (which, let’s be honest, is like 20 minutes)
- Journaling all of my thoughts out
- Expressing creativity (watercolor painting and calligraphy for me, but it could be anything for you!)
- Drawing out more of my bullet journal
Can you tell I’m an introvert? There are plenty more ideas here for those of you who aren’t finding your jam in the above list.
It is essential that you do something on Sunday that is just. for. you.
If you can’t take time for yourself, you will not show up the way you want to for others.
Carving out time in my week to just be has been the most transformational habit I’ve adopted for my happiness
ANA MCRAE
If Sundays have not been your favorite lately, it’s time to put together a Sunday routine that you can actually look forward to. Want to hear something crazy?
Sometimes, on a Saturday, I secretly wish it was Sunday already so I could do all these things. It’s probably best if I go work on my Saturday routine…
Related posts:
- The Perfect Morning Routine To Make Your Day
- Self Improvement Podcasts To Inspire Personal Growth
- 10 Tips To Be More Motivated
What’s your favorite Sunday tradition? Let me know in the comments below!
