Planning ahead is imperative if you want to live a life of intention. I think Winston Churchill said it best when he said, “He who fails to plan, is planning to fail.”
When life gets busy it is easy to fall into a reactive mindset and begin to live life as it happens to you rather than living a life full of purpose and meaning
You can change all of that by starting your week off right with a simple Sunday routine.
Decide how you will spend your time
No one outside of yourself can tell you how to spend your time, and time is not an infinite resource.
Are you making good use of your time or are you using time as an excuse not to focus on the things that truly matter to you?
If you feel as though you cannot spend quality time on the things that matter without feeling distracted by all of the other things vying for your time, evaluate your current schedule and make an effort to simplify.
I am a big proponent of simplifying anything I can in order to live life with purpose and intention.
Our summer was full of social commitments that could not be turned down because of the importance of each and every one.
You cannot always avoid packed schedules, but you can simplify the day-to-day and have systems in place that you can fall back on when life gets inevitably busy.
Simplify to increase productivity
I gave my best effort to simplifying my schedule this summer so that we could fully enjoy all of the fun things we had planned.
Now that things have slowed down a bit, I am continuing my journey to living more simply.
It is my hope that focusing my efforts toward living this way when things are not busy will make it easier to stay on track when life gets hectic.
One way to kick-start productivity is to implement rhythms and routines into your daily life and change the way you approach everyday tasks.
There are things on your to-do list that must be checked off each week in order to keep your household functioning properly.
Certain tasks are necessary, but it is possible to reduce the burden caused by the weight of these things by dedicating some of your time to planning ahead
Reduce the number of decisions you have to make during the week and free up space in your brain to focus on other things that are more important.
Have the most amazing week ever with a simple Sunday routine
Use this super simple Sunday routine to maximize your time and increase productivity throughout the week.
Set yourself up for the most amazing week ever by doing these five things each Sunday.
1 // Plan your week
Take some time to sit down with your calendar and plan for the week ahead.
Take note of any appointments you have scheduled and map out what you need to accomplish before the week is over.
This is also a good time to review your goals and determine any action steps you can take to help you progress toward the finish line
Instead, you will wake up Monday morning ready to tackle the day with purpose.
2 // Get a jump start on the laundry
If you are able to get all of your laundry done in one day, I applaud you.
If you are like me and work on your laundry throughout the week, I encourage you to get a jump start on the laundry by throwing a couple of loads in on Sunday
Click here for eight tips to help you conquer your laundry quickly, plus a sample schedule.
3 // Pick out your clothes
How often do you stand in your closet staring at the sea of clothing in front of you feeling as though you have nothing to wear?
Choosing what you will wear ahead of time allows you to reduce those last-minute decisions that come with failing to prepare
Aim to select what you will wear each day of the week on Sunday. If you have school-aged kids, encourage them to do the same.
4 // Create a meal plan
Getting dinner on the table each night is difficult if you do not plan ahead.
A well-crafted meal plan keeps you from grabbing a pizza last minute because you forgot to determine what you were going to feed your family
If you desire to eat healthy foods and relax at the end of the day with a home-cooked meal, determine what you will eat for the entire week on Sunday
Click here for a step-by-step guide to creating a meal plan.
5 // Sneak in some self-care
With all of the things women have on their plates these days, it is so important to carve out time for rest.
Make sure you take an hour or two on Sunday to enjoy some downtime
Curl up on the couch with a good book. Watch a movie. Take a nap. Relax in a bubble bath. Spend some time outdoors
Whatever it is that revives your spirit and soothes your soul — make time for it before the week starts up again.
Give yourself permission to take a break and increase your productivity throughout the week.
Now, it’s your turn
Don’t start your week behind. Stop dreading Monday and have the most amazing week ever by implementing this super simple Sunday routine!
- Plan your week
- Get a jump start on the laundry
- Pick out your clothes
- Create a meal plan
- Sneak in some self-care
I enjoyed this article.
So glad to hear that, Linda. Thank you.
I do all of these things Friday evening plus pay bills and order groceries. It allows me to be prepared for the coming week and gives me a more restful and relaxing weekend.
I spend a bit of time doing food prep. This makes it easy to put together lunches and dinners. Everything is already cleaned and washed. I have lemon juice on hand, cut and cleaned veggies, cooked brown rice, homemade soup etc. This makes it easy to have healthy meals that come together in a snap.