How to Reset for the Week
Of course, I begin each week with the best-laid plans, but life happens and the things I intend to do each day or during the week sometimes get pushed off the priority list. When this happens, I go back to the tasks that help set me up for success, and this typically happens on Sundays.
If you hop on Google, you’ll find pages and pages of articles featuring different people — bloggers, entrepreneurs, medical professionals, etc. — all discussing the ways in which they reset for their week with a Sunday routine. If you work a typical Monday through Friday job, then Sundays are the eve of your week. For some folks that means Sundays can come with a sense of dread of what’s to come, but by committing myself to taking certain steps to reset each week I’ve actually changed my perspective on Sundays. I now look at them as exciting opportunities to restart and accomplish the things I set out to do, but maybe was unable to complete the week before.
Rest.
Yes, you read that correctly. The first thing I do to reset is get some rest. I still keep those Sunday School teachings from my childhood in the very back of my mind and take a page from the scriptures to find time for rest each Sunday. As my mom likes to remind me, “You can’t pour into other people’s cups when you’re running on empty.” For me, rest means lounging on the couch with my coffee for longer than normal, not working out, “losing” my phone, sleeping in, or sitting in the backyard hammock with my husband and son. Depending on the week you’ve had, maybe this happens for most of the day or just for a few hours. Whatever it looks like for you, the priority is to feel restful.
Plan the week ahead.
Each week, I plan my upcoming week in my planners. I currently use three planners for different purposes, but if you’re a more simple person with a single planner then make sure to set anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour (depending on all that you need to keep track of) to plan. Write down appointments, meetings (if that’s necessary for you), set up a weekly habit tracker or finish filling in your habit tracker from the week before, your meal plan for the week, a work schedule, birthdays or special occasions. Whatever is relevant to you and necessary to keep at the forefront of your mind, write it down and commit it to your memory.
Meal prep.
If you work long hours or if you have a family, I highly recommend meal prepping. Not only does it make your life easier during a hectic work week, but it eliminates the opportunity for excuses when it comes to eating out. Meal prepping is the single-most important thing I did for myself and my family when it came to tightening my belt on my debt-free journey. When you’ve paid for groceries and have also done the work of preparing something, the last thing you want to do is throw that money or effort in the trash for some mediocre takeout food.
Do your laundry for the upcoming week.
I used to be the sort of person who did laundry whenever the basket got full or I noticed I was starting to run out of clothes. When I did this, I found myself constantly overwhelmed by all the laundry I had to put away (spoiler alert: a task I loathe) and frustrated that I couldn’t find clothing. When I joined the planner community and as I got more initiated into parenthood, I noticed many women would do their laundry more than just once every three weeks. At first, I was skeptical because how many articles of clothing could I possibly have to wash in just one week? Enough to make it worth throwing in a load it turns out! The best thing about doing smaller loads of laundry is that there are much less items of clothing to put away and oftentimes it can be done while listening to an hour-long podcast in the background. All of this said, make sure to do your part for the environment and don’t wastefully run unreasonably small loads.
Stay home.
Of course it’s much easier to do these tasks when you’re home, but these tasks aside, I find having a day where I don’t have get dressed up, get in a car, or socialize to be so re-energizing. Monday through Friday, I spend at minimum 11 hours of each day out of my house, socializing and extrovert-ing a lot more than I would willingly do. For an introvert like me, having that one day to fall back on where I don’t have the pressure to socialize and I can enjoy the quiet of my home is essential. It’s a form of self-care.
Go to bed early.
This one is pretty straightforward. You’re likely to wake up with a case of the Mondays regardless of what you do to set yourself up for success, so you might as well do what you can to feel rested. So set the show that airs super late on Sunday nights to record on your DVR or watch it on-demand on your lunch break the following day.
Tidy and organize.
I don’t mean deep clean and do all the things, but put away the little things that will create visual clutter. Tidy your desk or put away the clothing you have sitting in a chair. Starting your morning with a clear mind is essential and mess triggers anxiety.
Prioritize a form of self-care.
As already mentioned, our weeks don’t happen the way we plan. Your boss asks you to stay later; a deadline gets moved up; your significant other falls sick. Whatever the reason, have some sort of form of self-care in your back pocket. Whether it’s binge-watching a streaming service show or having an art project to dive into, have an exit strategy when your mind and body need a chance to rest.
Those are my tips on how to reset for the upcoming week. I hope they encourage you to look at your own routines and figure out ways to change or improve them so you can start each week set up for success. Nothing feels better than having a feeling of optimism for the week ahead because you and your home life are settled. Despite what may lie ahead at work, you know you are going to be successful in the personal areas you have control over.
How do you reset for each week? Are there tips in here you’ll start implementing? Let me know in the comments.
