Do you feel butterflies in the pit of your stomach as Sunday evening approaches? Is it a sad ending to an unforgettable weekend? What if I tell you it no longer has to be this way? Allow these 10 Sunday rituals for a productive week to take away your Sunday blues.
The thought of another work and school week can be overwhelming. There’s so much to do with little time. I wish I had a day off tomorrow! How many times have you felt like this as you lay in your bed on a Sunday night?
Listen, Sunday anxieties are real!
The good news is, you can start loving Sundays once more.
Sunday’s Are For Setting Intentions
I’m sure you’ve heard someone said – Sundays are for setting intentions before! And you just rolled your eyes.
As a busy mom, your to-do list is never-ending. It’s impossible to carve out time on a Sunday for planning was probably your initial thought. While secretly wanting to test it out.
You’ve thought of building Sunday rituals into your lifestyle so you can enjoy the many benefits it brings. But, never quite got around to it. Why haven’t you? Do you think it’s just another habit you are going to attempt and fail at? Building Sunday rituals for a productive week is just another fad, and you just don’t get it?
Well, first of all, I’m thrilled you are reading this post because it’s a hint you are finally giving in and realizing that Sundays are not meant to make you feel blue. And building Sunday rituals can indeed lead you to many benefits.
Some of the many benefits of building Sunday rituals are:
1. No more chaotic Monday mornings. Are you tired of running around like a headless chicken, yelling at the kids, trying to remember where you left your keys? Building and maintaining Sunday rituals can help ease this early mornings chaos. Bringing poise into your mornings.
2. Sunday rituals will bring more efficiency into your life.
3. Help you feel organized.
Why Sunday Rituals For A Productive Week?
So what’s the big deal about setting intentions on Sundays? Many of us, if not most – start our work and school week on Mondays. And to stay productive, there must be some planning. Sundays are when we are mellowing down from our weekend activities and getting ready for the start of another week. Taking action on Sundays gives us that kick start to a productive week because we are now one step ahead for another exciting week.
10 Things To Do Every Sunday To Feel Productive
1. Reflect on Sundays for a productive week
As part of your Sunday rituals for a productive week, take a few minutes to reflect on the previous week. Are there some unfinished tasks from the week before that you would like to get done this week? Are you satisfy with the way things when last week? If not, what can you do differently, and how can you go about doing it? Acknowledge your previous week learn and grow from it, and don’t be afraid of making changes.
2. Use Sundays to plan for a productive week
As I mentioned earlier, planning is necessary when it comes to being and staying productive. What are the things you would like to accomplish this week? Do you have any deadlines that you have to meet this week? What about meetings and appointments?
Identify what tasks are – priority and what’s not and create a plan for your week.
Using Google calendar or the one you have on your fridge. List the tasks you would like to get done each day and the time next to them. Giving yourself adequate time for each task. Now, chances are things may not go as plan as always. But, having a solid plan as to what you want to get done and when will help direct you onto the path of being more productive.
Related post:
Productivity tips for moms working from home
3. Self-care Sunday rituals for a productive week
One of my most favorite quotes is – You can’t pour from an empty cup.
If you’re not at your best self, then how can you be productive? It’s impossible, right?! Taking care of yourself will allow you to show up at your best. You will feel better, and when we feel better -we are more confident in who we are and what we are doing.
Make self-care non-negotiable as part of your Sunday rituals for a productive week. Self-care can be anything from going for a run to reading a great book to having a Mani/Pedi.
The most important thing here is giving yourself the much-needed care so you can feel rejuvenated for the week ahead.
Related posts on self-care and taking care of yourself:
- Take care of yourself as a mom
- 8 ways to make time for rest without guilt
- Strengthen your self-worth through self-love
4. Set intentions for the week ahead
We all have goals in life! And to get closer to our goals, we need to either take inspired actions or get creative so we can scale closer to them. Grab your journal and list what actions you can take in the next few days that will move you closer to your goals. Make sure and put your intentions on paper rather than retaining this information in your head. Research shows that putting pen to paper and writing things down helps you retain more information and makes you more efficient. So make sure to write your intentions down!
Journal prompts for setting intentions
- What’s one thing I want to get better at this week, and why?
- How can I get better at this? (what you listed above)
- What’s something I struggle with last week that I can work on this week?
- What is one thing I can commit to doing daily, that will improve my life?
- How can I be kinder to myself while staying productive?
- What’s my career goal?
- Where do I want to see myself 5 years from now?
- What have I been complaining and pondering about lately? How can I see the bright side of this situation?
5. Add batch cooking as part of your Sunday rituals for productivity
What is batch cooking?
Batch cooking is a method of preparing food in batches ahead of time. Allowing you to save lots of time and money. #productivitywin
So, how does batch cooking work? Basically, you make a meal plan; let’s say for a week. And then you dedicate a few hours on Sunday to cooking most of the meals you will eat for that week.
Batch cooking allows you to:
- Save on time from not having to cook daily.
- Eating out fewer results in more money in your pocket.
- Less food wastage since you will be using leftovers for other meals.
You can also use Sundays for prepping your kids’ meals and snacks for school. Just make sure you have enough lunch and snack kits.
6. Pick your styles for the week ahead
Let’s face it, choosing what to wear every day can be challenging whether you are working remotely or in the office. Grab your phone and look up the weather forecast for the week, then choose the outfits you would like to wear for that week.
If you wear uniforms, then choosing what to wear may not be an issue. But, gathering all pieces of your uniform and placing them where you can easily find them will help you to save time.
You can also do the same when it comes to finding clothes for your kids to wear to school or daycare for the week.
7. Tidy up
House chores are never-ending! It utilizes a lot of our energy and time. Plus, we dread doing it for the most part. Unfortunately, the house doesn’t clean itself and, the laundry pile never stops growing!
Add tidying up to your Sunday routine if you want to stay productive throughout the week. In this way, you won’t be hustling to get things done during the week.
Get as much cleaning and laundry done over the weekend so you can take your mind off cleaning your house.
If you work from home, clean up your workplace. Whether that’s a dedicated office or a small dedicated spot on your countertop.
Spend a few minutes organizing your desk, meeting notes, content folders. So when you are ready to work, you have everything that is needed for a successful and productive week.
Having a clean space to work raises your vibration and energy. It allows you to feel good and perform better while staying organized.
Maire Kondo shared the magic of tidying up in her book – Tidying up.
8. Do not sleep in on Sundays
Okay, here’s the thing. You don’t need to wake at 6 AM on a Sunday, but it can help you to feel more efficient by waking up at 8 AM VS 10 AM or noon.
Avoid sleeping in on Sundays. Instead, start your day right by waking early. This will give you more time to get things done that will lead to a productive and successful week. Waking early also helps you feel more energetic.
9. Make time to look after your finances as part of your Sunday routine
Many of us shy away from looking after our finances. Are you one of them?
Build a healthy relationship with money by making time to look after your finances. Create a simple budget on an excel spreadsheet, and every Sunday update this spreadsheet. You can use receipts or log on to your bank account and credit card account to get your spending details. Recognize where you may have overspent and what ways you were able to save. Are you spending more than you are saving? Are you heading into debt? Or, are you leaping into financial independence?
Money is an important aspect of our life and we should always make time for money.
Related post:
10+ real ways to make extra money as a mom
12 easy and fast ways to save money as a mom
10. Educate yourself
We should commit to learning something every day! And Sundays are no different. Commit 30 minutes to listen to a podcast, reading a blog post, doing research or, investing in a course. Your growth is INEVITABLE! Keep learning and keep growing. Make it part of your daily lifestyle.
How To Build Sunday Rituals For A Productive Week?
The honest and irritating answer is – to just start! The good news is you can start as early as next week. Choose one or two of the rituals listed above and just try them out. Then the following week, add another two upon them and keep doing so until you can incorporate all of them into your Sunday lifestyle.
What do you have to lose by adding these rituals into your life? And remember, if you don’t like the results you are seeing (which is less than likely) – you can always go back to your old way of living.
Do you already have some Sunday rituals in place to help you stay productive throughout the week? Share with us in the comments below, and let us know – how these rituals have impacted your life.
These are very helpful suggestions and especially for people who are extremely busy during weekdays.
Setting aside time to do things like these on the same day every week has always been hard for me because my husband works and irregular schedule and it’s not the same from week to week. But I’ve been thinking lately that I need to have my own plan to do this on a set day even though sometimes he’s not here. These are really great tips!
Thank you, Kim. And it always gets easier with consistency and time:-)
I practice Self Care Sunday and it really helps me for the rest of the week.
I feel like the weekends are so busy, and then Monday I spend recovering. These are good tips for starting off the week right!