Do you suffer from the Sunday scaries as the weekend draws to a close? It’s natural to feel a bit apprehensive about the upcoming week, but you don’t have to! Choose some of these simple Sunday habits for a productive week and set yourself up for success in the new week.
I say choose some of these habits for a reason. Don’t feel like you need to push yourself to tackle this entire list at once if you’re not feeling up to it.
It’s better to ease into creating a routine for your Sundays. Over time you can cultivate a routine or ritual for Sundays including things that you’re actually looking forward to doing.
As the saying goes, a Sunday well spent bring a week of content, so let’s get into it.
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Rise and Shine
That means do not hit that snooze button.
Ok I’m sorry that the first thing I’m telling you not to do is probably the thing that you’re looking forward to the most – but don’t click out yet – hear me out! I do love sleeping in on Sundays, just not too much.
When you sleep really late, the rest of the day just seems to slip away. It feels like it’s over when it’s just started.
That’s the last thing you want for your Sunday – you want to stretch it as far as you can, right?!\
Sleeping significantly later than you do the rest of the week can also impact your circadian rhythm, making it more difficult to get up early the next day.
That doesn’t mean you have to jump out of bed and immediately get to work. It’s perfectly fine to have a slow morning and ease into the day.
Plan Your Week
Reflect on the past week and plan your week ahead. Make sure you didn’t miss completing any important tasks last week.
Set intentions then draft your to-do list for the upcoming week. Write down all of your upcoming tasks, activities and appointments then prioritize this list by urgency.
Creating a schedule can help you stay organized and ensure that you don’t forget anything important. Write down any goals, deadlines and appointments.
Review your goals, look over deadlines and remind yourself what you’re working towards. It will help keep you focused and motivated.
Review Your Finances
Create a budget, pay bills, and check for unexpected charges. This is one of the most important Sunday habits for productivity because you want to stay on top of your money, of course!
Looking at your accounts on a weekly basis will give you a better idea of exactly what your money is going to and avoid any unwelcome surprises.
Meal Plan
Meal planning can be an effective tool for setting yourself up for a successful week. Take the time to plan out meals so you don’t have to worry about it later.
By making decisions in advance, you’re more likely to make healthier choices instead of giving in to the temptation of fast food.
Be sure to have some healthy snacks at the ready. When we get hungry, we often reach for something quick and easy. Gather some healthy snacks in advance so you aren’t tempted to grab junk food to eat instead.
Grocery Shop
Go grocery shopping, have it delivered if you can. This will save you gas, time and likely money by prevent you from making impulse buys while you’re inside the store.
If you have already meal planned, creating a grocery list of the ingredients you need for the week will be a lot easier.
Meal Prep
Basically, meal prepping is just preparing your meals in advance. While meal planning is a great place to start, you should spend some time actually prepping your meals for the week as well.
This could include cooking a large batch of something then portion it out for meals throughout the week, or it could include chopping vegetables and storing them for easy use later.
Taking the time on Sunday will save you from having to spend time cooking during the week, when your energy levels might be lower.
It’s also a great way to portion control if you divide your meals up before you’re actually hungry and ready to eat them along with a good way to make sure you don’t let any ingredients go to waste.
Manage Mail
Review and organize your e-mails. Respond to any you need to, delete things you don’t and unsubscribe from spam messages and try your best to get to 0 unread messages.
Depending on how long it’s been since you’ve cleaned out your inbox this may be easier said than done.
Deal with any physical mail you might have lying around as well. Despite the increasingly digital nature of most things, we still somehow end up with a lot of physical papers stuffed into our mailboxes. Since mail isn’t normally delivered on Sundays, it’s a good day to catch up on it.
Shred anything with sensitive information and respond to any correspondence you might have.
Clean and Organize
Keeping your home clean and organized can have a positive impact on so many parts of your life. A tidy space can help clear your mind, making it easier to focus and boosting productivity.
These are Sunday habits for a productive week and there’s nothing productive about wasting time looking for something you misplaced.
I’m speaking of basic cleaning tasks like putting things back where they belong, dusting, sweeping, vacuuming and wiping surfaces.
If you have the desire and energy to do some deep cleaning, by all means do! Just make all parts of your home somewhere enjoyable to be.
Do Laundry
Wash and dry your dirty clothes, fold, hang and otherwise put them away.
Completing all of your laundry on Sunday will let you start off the week with all clean clothes. You don’t have to worry about whether or not something is clean, because everything is clean!
Even if you aren’t able to wash all of the clothes, at least do a load. Keeping on top of the laundry isn’t always fun, but putting it off only makes it worse.
You want to be sure to actually put your clothes away too, not just leave them in piles that you have to search through later to find the piece of clothing that you’re looking for.
Plan Outfits
Take some time to check the weather and actually plan out your outfits for the week.
You don’t necessarily have to stick to the decisions you made, but this can be a real game-changer on busy mornings.
You already have so much to think about, make what you’re going to wear that day be one less thing on your mind.
Get Exercise
Do some light exercise like going for a bike ride, hike or do something else outside. If the weather isn’t pleasant, you can always do something indoors like yoga, or even going to the gym.
Having taking some time to exercise as one of your Sunday Habits for a productive week will also help boost your energy levels throughout the week.
Self-Care
It’s important to make time for self-care as part of your Sunday routine for a productive week. If you don’t make time to take care of yourself, you will burn out.
There are so many ways you can add a little self-care into your day and still be productive too.
Take a long walk by yourself, take a long soak in the tub, catch up on your favorite show or spend time with your favorite people. Do whatever will recharge you the best.
Unplug
Sunday is a great day to do a mini social media detox. Turn off your notifications and don’t waste your time scrolling.
Consider unplugging from all technology for a few hours to more fully relax. Try reading a physical book for enjoyment, rather than for knowledge.
Or maybe just try a little mindfulness meditation.
Journal
Write in your journal or use journaling promptsimprove your overall mental health.
Reflect in your journal on things that have gone right, things that have gone wrong and things entirely unexpected. You really have nothing to lose by giving journaling a try.
Garden
Work in your garden and breathe in the fresh air or tend to your indoor plants instead.
Growing things can be a gratifying experience, if sometimes frustrating. Gardening has been shown to lower levels of stress and being outside also helps you absorb more vitamin D (don’t forget sunscreen) from the sun.
Indoor plants don’t just look pretty – they can actually reduce air pollutants in your home and boost your mood.
Don’t have any plants? Why not? Studies have shown numerous the benefits to them.
If you’re worried about your pets or children, do a little research. Some plants that are safe for both include African Violets, Prayer plants and Spider plants.
Get Creative
Do something creative like starting a new project. You can do some DIYs without even having to leave the house.
You can also take the time to hone a skill, from musical instrument to stitching or learning a new language.
Spend some time doing the hobby or hobbies that you enjoy.
Get Together
Spend some quality time connecting with your loved ones, friends or family. Check in on the people that you care about.
If you can’t get together physically, reach out over the phone to someone you haven’t talked to in a while.
You could also take the time to pen a letter to let someone know you care. There’s something special about a handwritten letter than an e-mail just doesn’t capture.
Congregate
Attend a religious service or spiritual gathering of whatever kind, if that is something that may help bring peace to your week. Research has shown that those who regularly attend a church tend to have strong social support networks.
Or maybe you are looking for a different kind of connection. Take the time to be wherever is important to you.
If that doesn’t sound like something you’d be interested in, you can always find ways to volunteer in your community.
Prepare for Monday
A good morning almost always starts the night before. Take the time to gather everything that you’re going to need in the morning.
Pack your lunch, set out your clothes, and make sure you know where your keys and anything else you need are.
It’s better to get everything organized in the evening than have to attempt to do the same with your groggy morning brain.
Take the time to decide on breakfast while you’re at it. The less decisions you have to make in the morning the better.
Play Music
Listening to music can change your mood. It can be calming, or get your pumped up. If you’re doing something like cleaning the house you probably want upbeat music, but if you’re studying what you want will be different.
The same goes for if you want to relax. A quick search of relaxing music will give you millions of results.
Listen to whatever music you enjoy, or take the time to discover new music and create new playlists.
Listening to music has also been shown to give your brain some exercise. It’s also been shown to both reduce anxiety and increase creativity.
Turn in Early
Get to bed early. I couldn’t write a list of Sunday habits for a productive week and not include this. Getting enough sleep is so important to just about everything!
Sleep is the foundation of your health. By getting to bed early you’ll ensure that you get enough hours to wake up on Monday morning feeling ok.
I didn’t say great – I can’t guarantee that. But you will feel much better than if you stay up late.
That’s all 21 great Sunday habits for a productive week! It includes everything from planning your schedule to including some self-care.
You don’t have to start using all of these habits, by completing just a few you’ll be headed in the right direction. Remember that consistency is the key to success, so it’s best to try to turn these habits into a sort of Sunday routine or ritual.
Why not give it a try and see how these different habits work for you. I’d love to hear any feedback you have or any other Sunday habits that work for you in the comments below!
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