10 Simple Things I Do On Sunday to Set Us Up for the Week

It’s the weekend. Shoes are everywhere, clutter is strewn around and there’s a mountain of laundry to do that’s taller than I am.

I used to be so overwhelmed with the weekend and trying to juggle getting rest + being able to get us organized for the week ahead. I found with a little planning, and leveraging a Sunday reset, I could seamlessly transition between our weekend and weekday routine.

A Sunday reset doesn’t have to involve a complicated system or feel like another full day of chores. I’ve flipped my perspective to view it as a nurturing practice, rather than a task, and now consider it one of the best parts of my week. It has helped me to incorporate self-care in my reset; I used to let that just slide to the back burner and now it’s a foundational part of my Sunday reset.

By looking ahead and handling things like food prep, bills and scheduling, I’ve reduced our stress as well as setting us up better to handle the unexpected events that always seem to happen–a missed bus, a random sick day, or an impromptu dinner invite. Life is unpredictable enough and our Sunday reset helps us feel refreshed and ready to tackle the week. Plus–it helps me focus AND gives me a sense of control.

Here are a few tips plus the amount of time that I spend on them:

Prep food (1 hour)

A little prep time on Sunday can make healthy choices easier all week long. I focus on making sure that we have breakfast for the week prepared (protein pancakes, hardboiled eggs, protein muffins, etc) because mornings are our busiest time of the day. I also make sure to prep our lunches for the week because eating healthy is a priority for our family. For Callie I normally make some kind of lo mein, whole wheat pasta with meat sauce, or rice and beans. James and I tend to eat the same things for lunch so I’ll throw some chicken or steak in the air fryer and pair that with greens or a veggie for a side. This takes me about an hour each Sunday but the pay off is ten-fold.

Update the family calendar (15 mins)

Whether it’s a digital or pen and paper calendar, make sure you and all of your family members are on the same page regarding upcoming events, doctor’s appointments, sports practice, birthday parties or other family commitments — such as who’s picking the kids from school or practice. This mitigates any last minute “surprises” and gets the adults in the family in their designated roles for the week.

Take stock of results list for upcoming week (5 mins)

Create a to-do list and make sure bills are paid. Have a running list of any small household maintenance that needs to be done, such as changing air filters, so you don’t have a huge problem to deal with later. This pairs really well with your calendar audit–allowing you to plug in the results you want to accomplish into the most appropriate day.

For example, I tend to schedule our grocery delivery for Fridays. That way I have everything I need for Sunday food prep plus I’m not taking up my precious time on Sunday running to the store. So that means that I have to meal plan, take kitchen inventory, and place the order for delivery before Friday–all things that are penciled in my to-do list.

Spot clean main living areas (45 mins)

Set a timer for 30 to 45 minutes to tackle high-traffic areas, such as the kitchen, living room, and bathrooms. Make this a family activity where everyone helps tidy up, spending time on things like dusting, taking out the trash/recycle items, vacuuming, mopping the floors, and wiping down the counters in the kitchen. This definitely isn’t an intensive whole house cleaning but I’ve found we feel SO much better if we start the week with the main living spaces are clean and organized.

Meal plan (20 mins)

This is a game changer. I try to make things as easy as possible for myself through the week and avoid decision fatigue. The last thing I want to do is get home from work at 6:30PM and have to decide what I want to make for dinner (only to find out that I don’t actually have the necessary ingredients)! Plan out a few healthy meals for the week and make sure that you have the ingredients on hand in your pantry/fridge. Do a quick inventory and toss anything expired and move food that needs to be eaten to the front of the fridge. Ditto for the pantry.

Help kids prepare (10 mins)

I can’t recommend this one enough. Teaching your kiddos a “reset” to do on the weekend helps them mentally prepare for the week ahead and build lifelong foundational habits. How cool is it that your kids will have the skills they need to organized, plan, and execute their most important items during the week? Help them go through their backpacks, tossing unneeded papers and taking care of any forms that need to be turned in (and any late homework *face palm*). Place backpacks, sports equipment, and clean uniforms in their agreed location for easy access. Wipe out lunch boxes and set them out so they are ready to be packed.

Pick out outfits for the week (15 mins)

I do this for both Callie and myself. Laying out our clothes the night before eases our morning stress because there’s no indecision–plus this way no one is hunting for their missing shoes or favorite jeans, which are buried at the bottom of the dirty clothes basket. I plan out our whole week and hang them either on a dressing rack in my office or in the front of our respective closets. This also gives me the opportunity to steam out any errant wrinkles or make a quick trip to the dry cleaners if need be.

The decision that continues to bite me on the butt is telling myself “I’ll get gas in the morning.” Then I forget completely that I need gas and I’m stressed to the max trying to drop Callie off at school AND get gas in order to make it to work on time. Oh and this always happens when it’s pouring rain too. Fill up your car as part of your Sunday reset to have one less thing to worry about during the week. I also make a point to run it through the car wash, do a quick vacuum, and throw out all the trash that manages to accumulate over the week.

Declutter your digital space (5 mins)

Take a few minutes to clear out old emails and texts (do I really need to save the last 75 screenshots I took but never look at again? Pro not). Unsubscribe to 1-3 emails from companies that you never even open.

Don’t skip this one. In fact, if you get in a cadence of doing the other things, you should have a lot of time to do this one. Read a book, go for a hike, do an everything shower with a face mask, do some red light therapy, go for an infra-red sauna session, get a manicure. What ever feels good for you and makes you feel ready to take on the week–do that.

Declutter one small space (10 mins)

Choose one area to declutter each Sunday, even if it’s just for 10 minutes. Small efforts can lead to significant improvements over time. Empty out the kitchen junk drawer, toss expired beauty products or re-organize your workout clothes. It’s amazing how energized you’ll feel when you complete one small decluttering task plus it’s amazing how organized and efficient your home will feel if you do something small each weekend.

Make time for fun (1+ hour)

Don’t forget about fun! Plan an enjoyable activity to look forward to, whether it’s Friday pizza takeout, a hike with girlfriends, or a movie night. Having something fun on the calendar to anticipate is a great way to unwind after a long week.