We all get that (mild) Sunday night depression. You know, the panicky realization that the weekend is winding down to a close, and tomorrow is, well, Monday. The start of a new week — chock-full of appointments, meetings, emails (soOooO many emails), chores, errands, and plain old hard work ahead of us. It’s overwhelming, yes.
Over the years, I’ve shaped and molded my Sunday afternoons into something that well prepares and positions me to have thebestweekever.
SMONDAY: The moment when Sunday stops feeling like a Sunday and the anxiety of Monday kicks in.
1 GROCERY SHOPPING
This is an absolute must. Now is the time to buy fresh, healthy, and nutritious items (OK fine, and the Oreos too), because well stocking your fridge and pantry with fresh, healthy, and nutritious items can only set you up for success. Strong body, strong mind.
2 WEEKLY FOOD PREP
You know those fresh groceries you just bought? Let’s chop, cook, and create them into snacks and lunches for the upcoming week! I can not even explain how much easier my life has become by preparing lunches and pre-packing ziplocks of fruits and veggies (and cheerios… I eat like I’m a 5yr old). It’s so easy to simply open the fridge, grab and go. Your alternatives? Fumbling in a rush as you’re trying to get out the door. Or worse, wasting a ridiculous amount of money by eating out multiple times a week.
3 CLEAN OUT YOUR FRIDGE
A quick 3 minutes to take inventory of your refrigerator will go a long way. Is there anything on the verge of spoiling that needs to be tossed? Milk, cheese, yogurts, that head of lettuce you promised yourself you would eat? How about the leftovers from that Wednesday night dinner? Yeah, just toss it.
4 CLEAN OUT YOUR WORKBAG
We all have a tendency to throw loose change, crumbled receipts, and important papers in our bag. Assuming we’ll deal with it when we get home. Oh, the lies we tell ourselves. So fine, let’s just deal with it on Sunday, shall we?
5 WRITE OUT YOUR MONDAY LIST
I’ve realized over the years that if you simply sit down, and figure out what your TOP 3 items are for Monday, it seems less daunting. It’s a neat little mind trick, it provides a new perspective that come Monday morning, you’ve totally got it under control.
6 WRITE OUT YOUR WEEKLY GOAL LIST
This will give you a big picture outline of what you want / need to accomplish for the week. We have a lot to juggle: careers, partners, children, pets, fitness, hobbies, households, etc. Break it down by category, and just plug away. I’ve been using my Day Designer, I LOVE IT.
7 LAY OUT YOUR WORKOUT CLOTHES
Because you are going to push yourself and make it to the gym tomorrow morning. As our friends at Nike say, JUSTDOIT. I promise, you will feel amazing for the remainder of the day (yay AM workouts!), which will set a positive tone for the week. Even if you only work out once a week? Make it Monday.
8 LAUNDRY
Now that I’ve KonMari’d our entire apartment, I have a very limited selection when it comes to daily wardrobe choices. It’s totally OK, because they’re all articles I deeply love, but it definetly puts me in a situation where weekly laundry is a must. It’s nice to have ALL of your clothes clean and ready to go for the start of the week.
9 A CUP OF HERBAL TEA BEFORE BED
For an easy way to wind you down before you hit the sack. Especially in the winter, it’s so cozy and nice to be in warm comfy clothes, reading, sipping on a mug of hot tea.
10 EARLY-ISH BEDTIME
Because you’re getting up early tomorrow to workout, remember? So let’s kickoff Monday with at least 8+ of ZzzZZz’s.
OK, so it’s an ambitious list for a Sunday, but you’ve got this!
So I urge you dear readers, to try at least 3, if not more of these items, and see what happens. But I’m really curious to know, what does your Sunday routine look like?