I’ve read (and likely written) countless posts about a Sunday well spent bringing a week of content. I am a firm believer that old saying still rings true. But lately I’ve implemented a new take on it that has been serving me well, and I’m sharing our Sunday spin in the hopes it might do the same for you:

Sort

Sunday is the best kind of day to sort through mail, laundry, and honey-do-lists, to take stock of the pantry essentials, the projects you’re planning for, and get a firm grip the week ahead. There is that fabulous zing of accomplishment when we check items off the list. But you don’t have to do them all on Sunday. Have you been to Costco on Sunday? It’s an absolute nightmare none of us should be forced to endure. Map out in detail what you need, and if you have time to take care of any of them right away, awesome, but if not, head to step 2 ((without guilt)).

💡I love a good notebook for listing out groceries and tasks that need to be tackled. There is something innately cathartic about taking pen to actual paper rather than using an app. But with that said, I misplace the notebook, or fail to bring it to the car for the grocery run, and then that brain dump hasn’t served me at all. When I open the notes app on my phone and make a master list of everything I need that week – it’s far more likely I’ll have success in crossing off each item.

Schedule

We have been implementing a “family date night” of sorts on Thursdays after work. It has been a genius little life hack that ends up feeling like a treat even though we’re mostly doing mundane chores. It all started because of the above-referenced Costco-on-Sunday experience. Every time we saved up all of the shopping and chores for the weekend, without exception, it would be a stressful event that left us depleted, agitated, and that feeling followed us well into the week. So we started scheduling grocery/ Home Depot runs for Thursday night and to put a fun spin on it, we grab something to eat for dinner at Whole Foods and have a “car picnic” to celebrate our small wins!

💡Consider scheduling some of your weekend tried + trues for the week. Can you make Wednesday laundry day instead of Saturday? What about breaking down some of your cleaning tasks to smaller bites you can tackle while you’re waiting for the oven to pre-heat for a weeknight dinner? It might help make weekend chores feel more manageable, and less like a full-day event.

Savor

This is the part I think we’ve gotten away from (or at least our family had). We succumbed to the hustle culture many years back and put ourselves on a hamster wheel that felt impossible to hop off from. The weekends became a hectic mix of actual “workweek” work, home renovations, cleaning, obligatory activities, and nothing anyone was truly looking forward to. Yes, all most of those things needed to get done, but does it all have to be held for Sunday? What if we scheduled only things that genuinely filled our cup on the final day of the week. Remember when people would say TGIF and really feel it? We need to get back to spending our “off days” in a way that ignites, restores, and excites us! How much better would we feel waking up on Monday morning when we went to bed with hearts filled with gratitude and joy? Spoiler: we’d feel like we can’t wait to do it all over again.

Sunshine

Here are a few of the cup-fillers that spark joy on Sunday. I’d love for you to keep the list going in the comments below by adding some of your own!

💡Write a note to a friend and include something unexpected inside. It could be a gift card for coffee or a quote you think they’ll like, maybe even add some silly stickers to the envelope. I guarantee it will make you smile, and you’ll be the lucky recipient of a mid-week call or text that brightens both of your days!

💡Plan something to look forward to. This is especially necessary when the Sunday scaries creep in. Give yourself and your people that wonderful gift of the hope that comes from looking forward to a trip, restaurant, show ____________ (insert your idea of fun here).

💡Think about implementing the one-in-one-out rule. If you buy something new, donate something old. If you bring something into the house, take something out. It’s a fantastic way of not accumulating too much stuff, and gives you that incredible feeling of donating items you no longer need to a cause that could put them to great use.

💡Treat yourself! It could be scouring the inter webs for a decadent dessert recipe to make for family dinner, grabbing tickets to a matinee, or ordering something you’ve been eyeing for months. A dopamine hit to raise your happiness levels and spread a little cheer.

💡Carve out time for a reset. For some it looks like going to Church, for others it might be a 10-minute meditation, or curling up under the covers with a delicious book. Any time you take away from the rest of the noise will be the restorative block you need to head into the week feeling most like yourself.

💡Rain, shine or snow, head outside for even a few minutes to breathe in fresh air and give Mother Nature a chance to hug you. There are countless benefits of spending time outdoors and the healing properties it offers to us. Sinking our feet in the grass, feeling the wind on our face, moving our bodies with intention reaps an abundance of rewards (better mood, energy boost, immunity, etc.).

I am hugging you big today and thanking you up and down for taking time to spend a sliver of your day with us! Be well and joyful, kind friend. 💙