Improve Your Week - 6 Things You Can Do on Sunday (so you don't hate Monday)

If you’ve ever started off a Monday thinking “I should be more prepared” then I’ve got some tips for you! Here are 6 things you can do on Sunday that will improve your whole week (and they’re easy too!)

I hope you’re not starting off your week like I am. The alarm is going off (again) and I hit the snooze button (again). My brain is actually trying to deny that it’s Monday (again).

I stayed up late last night watching a show that I wasn’t even interested in and now I’m dreading the day.

When I finally drag myself out of bed, I can’t find a thing to wear.

Why? Because my laundry is still folded nicely in a pile since I never bothered to put it away. I grab something off the top of the pile and hope it’s not what I wore on Friday. Oh well, no time to worry about that now.

What about lunch? I guess I’ll just pick something up later because I sure don’t have time to make a sandwich now.

By the time I finally rush out the door I’m already worn out and I’m running late!

Monday is the dreaded day of the week!

But what’s really so bad about Monday?

It’s really just a day.

It can’t even defend itself.

I need to get away from the weekend’s “eat what you want, wear what you want, sleep when you want” attitude. I really need to get back into a routine. The weekend means that we rebel against our schedules and that’s exactly how to wind up dreading Monday’s.

By not planning for Monday it always comes as a surprise.

Every.

Single.

Week!

Stay up late, oversleep, snooze, late – agh Monday!

I’m here to tell you that there are things you can do on Sunday to improve your week. Things that will make it run smoother, and make you a less stressed person.

I’m not saying that you’ll ever love Monday, but you just might not hate it!

My List of Tips to Improve Your Week

Each of these items should take less than ten minutes to complete. Just think. You could spend less than an hour once a week to make big changes to your entire week.

If you’re not ready to go all in, pick one thing off the list and try it. Then add another when you’re ready and watch your life transform.

Plan Your Meals For the Week

Making a menu (even if you don’t stick to it) will make your grocery shopping faster and easier. It will make your evenings less stressful if you’ve already got an idea of “what’s for dinner”.

Bonus – you’ll also save money by having a menu and grocery list. I’m less inclined to stop and grab something on the way home from work if I know that I’ve got food to prepare at home.

If it’s your first week trying this stick with simple meals. Your menu can include frozen pizza one night or even scrambled eggs. The main idea is to have a plan.

Plan out those lunches too! You can take leftovers or salads but have a plan.

Planning ahead will improve your week.

Pack Your Bag(s)

I actually have several tote bags that I. use to try and stay organized. I keep each activity/committee in a different tote. Sometimes all the totes ride around in my car with me for several days (um okay, weeks).

Having each activity designated to a specific tote makes it easy to have everything I need ready to go. I’ve got my binder and badge for one committee in a tote. I have my gym clothes and toiletries in a tote (well a backpack, but you know what I mean.)

Start by cleaning out what you’ve accumulated from the week before – receipts, trash, and change.

Where in the heck does all that stuff come from?

Gather everything that you’re going to need to make your morning run smoother – keys, coat, planner, etc. Put all these items in a place that’s easy to grab on your way out the door. Next to your bag, tote, briefcase, lunchbox, raincoat and whatever else you need to get out the door in the morning.

Once your gym clothes are washed and folded, repack them into your gym bag, so you can grab it and go. (Or it can ride around in your car like mine).

Once you’ve updated the minutes to your board meeting, load all the notes, binders, etc. back into their designated tote bag so it will all be together for the next meeting.

Think of your tote bags like a simulated filing system for your activities.

Coordinate Your Calendar(s) to improve your week

Whatever type of calendar you use, be sure that everything is updated for the week. Sunday is the best day of the week to check out what’s coming up and make sure everyone in the house knows.

I’m bad about writing things on the back of an envelope, a deposit slip, or whatever’s available to write on. The calendar on my phone is not my favorite, but it is handy and I use it in addition to my planner. If I don’t check both places I kind wind. up missing things.

My planner contains all the details I need for an event, including directions and notes. I tend to use my planner like a diary and it’s got lots of to do lists in it as well.

Sometimes I use my phone’s camera to take a picture of a note or an invitation. This way I can easily transfer the information into my planner.

Or at least I will have it with me.

When my kids were younger, we used a desk calendar for our family. We hung it on the wall and each member of the family had a different ink color for their activities. This made it easier to see who was where at a glance. Now we share a google calendar to see each other’s activities.

Thank goodness they can all keep their own calendar’s now.

It doesn’t matter what kind of calendar you use, as long as it works for you and your family.

You may have to experiment to find the best one for you.

Don’t forget to include something fun on your calendar each week, like going out for ice cream! Life shouldn’t be all work and obligations.

Take care of that Laundry

Washing and drying the laundry is only half the work.

Put all that laundry away.

I can find what I need quicker when I put it where it belongs, and I know you can too. Being tidy also makes me feel more calm, even when I’m running late (wink, wink).

Check the Weather

Be sure that you know what to expect for the week ahead and be prepared for it.

In Texas we can have temperature swings of 30-40 degrees in one day.

Over the course of a week it can feel like we’ve changed seasons repeatedly. Checking the weather helps me plan my outfits for the week. I can plan to keep an umbrella in my car just in case. Oh wait, I already have one….

Go Outside

Get some fresh air!

Even just a quick walk can clear your mind. It’s a proven fact that nature is calming and restoring. This works even if your Monday started off bad. Take a walk at lunch and start getting organized when you get home.

It’s never too late to improve your week. You can start anytime.

That’s the short list of ways to improve your week.

well, that’s my short list of ideas to improve your week. Try one or all of them and I bet you’ll see a difference right away! Let me know what works for you in the comments below.

Remember, what it really all boils down too is planning ahead.

If I make a routine on Sunday evening I can get though it pretty quickly. And on the weeks that I skip it, wowza, I can really tell a difference. Starting off the week on a positive note can help the whole week run more smoothly.

Improve Your Week – 6 Things You Can Do on Sunday (so you don’t hate Monday)

Monday is the dreaded day of the week!

Stay up late, oversleep, snooze, late – agh Monday!