Six Things I Do On Sundays To Set My Week Up For Success

I love being back in the full swing of the routine that fall brings. Our days are chaotic but predictable. I feel like it is a constant go-go-go from the minute I wake up to when my head finally hits the pillow at night. Even though it can feel chaotic, I like it because it’s routine and I thrive on that. That go-go-go lifestyle that many of us can relate to can feel overwhelming. For me, it gets really overwhelming if I don’t prepare for the week ahead. But even finding time to do that is often too much and life gets too busy.

There are a few pretty simple things I do each weekend, typically on Sundays, to set my week ahead up for success. It doesn’t happen 100% of the time but when it does it always makes for a better run week.

Here are the five things I (try to) do to set my week up for success:

Look at the week in front of us. This could be laying in bed on a Sunday when we don’t have to rush to a sports function or maybe even in the car when my husband is driving us all somewhere. It doesn’t matter where, but I make a point to go over the week out loud with my husband. We have a shared Google calendar that really helps keep things organized. I will read over what we have ahead including which one of us is taking which kid to what sport. It doesn’t mean the week will go totally smooth, but it does help so there are fewer surprises. I can end a Sunday feeling like we are at least a little aligned on the week ahead.

Loosely plan for meals. I am not a pro meal planner. I don’t have a months’ worth of homemade meals in the freezer that I can pop out at any time. Instead, what I do is mentally think about what we are going to eat in the week ahead. I do my best to make sure we have the items we will need because I hate stopping at the grocery store during the week. We keep it simple and often have repeat meals each week. Taco Tuesdays, Burger Thursdays and so on. If I can, I love making a soup or a crock pot recipe on a Sunday to have ready to roll for the week.

Grocery shop, wash and chop. Part of my loose meal planning involves me grocery shopping at some point during the weekend. I try to write down the meals we will likely eat and what we need from the store to actually pull it off. The weeks I am really organized, I will wash, chop and store the things we’ll need. Fruit and veggies to easily grab for lunches including my own and maybe even pre-cooking taco meat so Taco Tuesday is that much easier to then pull off.

Make lunches ahead. My kids are both in middle school. My son will buy lunch a couple times a week, but my daughter remains a creature of habit and has a peanut butter & jelly sandwich every single day. I realized last year that those can actually freeze really well. I use a sandwich cutter and stick them in a reusable freezer bag. They can be pulled out one by one to have on hand for the week. It’s a small thing to take of our plate for the week but honestly so helpful.

Self Care. I am not always successful at this one but when I am it makes me feel so good. During the week, I consider it a win if I wash my face before bed. On weekends, I love doing some sort of self care. That could mean a face mask and moisturizer or maybe a hair wash and hair mask. It makes me feel really nice going into a busy week if I have incorporated some sort of self care during the weekend.

Finish laundry. This is another one I am not always successful at but I strive to be totally caught up on laundry on Sunday evening. I hate coming home on a Tuesday and glancing at piles on my laundry room floor. My teenage son recently started doing his own laundry which has also of coursed helped significantly.

What are the things that help get your busy week off to a good start? We’d love to hear!