Sometimes Sunday can be a drag. After a long week of work, it’s easy to put off chores. I’ve been there. But now, whenever I start feeling burnout from a long week of work, I remind myself: it’s time for Sunday prep. for things to do for a productive week.
But to be honest, sometimes the human factor kicks in and I’m not always righteous in abiding by this list. I have those weeks where things just don’t go my way.
Weeks that I make little progress, fizzle out on promises I’ve made to myself and waste too much time browsing Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
But there are also those weeks where I’m unstoppable. Things magically fall into place, I feel more positive about life, and so many productive things get done!
Getting ready for a productive and stress-free week ahead can be as simple as making your bed, setting out your clothes for the next few days, and doing some meal prep.
In fact, these seemingly small but impactful tasks can have an incredible effect on how our week goes—not to mention how you feel about yourself during it. So take a look at these eight things to do every sunday for a productive week.
1) Organize your calendar for the week ahead.
We’ve all been there. You’re about to start a new week, and you have no idea what to do with yourself. You start thinking: “I need to get organized!”
But how? How can you keep track of all your meetings, activities, and tasks in order to be productive at work? The answer is simple: use a calendar!
When planning out your week ahead, there are two different approaches that can help make sure you’re on top of things: planning ahead and planning at the moment.
- Planning ahead involves making an appointment with yourself for every hour of the day for the entire week. This means sitting down for 15 or 20 minutes before Monday rolls around (or whenever) so that when 6pm rolls around on Sunday evening, this is what your schedule looks like:
2.) Lay out your work outfits for the week.
You don’t want to be stuck at work with nothing to wear, so make sure you have a variety of outfits available. You should have outfits for different weather conditions—winter and summer, rain or shine.
You should also have clothes appropriate for different occasions, such as meetings and parties.
When considering your wardrobe options, think about what kinds of jobs you do and how they might affect the way you dress (e.g., if your job involves dealing with customers all day long or being outside in the heat).
Finally and most importantly: Don’t forget about gender! A lot of people don’t consider this when planning their work wardrobes because it’s not something that comes up every day—but it’s important!
If possible, try to purchase clothing from brands that offer items designed specifically for women (or men). Not only will this help ensure your clothes fit properly but it will also make you feel more confident in them once they’re on.
3.) Write out your weekly goals.
One of the things to do every Sunday for a productive week is to write out your weekly goals. Make sure they are specific, measurable, achievable, and realistic.
Write down your weekly goals in the same place every week. This way, you will see them often and start to internalize them as part of a routine.
Review your goals each week and look at how well you did with completing them. If you were successful, keep going!
If not, think about how you can change up the types of activities that aren’t working for you so that they are more effective in helping you achieve those goals.
4.) Make a to-do list for the week.
Make a to-do list for the week. This can be as simple as a three-column chart with what you need to do when you will do it, and how long it will take. If you’re feeling ambitious, try out some of these more advanced options:
- Prioritize your tasks by importance or value. For example, if there’s something that needs to be done before all other tasks (like mowing the lawn), make sure it’s at the top of your list so that it gets noticed first.
- Alternatively, if there’s something important but not urgent (like going through tax documents), assign this task to last on your list so that you don’t waste time scrambling around trying to complete everything quickly at end-of-week crunch time.
- Make sure each task is realistic in terms of its requirements (time needed) and resources required (materials).
- If something seems too difficult or impossible given these constraints—no matter how much enthusiasm you have—don’t force yourself into doing it! Instead, make sure another item is taken off or adjusted accordingly so that nothing on your plate feels like too much weight for one person alone.”
5.) Prioritize your biggest and most important tasks for the upcoming week.
- Prioritize your biggest and most important tasks for the upcoming week.
- This is a great way to start off your Sunday, but it also means that you need to be realistic about what you can complete in a single day (at least at first). If any of these tasks require more time than you have available on Sunday, plan them out and complete them either Monday or later in the week.
- The three most important things that people tend to overlook when considering their workload are impact on business goals, the urgency of the task, and personal interest/value in doing it (or not doing it). So if all three of these factors are taken into account, then what should come out on top?
6.) Up your food game for the coming week.
It’s important to eat a healthy breakfast. It’s also important to not skip your lunch and dinner. If you’re having trouble eating all of your meals, try this trick: instead of buying three different snacks, buy two healthy snacks and one treat!
- Eat a healthy breakfast: Make sure you have something in your stomach before work. A bowl of oatmeal can keep hunger at bay through the morning hours, or maybe some eggs scrambled up with veggies and cheese will do the trick for you. If neither appeals, try some toast with peanut butter or jam—it will give you energy without weighing down your stomach too much.
- Don’t skip lunch: When we’re tired from working all day long, skipping a meal seems like an appealing option—but it isn’t! Skipping lunch just means that when dinnertime rolls around (and it always does), we’ll be ravenous…which leads us straight into temptation land where we eat anything that looks good at 7 p.m., even though it might not be so good for us…and our waistline pays the price next week when those jeans don’t fit right anymore! Instead of skipping out on lunch every now and then though…try eating something small like an apple paired with some peanut butter instead!
- Stay away (as much as possible) from junk food after work:
7.) Practice self-care
How to practice self-care: Make a list of things you love to do and prioritize them. You may come up with something like this:
- Playing with my dog
- Going for a run outdoors in nature (when weather permits)
- Yoga class at the gym (free if I take it before noon)
- Talking with friends on the phone or via text message about what’s going on in our lives right now, along with some laughing and sharing stories
8.) Plan a fun activity to look forward to during the week.
Also one of the things to do every sunday for a productive week is to plan a fun activity for the week. This is a great way to look forward to the week ahead and make sure you take care of yourself.
Plan something that’s going to help you relax, unwind and feel good about your life in general.
It also helps if this activity will help you be more positive about the upcoming week, so maybe consider booking that massage or taking up yoga! Whatever you do, have fun with it!
Start your week with a successful Sunday, and you’ll be more likely to have a productive, stress-free week ahead.
Sunday is a good day to start the week. It’s a day of rest and reflection, and it can help you get ready for the week ahead.
If you’re someone who likes to go into Monday with a plan, then Sunday is an excellent time to make sure you have that plan in place. It’s also a good time to reflect on how your week went before you begin planning for next week.
Conclusion
There is no time like the present to start planning your Sundays for a productive week and give yourself the tools you need to set yourself up for success each week. We hope you enjoyed our tips, and we wish you a happy Sunday!
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