Your Sunday To-Do List for a Productive Week

Though we often think of Mondays as the beginning of the week, there’s a reason the calendar starts with Sunday — it’s the most important day for setting yourself up for success!

The weekend can be a time to rest after a long week of work, school, or other responsibilities, but that doesn’t mean your productivity needs to drop off. There are plenty of ways to enjoy the day while preparing for a productive week to come!

Combining self-care routines, goal-setting, planning, rest, and relaxation is the perfect equation for making the most of your Sunday.

How Can I Reset After the Weekend?

If you feel burnt out from the previous week and spent your Friday night and Saturday filling up on the fun you were missing, Sunday is your chance to get some well-deserved rest.

However, not all rest is created equal! There are a few different ways to rest; each is equally important to prepare yourself mentally and physically for the coming week. Come up with a routine that fits your needs to get the most rest possible.

Recharge

Finding time to recharge means doing things that revitalize your mind and body. 

You might be able to guess the more important form of recharging — sleep! Experts recommend that we get between seven and nine hours of uninterrupted sleep each night. 

So, if you had a late Saturday night, get at least seven hours of sleep going into the next day. If you struggle to sleep through the night, our Dream patch could be just the thing to help.

Some other ways to recharge include taking a hot bath to soothe aches and pains, stretching, or spending time lounging in your favorite spot at home.

Relax

Relaxing gives you a chance to relieve your mind of the stress and pressure of the rest of the week. Take the opportunity to reset and recenter with a pleasant stroll around the neighborhood, an hour or two of reading, or watching that TV show you’ve been meaning to get to.

Hot tip: Be careful with too much TV and social media as they can be overstimulating and use up far more of your time than you planned. Not to mention all of that blue light isn’t great for getting a good night’s sleep.

Reflect

Setting aside a moment to reflect on the past week can be a great way to prepare for the days ahead. Using reflection to express gratitude for the good in your life, problem-solve some concerns, or simply doodle for a bit, can get your mind on the right track.

As you solidify your routine of reflecting, you will only improve and enjoy the many benefits of mindfulness on your mind and body.

How Can I Be More Productive?

Remember, productivity means something different to everyone! Many of us work a classic nine-to-five every day, attend multiple classes, or take care of family and loved ones. Whatever your situation may be, these Sunday to-do list ideas will kick off your week the right way.

Our Daily Ritual Set is perfect for anyone who needs a little extra boost waking up to get things done, then some help winding down afterward.

Visualize Your Week

Before really getting going, stop everything for a few minutes and picture what your ideal week looks like. Visualizing what you want to do this week and how you’ll get it done will give you a mental map to guide you through whatever you have to get done.

Sometimes it can be overwhelming to think of all the tasks that lie ahead, so anticipating your success makes it easier to calm down and know it will all get done.

Create a Schedule

Dust off that planner you bought a year ago and start making a schedule for the week. You don’t have to schedule your week down to the minute, but it can save a lot of time in the long run to have a loose idea of your agenda. 

Keep your schedule manageable, so you can prioritize the most important tasks without feeling too swamped. Things don’t always go to plan, no matter how hard we try. If you have hiccups in your weekly schedule, try to expect the unexpected and be as flexible as possible.

Tackle Your To-Do List

Once you have sorted your calendar, try to knock one thing off the coming week’s to-do list. This could be something as small as writing an email. The idea is to get at least one thing done to get the ball rolling and show yourself that you’ve given yourself realistic tasks to complete.

If you can’t start your schedule until Monday, you can break your to-do list into more manageable chunks. Learning to divide and conquer projects can greatly increase your efficiency! 

Meal Prep

As much as we like to think of productivity as the amount of work we can get done, it’s important to remember that we all have to eat. When it comes to dinner, many of us are just too exhausted from a long day to put in the effort required for a delicious and balanced meal, so we just throw together whatever is easiest.

Sundays are the perfect time to get ahead of that dinner-time laziness by getting some meal prep done. 

Here are some major food groups you should try to cover:

• Proteins. Think eggs, poultry, and fish.
• Veggies. Leafy greens are some of the most nutrient-rich veggies around.
• Fruits. Go for fruits with added nutrients like berries.
• Grains. Farro, whole wheat, and quinoa are great sources of fiber.
• Healthy fat. This includes avocados, olive oil, nuts, and seeds.

Meal prepping is a very effective way to control how much and what you eat. Instead of coming home after a long day and tossing an instant meal in the microwave, you will have dishes ready to go that you’ve made with love ahead of time.

Get Organized

Just as you’ve organized your schedule, use this free time to tidy up your personal space. For some, this might be a work-from-home area, while others will benefit from cleaning up the kitchen or the living room.

Clutter can be a big drain on productivity and a major source of distraction — clear spaces of loose items that don’t need to be sitting out.

Practice Self-Care

Lastly, be gentle with yourself. Sundays can be a source of stress as we mentally prepare for a whole new week, so take the time you need to practice good self-care. 

A few of our favorites include:

• Drink lots of water!
• Get some exercise
• Meditate
• Read or watch a movie
• Spend time with loved ones

If you are feeling extra on edge about the approaching week, the Relax patch will ease your mind and guide you more smoothly into Monday.

In Conclusion

By incorporating some of these ideas into your Sunday to-do list, you can set yourself up for a productive and successful week. Remember to be flexible and allow for some wiggle room in your schedule, as unexpected events and tasks can always come up. 

Sources:

The five main food groups | Food Standards Scotland

How Much Sleep Do I Need? | CDC

Sleep & Social Media: Staying Connected Can Keep You Up | Sleep Foundation