Plan for your week
5 ways to make the most of your Sunday
Banish blue Mondays by having good Sundays.
New beginnings need new habits
As exciting as the new year can be, there is a certain stressful glumness that creeps in as the sun sets on a Sunday and the reality of yet another Monday becomes inevitable.
Whether you have children, work remotely or have to brave the Monday morning rush hour, having a productive Sunday routine won’t be a waste and can set you up to have a good (if not great) week.
Start small
The most important thing to remember about establishing a routine is that it must be sustainable. It’s no use to have a lofty 30-step “to do list” that you’ll never be able to complete – in fact, that might just make you feel even worse.
We like the idea of focussing on 3 main areas
1. Nutrition
Meal prepping is so much more than a source of TikTok content. This said, social media is jam packed with inspiration and how-to’s.
If the idea of cooking for a whole week in one day is a bit daunting, why not just cook one or two “ingredients”? Prepare rice, or pasta (or boil potatoes/mielies) bake some oven veggies, cut up some fruit for smoothies. Prepare a batch of protein – anything that will shave minutes off your weekday cooking times and ensure your have healthy homemade dinners all week long.
Still not convinced? The least you can do is take inventory of your fridge and pantry, and at least compile your shopping list or set out a basic weeklong menu plan.
Top Tip: If all else fails, just make sure you have something mildly healthy for dinner on Monday. Every week can’t be perfect.
2. Wellness
Here we reach yet another buzz word that has been crowding the internet for years. “Self-care”. Now this means different things for different people. It could mean the whole-body routine of a shower, a facial, a manicure, a bit of healing tea…or it could mean journaling, or reading, meditating or checking in with your favourite human or pet-pal. Whatever makes you tick – there is no wrong way to take care of your own body! Try to spend at least 30 minutes (but preferably more) on something self-care related each Sunday. You’ll reap the benefits all week long.
Top Tip: If you are a parent and therefore responsible for the bodies of small humans, establishing a good Sunday body-maintenance routine is a great way to teach your children about self-care. Start small – Sundays can be hair washing day, or nail clipping day or even just: “Make sure your school uniforms are ready for the week”-day.
3. What next
This is the important one. It doesn’t matter what kind of person you are – things need to happen, and things will happen whether you are ready for them or not. Take a moment once a week, (in this case we suggest a Sunday) and look ahead at what your next seven days holds.
- What needs immediate attention and can be sorted out right now? (R.S.V.P. to an event or order necessities online)
- What simply needs to be remembered and attended without having to prep for it?
- What shopping needs to be done? (gifts, school supplies etc)
- What appointments do you need to make, and can you book them online?
- Whatever else you need to do or remember to make the most of your week.
Top Tip: Now is also the time to go and take a good, long look at the school communicator app or newsletter or class WhatsApp group and check when your kid needs 10 2litre bottles or a farmyard animal costume or R100 in R2 coins or whatever else they come up with to test your parenting prowess.
This list is not meant to add to your mental load. Chances are you already do most of these things on the fly, all while managing to be a grown-up who pays their bills, drinks enough water and doesn’t loose their #$%^ on that super annoying colleague.
For a look at what other people do on Sundays, this New York Times article is worth a read!
Also read our article on Self Care Improvement.
