Productive Sunday for a Smooth Week
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I can usually tell how my week is going to go by Sunday evening. If bedtime on Sunday arrives and everything is chaotic, chaos will reign all week. However if I am sitting down to relax when my kids head upstairs, chances are good that I have the week under control. I try to plan a productive Sunday for a smooth week.
Life is busy.
Being a homeschool teacher + wife + mom (which includes hundreds of jobs) + business owner means my calendar is FULL most days. The to do list is long and the free time is short. I like to tell myself that it is just this season of life, but I’m not sure that is true. I enjoy feeling useful, so I suspect I will always find something to do.
It is easy to let being busy make us feel like we are in survival mode. Frantically searching for clean clothes when we are already running late, thinking about dinner for the first time when kids say they are hungry, winging homeschool lessons without a plan in place. Survival mode makes being busy worse. It adds adrenaline and a feeling of failure into the mix.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
A plan for a productive Sunday means that we can get out of survival mode. We can look at our jam-packed schedule and know that everything will be fine and the important stuff will get done, no matter what surprises lay in store.
I am a typical type-A personality. I like organized and orderly spaces. Managing time well is important to me. Doing these six things every Sunday help me set my week up for success.
Productive Sunday for a Smooth Week
Stock the house with groceries
I try to have my meal plan for the upcoming week complete by Saturday night. Then I order my groceries online. Typically I order from my local Harris Teeter and send my husband to pick up the groceries Sunday afternoon. Sometimes I order from Amazon Prime Now – especially if I need something from Whole Foods. The $5 service charge is well worth not fighting through weekend crowds!
Once the groceries are unpacked I prep whatever I can ahead of time. I usually hard boil a few eggs in my Instant Pot, make a fresh batch of apple pie applesauce (also in my Instant Pot – the recipe is in Eat What You Love), and make some sort of quick bread.
Tidy up
It is hard for me to relax in a cluttered or dirty home. My goal is to start off a new week with a reasonably clean house. I clean through out the week, but by late Sunday afternoon everything needs to be back in it’s designated home. This is especially important in our school area (aka dining room) and kitchen because I spend the most time in these two rooms.
If you need help getting into a good cleaning routine, I highly recommend the cleaning cards from A Bowl Full of Lemons.
Discuss the calendar
Sunday evening my husband and I try to set aside a few minutes to go over the calendar. This avoids any surprises and minimizes miscommunications about who needs to be where when. My husband has some flexibility to adjust his work hours or work from home so this weekly discussion gets us both on the same page about when he plans to go into the office and when I need a little help at home. This upcoming week he needs my help taking his truck to the mechanic and I need him to leave work a little early so he can be present for the kids passport appointment. Teamwork and good communication make this parenting thing a lot easier.
Laundry
I do laundry multiple times a week, so I by no means get all the laundry done on Sundays. However, I do check in on all of the laundry baskets to see if I need to run a load before the week starts. Usually I run a load of exercise clothes (I exercise Monday – Saturday) so I am ready for my workouts. I also wash towels, mainly because they are quick and easy to fold while watching a show.
A new washing machine is being delivered later this afternoon and I am pretty excited about it. I have apparently mentioned that a few too many times, because my son just shook his head and asked if being an adult means you are excited to get a new washing machine. Yep!
Double check lesson plans
Taking a few minutes to look over my lesson plans makes our school work go smoother during the week. I double check my plans against the calendar to make sure they are realistic. This is also when I double check that I have all needed supplies. If we have any field trips or park days scheduled I check the weather to see if I need to make back up plans.
Rest and recharge
You can not go-go-go 24/7. . . well at least I can’t. It is important to build time for resting into your calendar. My goal is that by the time my kids go upstairs on Sunday night all of the above is done and I am ready for the week. Then it is my time to rest and recharge in whatever way I need or want. Sometimes that means a bubble bath while watching Netflix with my laptop balanced on the vanity. Other times it means sitting on my porch with a good book. Every once in a while I literally rest and go to bed right after my kids.
It feels counter intuitive, but resting can be the most useful part of a productive Sunday. It can give you renewed energy to conquer your to-do list.
What do you do for a productive Sunday?
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