Do you thrive off order and routine? Do you get the Sunday scaries every week as the weekend starts coming to an end? Then, a Sunday reset routine is just what you need! If you are anything like me, you don’t get much done without a checklist or routine. That is why I am sharing my weekly reset routine to help you start your week off in the best possible way. This blog post will help you create an ultimate Sunday reset checklist to set yourself up for the best week possible.
What is a Sunday Reset?
A Sunday reset is a powerful ritual where you dedicate time on Sunday to pave the way for a successful week ahead. Depending on your needs, this process might take an hour, several hours, or even the whole day. It involves accomplishing critical tasks on Sunday to ensure a fresh and organized start each week. The beauty of a weekly reset is that it’s a personal routine uniquely tailored to each individual’s lifestyle. Here is a checklist of items we will go over in this blog post to help start your week off right:
- Reflecting on the past week
- Doing a brain dump
- Planning and scheduling for the week ahead
- Cleaning and organizing your spaces
- Meal planning and prepping
- Doing life admin tasks
- Self-care & resting
- Spend Time with loved ones
Why you should do a Sunday reset day:
It’s simple: if you want to have a wonderful week where you aren’t as overwhelmed and feel like you are just surviving, you need to get a Sunday reset routine into your life. When I don’t set up my week for success, I walk into my Monday morning overwhelmed and stressed. There’s laundry all over the place; nothing is where it should be, and I haven’t gone grocery shopping, and there are no meals prepped, and I end up using time on my Monday to get things done that should have been done over the weekend. Mondays are already hard enough, and I make it harder on myself. If there is one thing I know about myself, I thrive on organization and planning, and that’s why I love my Sunday reset routine.
If you can identify with me, I suggest you adopt a Sunday routine, even if it’s just for one or two hours on a Sunday evening, instead of doom scrolling (like I can often get caught in). Now, I’m not perfect, and every week, I may not get a chance to get all of these things done, but when I do, I feel 100% better going into my week. When I do a Sunday reset routine and use my checklist, I notice that I’m not as anxious on Sundays; the rest of the week goes much smoother, and I get more done.
Now, let’s get into creating your perfect Sunday reset routine:
1. Reflect on the past week
Reflecting on your past week can help you acknowledge the things that went well, like your accomplishments and successes, and the things that didn’t go well, like what areas you lacked. Knowing oneself is one of the greatest strengths of self-improvement. How are we supposed to grow if we don’t remember our mistakes? Here are some questions you can ask yourself as you reflect on the past week:
- What was my greatest accomplishment this week?
- What personal and professional goals did I hit?
- What goals didn’t I complete?
- Did I manage my time well? If not, what caused me to lose focus?
- What goals or tasks do I need to move to next week?
Remember not to get down on yourself if you didn’t have a great week – you are about to start a new, fresh week. Tomorrow is a new day; there is always time to grow and start a new week on the right foot.Use these answers to these questions to set up a foundation for a meaningful and productive week.
2. Brain Dump
Now that you have reflected on the previous week, it’s time to get all of those swirling thoughts, ideas, tasks, and whatever is on your mind on a piece of paper. A brain dump is when you take a few minutes to unload everything on your mind. I like to do this on Sunday because it lets me get everything off my mind and declutter my thoughts to focus better on what needs to be done.
Grab your paper, notebook, or digital notebook, and write down anything that comes to your mind that you need to remember to do or schedule or a goal you want to get done this week. For me, this can be anything from work-related tasks, like clients I need to reach out to, to things in my personal or home life, like remembering to purchase that book I’ve been thinking about, reaching out to a friend who I have been thinking of lately, or cleaning out the fridge.
Once you have your ideas and thoughts laid out, review them and categorize them as needed. I like to form my weekly to-dos and schedule based on the ideas I have laid out, which helps us transition to our next step of planning and scheduling your week ahead.
3. Plan & Schedule Week Ahead
The first step in planning your week is taking your clear and specific goals and breaking them down into small, more actionable tasks you can do during the week. Take the goals and tasks you laid out in your brain dump and any goals you didn’t get done last week, and turn them into actionable tasks you can complete throughout your week.
Now that you have your goals and tasks, it’s time to schedule them out during the week. Here are some time management tools you can use to schedule out your tasks and goals for the week:
- Calendar Tools: Use digital calendar apps such as Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, or Apple Calendar to schedule and manage your appointments, meetings, and deadlines. To get specific about how you use your time, time block out each activity to help you stay on task and complete your goals. I have done this with Google Calendar and have found it helpful. A regular planner works well if you are more of a pen-to-paper person.
- Task Management Tools: Utilize task management apps like Todoist, Trello, or Notion to create to-do lists, set deadlines, and track your progress. I use Notion for all of my task management activities.
- Digital Note-Taking Tools: Use note-taking apps like Apple Notes, Evernote, or Notion to brain dump, jot down ideas, create a weekly to-do list, and organize your thoughts. These note-taking apps allow you to access your notes across multiple devices, which I love. When I’m in a hurry, I love to use the Notes App to create my grocery list on my computer and then see the notes on my phone while in the grocery store.
Try out some of these tools and see which works best for you. I use the Apple Calendar for my weekly schedule and Notion to brainstorm, plan, and create tasks and to-do lists. I have tried different apps and tools and found those two work best.
As you schedule your week with your tools, create checklists for yourself with tasks that must be completed throughout the week. As I mentioned in step two, I like to create my to-do lists from my brain dump, but make sure to include recurring things in your to-do list. For example, things like reading one chapter of a book, exercising for 30 minutes daily, or reviewing emails.
4. Clean & Organize
If you are anything like me, you function best when your space is clean and organized. Sundays are a great day to clean, declutter, and organize essential spaces in your home. This could be your bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, workspace, or all of these spaces.
If you work from home, Sunday is the perfect day to go through your office space, declutter, and clean it for the work week ahead. If you make a mess every day getting ready for work in the bathroom, take time to organize and declutter that space.
Everyone is different in their cleaning habits. I recommend saving only some of your cleaning for Sunday, but sometimes your week gets busy, and you don’t have the time to clean.
What you decide to clean and organize on Sunday depends on your space and habits. Here are a few things you can do in your home to better clean and organize:
- Declutter – go through specific areas of your home and start getting rid of or donating the things you don’t need and finding a place for the things you do.
- Organize – once you have decluttered a space, use storage containers, shelves, or bins to tidy your things.
- Deep Clean – clean spaces that aren’t cleaned on the regular. Start by dusting surfaces, vacuuming the carpet, cleaning mirrors and windows, and cleaning baseboards.
If you don’t have a lot of time on a Sunday to clean, set a timer for 15, 20, or 30 minutes, and do these five things to clean up your space:
1. Pick up clutter on surfaces and put it in its proper place
2. Wipe down surfaces with an all-purpose cleaner
3. Vaccum or sweep floors
4. Empty trash and recycling bins
5. Dust any visible surfaces (TV console, shelves, coffee table, bedside table)
Even a quick 15-minute clean-up on a Sunday afternoon can give you peace of mind during the week, knowing your space is clean.
If you want a regular cleaning schedule, check out my weekly cleaning schedule:
Everyday:
- Make Bed
- Put clothes away
- Load & Empty Dishwasher
- Clean off kitchen counters and clean
- Wipe Bathroom counters
- Sweep kitchen floors
- Tidy living room
- Take out trash/recycling
Monday:
- Vacuum all carpets, couches and rugs
- Dust all surfaces, including furniture, shelves, and electronics
Tuesday:
- Clean mirrors and glass surfaces
- Mop hard floors
Wednesday:
- Clean and disinfect kitchen countertops, sink, and appliances
Thursday:
- Scrub and sanitize bathroom fixtures, including toilet, shower, and sink.
Friday:
- Change and clean bed sheets and pillowcases
- Clean out fridge
Saturday:
- Wipe down walls, baseboards, doors, light switches, and doorknobs.
Sunday:
- Focus on organizing and decluttering one area of the house
- Laundry
- Wash towels
Make sure to adapt this cleaning list to your own home and lifestyle. Busy moms will have a completely different cleaning routine than married couples with no kids or single people.
Laundry
Laundry could be another section, but your laundry routine depends on your life situation. If you are single, you may only need to do your laundry once or twice weekly. If you are married or have children, you could be running a load of laundry a day. I like having Sunday as a laundry day because it ensures clean clothes for the week ahead, but this varies for everyone, depending on how much time you have.
Here are a few of my favorite nontoxic cleaning products I use regularly:
5. Meal Planning
Meal prepping, or meal planning, can be a time saver when you only have a little time to prepare your meals during the week. Whether planning out your meals and grocery list on Sunday or grocery shopping and prepping food, Sunday meal prepping can be a game changer for your upcoming week.
Why meal planning?
By taking time to meal prep on Sundays, you save time by spending less time during the week making meals. It can save money because you are planning what to buy instead of winging it in the grocery store. Meal prepping also encourages healthier eating habits because if your meals are prepped and ready to go, or you know what you make for dinner that night, you are less likely to lean into an unhealthy meal or takeout.
Here are some steps to making the most out of your meal prepping:
1. Plan out your meals
Decide what meals you want for the week – breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This will help alleviate stress during the weekday, so you can know what you eat and make stressful decisions during a busy day.
2. Go grocery shopping
Now that your meals are planned, make a grocery list of the ingredients you need to make them.
3. Batch cooking
Being able to batch-cook things like grains, meat, fruits, veggies, and snacks can help make quick meals during the week. I love to batch-cook stuff like quinoa and rice or dice up veggies for salads for lunches during the week. Batch cooking will take extra time on your Sunday, but you won’t regret it!
6. Life Admin Tasks
A great way to set yourself up for a successful week is taking 30 minutes to complete some pending life admin tasks. Once you have done your brain dump, you will find some things you know need to be done. Such as making that appointment you’ve been meaning to, responding to emails, or cleaning up your digital space.
Here are some admin tasks you can complete on a Sunday night to help start your week off in the best way:
- Pay pending bills
- Respond to texts or emails
- Update your calendar
- Organize files and papers
- Back up data
- Schedule an appointment(s)
- Set important reminders
If you have critical tasks that need to be done, tackle those first. Taking time to do admin life tasks on Sunday relieves my mental load and helps me go into the week with a clearer mind.
7. Self-Care & Rest
Sunday is the day of rest, and the most important thing you can do on a Sunday is take care of yourself, mental health, body, and spirit. Doing a Sunday reset is one of the best forms of self-care since you are thinking about your future self and setting yourself up for a good week. But there are other things you can do to help you take care of your mental and physical health on a Sunday.
Besides physical resting, here are some ways for you to take care of yourself on Sunday:
- spending time in church
- taking a walk, stretching, or doing a physical exercise
- taking a bath or everything shower
- practicing meditation, prayer, deep breathing, or having an intentional quiet moment
- practicing a hobby or creative activity
- taking a nap or going to bed early
- detoxing from screens or social media
- reading a good book
- doing a whole skincare routine or facemask treatment
- getting fresh air and spending time outside
- enjoying a glass of wine
- watching your favorite show or a new movie
- enjoying a cup of coffee at your favorite local coffee shop
Remember to prioritize self-care daily, but give yourself time on Sunday to ensure you nurture yourself and set the tone for a good week.
For me, self-care is spending time in church to fill my spirit, enjoying a walk outside on a warm day, sipping coffee at my favorite coffee shop, spending time with friends and family, and taking a hot shower.
8. Spending Time with Loved Ones
This could technically fall under self-care, but I wanted to give spending time with loved ones its step because it helps fill our cups.
Whether you have a family dinner, have coffee with a friend, spend intentional time with your spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend, call a loved one, or stop in on a grandparent or neighbor – all these things are essential to living a fulfilling life. We are not meant to do this life alone, so make sure you carve out some dedicated time to spend with the ones you love.
The last thing I want you to remember about creating a Sunday reset checklist is that there is no perfect way to do this. You can follow my steps or make your own; no one-size-fits-all solution exists. The goal is to find what works best for you and your life. We can all benefit from setting goals and schedules, creating checklists, brain dumping, cleaning and decluttering, meal prepping, self-care, and spending time with loved ones. Remember to rest and spend some quality time with the ones you love, and I hope you have a happy and productive week!
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