Three cheers for the freaking weekend – never comes too soon or lasts too long. The older I get, the more sacred my Sabbath gets – it’s non-negotiable and very necessary for helping me operate optimally. Truly, Sunday is the setup for success all week long. I’ve got a laundry list of to-do’s that end up making me feel AND function better when they’re done; granted, sometimes these things happen on Saturday and/or are split up throughout the course of the weekend depending on our plans. While I’m all for a productive day, I’m also leaning into rest and intentionally scheduling less so that I can actually, you know, do what God says and FREAKING REST. 😉
- REST. Naked truth time: I initially had “rest” as the LAST bullet point on this list. How ironic, given my intention to lean INTO rest, amiright? (Hey, never said I was perfect – we’re all works in progress!). As I fleshed it out, I remembered something a mentor in my life really stresses: We should be working FROM rest, not FOR it. So, instead of leaving rest until the end as a “reward” for a job well done, it can be best to START from rest, so that you’re actually able to give something your all in a healthy, whole way.
- Review last week.
- What went well? What could’ve gone better? What was overscheduled or not planned well enough?
- Brain dump. One of my very favorite things to do, really ANYTIME my brain feels particularly overloaded or overwhelmed. Here’s exactly how I do it!
- Unplug. A phone-free day works WONDERS for your soul. No apps, no social media, no scrolling…none of it. At this point, I NEED at least one day a week off of Instagram, focused on anything BUT my phone.
- Laundry. Nobody’s favorite, everybody’s necessity. Just get ‘er done. 😉 We typically do all of our laundry on Fridays, so Sunday is a big fold-and-put-away day for me! This stuff is my FAVORITE for making laundry day less awful…your clothes, sheets, + towels will all thank me.
- Clean out the fridge. Check dates. Throw out anything expired. Re-organize anything that got thrown in haphazardly throughout the week. Wipe down bins and shelves. You’ll be more inspired to eat healthier after freshening up the fridge, too!
- Fresh air + quality time with family. For me, this always falls under “rest,” because it typically fuels me up fabulously to just get outside and enjoy time with the fam. Lately we’ve been loving taking Lucy to the dog park together, and it’s a fun way to recharge together.
- Clear out your inbox. Get as close to inbox zero as possible on Friday so that you don’t have things looming in your brain before the week’s even begun!
- Spend time on a hobby. It can be far too common to “never have time” – so MAKE time. Hobbies keep us young and fun and can be some of our most favorite, fun pasttimes – they’re 100% worth nurturing. It fuels the soul!
- Read from your reading list. I got sick of never hitting my own reading goals, so I had to really rethink my strategy – clearly, something wasn’t working. Now, I devote 30 minutes to reading DURING THE WORK DAY. I set a timer, get in my new chair, keep my phone on the other side of the room and just read. I still try to read before bed, too, but that’s typically in my Bible or a devotional so that my head isn’t spinning while I fall asleep. 😉
- Cross off a house project. Make a list and check it twice! We have a running list of house projects both big and small that we’d love to give attention to, and we’ve gotten into the habit of literally scheduling them onto the weekly calendar.
- Get in a GREAT workout. A little sweat never hurt nobody – and your body will thankyou for a solid sweat sesh! This is a great time to do a total, full body routine that leaves you feeling sore and strong.
- Pray + reflect. Get quiet and take time to turn inward + upward. I think we can become so frenzied during the week, we risk forgetting to pray altogether, or neglecting time with the Lord for other earthly pasttimes that might help us “unwind” or “chill out” – but no amount of Netflix will truly fill our cup. But He can! 🙂
- Self-care: wash hair, self-tan (25% off my favorite self-tanner with code ERICATAN25 on Amazon – here’s how I use it!), shave, exfoliate, dermaplane, face mask, hair mask, whiten teeth, etc.
- Plan next week.
- Deadlines? Birthdays? Appointments? Dates?
- Prioritize tasks: what MUST happen, what would you LIKE to happen, and what is ultimately movable?
- Outfit plan: check the weather app and plan accordingly!
- Meal prep (+ pick up any groceries)
- Check in financially: pay off debt, plan out your budget
- Organize your space. A 10-minute tidy works WONDERS on both your space AND your brain! Set a timer for – you guessed it! – ten minutes and just pick up anything/everything that’s not where it belongs. Put it in its place and just keep going until the timer dings – chances are, ten minutes is more than enough time to quickly re-organize any small space that got out of sorts from the week!
- Monday’s To-Do list. Now, think ahead – Monday is ready for ya. 🙂
Go any Sunday to-do’s that are musts in your regular routine?
Anything that really helps you reset, regroup, + recharge? Would lovelovelove to know!