11 Things To Do On A Sunday For A More Productive Week Ahead

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Singing the Monday blues? Dreading waking up on a Monday morning to a kitchen sink of dirty dishes? If you’re anything like me, this is a narrative of striking similarity. And the worst part is that we never seem to learn. Every Monday we wake up feeling like a ton of bricks and hating ourselves for it. So you don’t have to be an astronaut to know that Mondays can be a drag. We all hate them from the bottom of our hearts. But the harsh reality is that Mondays can be a refreshing breeze from the humdrum of a busy weekend. It all boils down to preparation, really, as a few Sunday tasks are all it takes to start your week with a clean slate and a smile on your face.

1. Spruce Up Your Home

It’s true when they say that cleanliness is next to Godliness. Cleaning up your house or apartment makes you feel on top of the situation when everything else doesn’t seem like it’s going your way. Vacuum, do the dishes, put away clutter, do just about anything to ward off any feelings of irritability that come with having a messy apartment.

Okay, let me explain. Have you ever fallen over because your child left his toys lying in the hallway? Or, have you ever tried to prepare a meal but the pots are too scary to even look at? If you have, then you should know that it gets you on edge, cursing at the gods for creating Mondays. But the ‘not so’ fun fact is that the modern calendar works for the sake of bringing order to society. Otherwise, everyday will be awesome when you get organized.

2. Meal Prep & Planning

It’s sometimes hard to understand why some people have labelled lunch boxes in their refrigerators. After all, preparing a meal shouldn’t be all too difficult, right? Well, if you keep a busy schedule, you might not have the time to prepare meals on the go. Other people under pressure with work or family related commitments prefer to eat out instead. Needless to say, that’s a waste of money. This is where meal planning comes in handy.

Let me elaborate. Preparing meals in batches on Sundays and freezing them is an ingenious way to free up time on a heavily burdened schedule. Be it making a week’s worth of smoothie packs, spaghetti and bolognese for dinner or stir fry for lunch, you’ll feel a sense of satisfaction the moment you realize that you can have more time to rest in between a tight schedule.

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3. Prep Monday Morning Breakfast

You don’t have to do this everyday; but, there’s nothing as uplifting as a good, healthy breakfast in the morning with all the right healthy treats. Bake some muffins, prepare overnight oats, or just take a few minutes to lay out all the ingredients for pancakes. Having your breakfast ready to go will save you time and will allow you to start your day comfortably. Looking forward to a nice breakfast goes a long way in taking the sting out of a dull Monday morning. Moreover, you’ll find yourself feeling at ease when everyone else is struggling to maintain a cheerful smile because they didn’t follow this stern advice.

4. Clean Out The Fridge

Tomatoes that look like they just survived a nuclear bomb explosion aren’t ideal for your health and portray the wrong image to visitors. Neither is stale milk and moldy butter. Seeing that you’ll be doing your shopping before the start of the week, why not set the ball rolling by cleaning out your fridge. Doing so is a smart way to know what to buy when you visit the grocery store eventually.

Then there’s the defrosting and thawing of deep freezers. The build up of ice over time can damage the appliances, which is why thawing is highly recommended by manufacturers. Because it takes time, you’ll have to do this in advance before going shopping. Packing fresh meat and beverages into a sparkling clean freezer is always delightful.

5. Pack bag for school, gym or work

It isn’t unusual for a gym bag to be disorganized. In fact, a lot of us forget the gym bag completely and take the excuse not to work-out with a smile and open hands. So make it a habit to pack your gym bag with everything you might need and put it in the car beforehand. The same applies to your work or school bag, whatever the case may be. By doing this you avoid the needless inconvenience of having to rush back home at a time when you should be at work, school or at the gym. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to organize your supplements and medication.

6. Do laundry

In an era of civilization where washing machines and driers have made organizing your wardrobe a walk in the park, you shouldn’t be going to work dressed up like your 4 year old daughter picked out your outfit. Still, with a schedule in place, you can actually dress the part by coordinating your wardrobe accordingly. Raise the bar a tad and invest in a cheap washing basket. A bit traditional, but it does the job when it comes to reminding you to do the laundry every time you take a bath.

7. Write Out Your To-do List: Plan Ahead

There’s always the all too familiar feeling of having a week being crammed for space. And most of the time, commitments come up and tend to fit in, though not so snugly. A quick fix is planning ahead. A to-do list should be on your bucket list as a matter of priority. An example of how this works in practice is having a checklist is order of importance. Have “Must do’s” and “Maybe’s” to ensure that your day isn’t all over the place. A daily planner gives you a sense of organization at a time when everyone else is clutching at straws. A useful alternative is to get a phone app that works with hourly reminders.

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8. Plan Outfits For The Week

You’ve been there before. Opening your wardrobe in a hurry as the alarm blares out irritatingly, you begin the all too familiar struggle of finding a clean outfit to wear. So as time speeds by and you’re falling over in panic, your Monday has already started on a bad note. Not only that, sometimes you may have clean clothes but still battle to decide on what to wear. So on impulse, you just pick something out randomly and run with it. Well, yes, the luck of the draw, but why leave it all to chance when you can have absolute control over the situation. Be on top of it and plan your outfits before the week begins.

9. Reward yourself

Get a clean haircut or visit the hairdresser. Get your nails manicured. Take a nice, long bubble bath on Sunday evening. By practicing self care, you build your self esteem without having to look in the mirror telling yourself how awesome you are. As you get complimented throughout the day, you’ll experience a surge of confidence that will sustain you no matter what you experience.

10. Go Grocery Shopping

Going back and forth from the grocery store every other day can take up hours on your weekly schedule. On the other hand, this is time that could easily be spent on more important tasks. So the secret: shopping on Sundays. Unless you have a maid or a butler, which most of us can’t afford, you’re going to have to organize your food pantry yourself. The only thing you might have to shop for is fresh vegetables, which can be bought on the go with no hassle. A plus to this is that shopping in bulk is always cheaper in the long run.

11. Clean Up Your Electronics

Who said electronics don’t need a thorough cleaning once in a while. Sticky stains on your laptop. Dust build up in your phone. Be it with an air can or liquid, squeaky clean gadgets are appealing to the eyes and a pleasure to use. On top of that, grub build up can be harmful to your devices and become a real inconvenience.

Sunday tasks might be a mouthful, but handling them over the weekend certainly goes a long way in setting yourself up for the week. It’s pointless to have your week all figured out in your head when, later on, the execution is inadequate. Things like grocery shopping, planning meals and commitments, watching your health and organizing outfits for the coming week are some of the many ways to make your life simpler and stress free.

So the next time Monday arrives, make sure that you’ve handled all these different aspects of your daily life. By so doing, you’ll be singing the Monday blues with a spring in your step and a smile on your face.

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