7 Things to Do on Sunday to Set Up for Success

If you’ve ever found yourself desperately trying to hold it all together as week after week comes and goes – and the to-do list doesn’t get any shorter – then this list is for you!

Sundays are the best day of the week to get a few quick but effective tasks done to set you up for success the rest of the week.

1. Throw out last week's leftovers

Meal prepping on Sunday is a great idea, but when Sunday’s are filled with church activities and family dinners it can be hard to get it all in. Even if you can’t make all of the food for the week ahead, give yourself a clean slate by cleaning out old leftovers from last week so you don’t have to dig through your refrigerator for the fresh ingredients when you’re ready to start cooking!

2. Clean out your inbox

We all know that these days important information is almost all communicated electronically. Even the best of us have been guilty of having an overflowing inbox from time to time, and when there are 4,832 unread emails in your inbox it’s easy for things to get lost. Take a few moments every Sunday to clean out any unnecessary emails from the week prior. (And if you want to make this even easier on yourself, check out our post on organizing your inbox HERE.)

3. Write down your weekly schedule

This may sound like old news. But when I say “write down your weekly schedule” I don’t just mean doctor’s appointments and football practice times. Take a few moments to decide what you want to accomplish that week, and then make a time for it to happen! If you’ve been meaning to take a pile of donations to Goodwill, pick a day and mark it on the calendar – you’ll be much more likely to get it done!

To help plan your week, I love this printable overview schedule. It has a spot for your daily plans, your menu, the weather, notes, and tracking daily habits. You can see your whole week in one spot. I recommend hanging it on your fridge or family command center.

Also, we do have a very similar layout available in half size in the club if you’re looking for something that fits perfectly in your Sweet Life Planner or other half letter sized notebook.

4. Get your family on the same page

Make sure your family is on the same page with the plans for the week. I like to write our schedule on a cute chalkboard hanging in a main area of our home. That way we can remember what’s going on, and we don’t forget anything. It’s also better to catch any scheduling conflicts ahead instead of finding out 5 minutes before you leave on your girls night out that your husband is also gone and can’t watch the kids.

5. Clean everything you can

Hint: start with highly trafficked areas! It would be great if our homes could automatically reset to clean over the weekend, but unfortunately, it takes a little more on our part to make that happen. Making all the beds, cleaning all the dishes, and folding all the laundry may not happen on one Sunday. Pick the part of your home you’ll see and interact with the most in the coming week and focus on making it a clean and happy place to be. Then if you have extra time you can move on to other areas.

6. Create a meal plan

Meal plan and grocery shop if you can. Make sure you know what’s for dinner each evening, and ideally get all the groceries you need. If you’re super busy, you can have groceries delivered.

7. Relax

Take some time to recharge and relax for the week ahead. I like to take walks and go to bed early so I’m fully rested for the week.

BONUS

If you have time, prepping your food for the week ahead can be a huge help. I recommend 5 dinners 1 hour if you really want to have all your prep done in one hour, so all you have to do is pop your dinners in the oven on a busy weeknight. If you don’t have time for that, even washing and cutting produce can be a huge timesaver (and will also make it easier to eat healthier snacks).