Pre-pandemic, I used to get a nasty case of the Sunday blues. It wasn’t so much about work itself. It was the dread of the AM hustle. I basically had to wake up by 5:45a to leave my house by 7:30a. Then, my commute could take anywhere from 50-70 minutes.
Once the commuting stopped, I wanted to reframe how I approached Sundays. Could I create more space for rest and family? The answer was, “Yes.” But, given that the boys were still going to daycare and we’re still working, it was important to build a Sunday routine that could still set me up for success.
I define a successful week as one where I feel prepared and relaxed on Monday AM. It’s not so much about cramming a laundry list of tasks in Sunday afternoon/evening.
My advice is to put the majority of your errands and to-do on Saturday. This makes it easier for you to prioritize your sanity, your loved ones and your self-care the day before going back into the hustle of work.
The Sunday routine that preps our household for success.
Before 9:30a // Even if the kids are awake, this is my time to focus, reflect and read. I always start with coffee in the early AM sun. Then, I read some pages of a book, journal, and think about upcoming posts for the blog. My brain is most clear during this day part and I take advantage of it.
9:30a // Family breakfast time
10:00a // Church service online
11:00a // Exercise, laundry or light housework during this time. I might also return to a blog-related task here.
12:30p // A very simple lunch. The air fryer (or frozen pizza) is our best friend during this meal.
1:00p // Superhero Sunday! We started this tradition last fall and have been faithfully observing since then. This requires nothing more than binging Marvel movies or TV shows. Doesn’t matter if we’ve seen them before.
5:30p // Time to start dinner and thinking about the week. Where are the hats/gloves/masks? Are there any big meetings are on my work calendar? What do I need to start or finish this week? This is when I break out my planner and get to writing. I’ll also update the family wall calendar and even my phone calendar, depending on the significance of the activities.
7:00p // Dinner (sometimes it’s earlier… closer to 6:30p)
7:30p // Pick out clothes for the next day and get ready for bath time. Caleb is in charge of his own clothes now, so that saves me time. This is also when I do my skincare routine. Since the Babyfacial needs to be on for 20 minutes, I get everyone in and out of the tub during this time.
9:00p // Kids in bed!
9:30p // If I forgot to check my work email or calendar earlier, this is when I do that.
10:00p // Finish the rest of my evening routine: stretch, meditate, and drink some tea. I also fill up my water bottle to put on my nightstand. Our home gets so hot and dry overnight and I often wake up with headaches. Having one of those on Monday morning gets my week of to a terrible start, so I try to avoid them.
Hopefully, I’m asleep by 11:00p. That’s the latest I can fall asleep on Sunday night and still feel rested the next day.
After reading Chasing Slow by Erin Loechner, I made the decision to slow down my Sundays. It’s been one of the biggest keys to changing my Monday morning vibes.
The tone that you set on Sunday makes all the difference for the rest of your week. With that in mind, how can you approach your Sunday routine in a new or updated way going forward?
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