3 Things I Do on Sunday to Make the Week Less Overwhelming

As much as I’ve always wanted to be someone who plans perfectly, it doesn’t really line up with my sensibilities once the week actually starts. My energy flags, I get overwhelmed more easily than I’d like, and I spend a lot of time prioritizing my rest so I don’t burn out halfway through Wednesday.

What has helped is accepting that I can only handle so much so I might as well keep it simple.

This blog post is about the three things I do on the weekend (usually a Sunday, but honestly even better if it’s a Friday night recap) that help the week unfold more smoothly. I don’t necessarily share this with you to suggest that this will solve all your problems. This is simply me showing my own struggles and the simplest solutions I could come up with for the most frequent and recurring pain points of the week.

Tip 1: I figure out what I’m wearing for the week

This one sounds small, but it makes an outsized difference.

I go into the office two days a week, so I account for that first. I look at the weather forecast, check what’s realistic temperature-wise, and decide what will suit my activities for the week.

This is where having a little forethought to plan on a Friday helps — you can make sure everything is laundered and ironed if it needs it, instead of discovering the outfit you’ve decided to put together is not a clean option.

Once I’ve decided, I hang all the items I’ll be wearing together in successive order and closest to the front of my closet. That’s it. I’m set. No rummaging, no last-minute outfit negotiations with myself before heading out on a rushed weekday morning.

Tip 2: Figure out what dinners I’m making for the week

There is nothing more annoying than realizing you need to think about what to make for dinner for the rest of your life. I joke, but also, why is it so hard?

I figure it’s because dinner decisions happen at the worst possible time of day: when everyone is tired, hungry, and already over the idea of making any more choices. So, I try to remove that pressure in advance.

I keep it simple. I think in terms of a protein, vegetables, and a starch like rice, noodles, or potatoes. I try to make the options easy enough that I am more likely to follow through with the cooking rather than order on my phone. I can’t deal with anything that requires heroic effort at 6pm. That’s just not me.

I don’t stress much about breakfast or lunch because I tend to eat the same things for those meals. Dinner is where we get variety, so that’s where the planning goes.

I’ll write down three or four meals I want to make and get the ingredients for those. I only plan that many because there are usually leftovers, and if not, we can always eat from the pantry. I also think there’s something humbling about scrounging for something and having a ‘struggle meal’ at least once a week. You know, to keep you humble 😊

Tip 3: I write out a time schedule/list for the five workdays

I like to do this part on Sunday. It gives me a chance to mentally walk through the week before it starts, rather than being surprised by it as it unfolds.

I consolidate my work calendar and my personal calendar into a kind of daily task list. Then I label the hours of the day and slot in the corresponding activity or appointment. In the past I’ve bought expensive and pretty planners but I’m finding a random notebook works fine. Heck, a piece of scrap paper does the job.

A few notes about time planning my days… I’m not strict with it, I make sure to create buffers of time between activities, and I use it more as a suggestion as opposed to a list that I can’t deviate from.

I know that for me, proper transition and sometimes taking a longer pause than I thought I needed keeps my stress levels down. Back-to-back everything looks efficient on paper and feels awful in real life. The list gives me a rough sense of how the day will feel but doesn’t rule my life.

I also plan my workouts. I plan in reading time, personal time, and writing time. If it matters to me, it goes on the list. Otherwise, it’s the first thing to disappear when the week gets busy.

Conclusion

Doing these three things means I start the week with fewer decisions to make on the fly, less mental clutter, and a bit more capacity for whatever actually needs me. In this season of my life, where capacity is limited and responsibilities are constant, a little planning does go a long way.

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