We all know that a Sunday well spent brings a week of content. We’ve found that there are ways to set yourself up to have a productive, stress-free week when you spend your Sundays in preparation for the week ahead.
The blues can hit you hard if you start thinking too much (and worrying) about the workweek ahead, so we recommend staying positive and focusing on the moment. Sure there will be some week-ahead planning, but falling into this Sunday routine will help you glide through your week with ease and peace of mind. When the little things are done on a Sunday, you'll find that the bigger things are much easier to tackle during the week.
1. MEDITATION/PRAYER
"Quiet the Mind, and the Soul will Speak" -Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati
As Jen Sincero wrote in the book You are a Badass, connecting to Source Energy brings us into the present moment, opens us up to receive unlimited information and ideas, puts us in a good mood, and relieves stress. It's a good way to start every day, not just a Sunday.
Picture your body as a cell phone--would you expect the battery to operate flawlessly for an entire week without a recharge? Your personal battery has been on the go all week, and is depleted. Spending time in meditation, prayer, whatever you believe in, is the spiritual recharge your soul needs to face another week.
2. CLEAN/ORGANIZE
"Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up." -A.A. Milne
It's been said that the state of your living space is the state of your mind. Making sure your kitchen, bedroom, or other living spaces are clean and organized will give you a fresh start to your week ahead.
Make sure your clothes for the week are not just laundered, but folded and put away. That extra step of not leaving them in the dryer makes all the difference! Take even further and plan your outfits for the week. It will make your mornings that much easier.
Try to keep this up all week so you don't need to spend too much time on this on the weekends - less cleaning, more exploring, relaxation, and fun will make for a mind recharged for the coming week.
3. PREP COOK (OR MEAL PLAN)
"Fail to plan, plan to Fail" -Winston Churchill
Fueling our bodies properly goes a long way to the energy we will have throughout the week. Eliminate the time you think about it by planning, shopping, and prepping on Sundays.
When we are tired, we tend to make bad choices. Sometimes just thinking about cooking after a long exhausting day can make one opt to stop at the nearest drive-thru on the way home. But if your meals are already ready, making the healthy option is much easier.
If you can, prepare your meals so that they only need to be reheated throughout the week. Or, if you prefer freshly cooked meals, chop up your veggies and marinate your proteins so there isn't much work left to do.
4. DISCONNECT
"Disconnecting from our technology to reconnect with ourselves is absolutely essential." -Arianna Huffington
This is going to be a tough one for some people - put the phone down! And stay away from the computer and television. Take some time to disconnect from technology to reconnect with yourself.
Social media can be exhausting! At the end of the day, do you dwell on what you've seen your friends doing on Facebook? Are you comparing your life to someone else's? Stop! Your life is meant to be lived at your own pace; not by comparison to anyone else's journey. Taking time away from social media and other technologies allows you to dial into your journey, to see how it feels in your gut. Then, adjust your path as you see fit. As Steve Furtick pointed out, "The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else's highlight reel." Tune out the world to tune into your intuition.
5. SET GOALS
"If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or objects." -Albert Einstein
To ensure your week is as productive as you'd like it to be, take some time to write out your goals. Work backwards, starting with your goals for the year, break them down into monthly goals and finally, what goals can you make for the coming week that will bring you closest to your overall goal.
Now, break it down even further still. Make a list of tasks for each goal, and schedule those tasks. As you plan your week ahead, schedule the tasks at hand, and write them in your planner or journal. A plan is nothing without action, so be sure to stay on top of your planner throughout the week, staying focused on your goals!
6. TAKE A HIKE
"Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you." -Henry David Thoreau
Spend time in nature...let your thoughts wander. Be with yourself. In the quiet you will better hear the whispers of your soul. Alternatively, you can listen to a podcast as you hike, though we still recommend spending some time listening only to the sounds of nature and connecting with your thoughts.
You can also combine steps here. Take a hike, gathering your thoughts. Stop to take time to meditate and journal what comes to you; write out goals while in nature. This of course is the time to be disconnected from technology and dialing into what your thoughts and intuition are guiding you towards. You already know the answers to the questions you've been seeking, if you look within. Listen to your intuition, and the best way to hear and feel what it is telling you, is to take these steps.
7. RELAX
"Your ability to generate power is directly proportional to your ability to relax." -Unknown
Don't forget, in the midst of your Sundays, to schedule in some downtime. It is absolutely essential for your well-being!
Of course we recommend some time in a massage chair! Pictured here is the Osaki OS- PRO EKON. This amazing chair scans your body to accurately chart your reflexology pressure points, length of your spine and shoulder width in order to create the most customized massage possible. It is, in short, blissful. It will be very hard not to relax from the moment you sit in the EKON!
Happiness isn't the result of some giant, far out goal. It can be found in the simple, easy things we do each day. Alternatively, unhappiness can happen by not doing those simple, every day things. Spending your Sundays working on the smaller things will free your mind to deal with the unexpected, or random daily tasks that may pop up.
