After graduating from college, I always questioned what adults do on Sundays. I know technically we become adults at 18, but I mean post-college adults. Everyone’s college experience was different. For me, a Sunday usually meant a terrible hangover, sleeping in, and going to sorority chapter in the evening. In this post, I hope I will help equip you with tools to avoid “Sunday Scaries.”
When I was living in NYC, Sundays were also tricky, especially when you had a really productive Saturday. I felt an overwhelming sense of free time. For the first time in my life, I had no homework. My routines were so efficient, I searched for hobbies and ways to fill my time that were inexpensive.
Fast forward to today, a 26 year old woman, what do I wish I could tell my younger self about Sundays? Now, if you are reading this and thinking, “man, has she thought about the purpose of Sundays way too much”, I agree with you. I am who I am and I overthink everything.
Sundays are a day of preparation.
Perfecting a Sunday routine is the difference between a successful and unsuccessful week. Sundays are times to iron out the details and leave little room for questions about what you should be doing.
Sundays are the keeper of the to do list. Sundays are the day for meal prep. The day for laundry. The day to clean out your fridge. The day to clean your room. The day to update your budget with what you spent last week. The day to make your bed with fresh sheets. Sundays should always end with a shower and clean pajamas.
Sunday night should always include alone time as the last step to mentally prepare for the week ahead. All of the above makes Sunday scaries less scary since everything is set.
What to Avoid on Sundays
Now, it may seem like Sundays are a day for a lot of tasks. You may notice two important tasks missing: meal planning and grocery shopping. I have found the most success when these are handled on Thursday night or Friday morning of the previous week. This way, when you wake up on Sunday, you are ready to start cooking. It also helps avoid the grocery store crowds.
Creating routines that work for you will end up creating more time in your days. Taking daily decision making out of the process, saves so much time. Each day should be focused on at least one household task.
Weekly To-Do List
When you are looking over your to-do list each week, rank the items from highest priority to least. You should have 1 to-do list that includes household and personal tasks. If you can do 1 item on the list each day, you will have ended the week with 5 high priority items complete.
It is even better if you have a shared to-do list with your partner, there can be 10 items complete. If you are planning on working through the list with a partner, make sure their items are also added.
A big key to this type of to-do list is to add every task, big or small. Some tasks may be on the list for months, but working towards finishing them becomes your daily required task. The sense of moving forward you receive from having a to-do list and being able to check an item off is unmatched.
Challenge
Create a routine to start this Sunday. Pick one thing from the to-do list that you must finish each day.