It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a blog on lifestyle and well-being. I hope you guys enjoy today’s post as it has to do with my favorite day of the week; SUNDAY!
Sundays are known for being lazy days, but for me, they are the perfect mixture of lazy and productive. I love to utilize my Sundays to prep for the following week so I can be as focused and relaxed as possible. There is nothing I dislike more than an unplanned week.
Being a blogger, schedules are important but they can be meaningless as last-minute projects and events always seem to pop up. However, a lot of time can be saved for work and most importantly, yourself if you use your Sunday wisely.
These tips are not just for those who are in the blogging world, it’s just a general routine I do to ensure I not only take care of myself but make efforts to ease the stress of the following week. Improving your week starts with yourself. You can’t rely on anyone to do anything for you or any device. We have to take our time into our own hands and really allow ourselves to thrive in self-care.
These 7 easy things to do on your next Sunday will hopefully help you improve your week 🙂
- ME TIME: I cannot stress this enough. Every Sunday I give me myself 1 to 1.5 hours of quality “ME” time. This either includes a bath, a beauty regimen, some sport, reading or anything *I* choose to do that makes me relaxed and happy. It’s so important to end the week and start the week refreshed and feel like you’ve given yourself a nice breather. The more time you give yourself to relax, the more focused you can be. Melt all that stress away! You deserve it!
- Look At Your Calendar: This can be your daily calendar or your social calendar. For me, I try to plan my content on all my social media channels on Sunday so I have a strategy when I post and I’m prepared. I cannot tell you how annoying it is to go back and forth between multiple images seeing which one is gonna fit in your feed and if it’s a good picture to post that day. Sound silly, but remember, editing a photo and having it ready takes a while. I edit all my content before I upload on Sunday to make sure posting to my socials is easy as 1,2,3. Next, look at your regular calendar. Realizing you have 4 meetings back to back the day off is a recipe for stress. Make sure you have all your meeting aligned, you’re prepared and won’t be surprised. Also, make sure you plan some things for fun. For example, date night, a night out with your best friend and so on. Never skimp on fun time!
- Make a List for Monday: By making a to-do list, you’ll start the morning with being aware of the most important things that need to get done and allow you to plan for the rest of the week. I actually repeat this step EVERY night. Why? I am one of those people who LOVES to check things off a list. It’s a mini feeling of victory with each check!
- Tidy Up!: For me, after a long week and weekend, tidying up my house and office is essential. It gives me a sense of accomplishment and makes things organized for the following week (because we all know it will end up a little messy again). I love waking up on Monday to find an organized and tidy house and office. Makes the start of the week less stressful and easier. No need to frantically search for anything or tidy up mid-day. It’s kind of a mini-blessing once you get into the rhythm of it.
- Prep Your Meals: You don’t need to plan every single meal, but if you know you’re going to cook something up, make note! I do all my grocery list shopping on Sunday for the upcoming days (if I haven’t gone already to the market- except in Luxembourg everything is closed Sunday). I love going to the market with a complete list so I don’t have to stress out and go back mid-cooking. I love also to prepare snack for the week in advance. You can kind of manipulate this how you feel will work best for you. If you’re all about last-minute grocery shopping, I admire your courage!
- NO ELECTRONICS: Yep. The next two things might shock you, but trust me…they helped. I used to be an “insomniac”. Why? Because I’d scroll my Instagram feed while watching a movie while writing a blog post all while in bed or prepping for bed. THIS IS THE WORST THING YOU CAN DO. Shutting down electronics an hour or two hours before bed has been the best thing for me. My brain has time to shut down and be less stimulated so I can fall asleep faster and better. My eyes don’t burn when I wake up and I definitely feel more refreshed. While it’s nice to scroll through your apps before bed, try not to. It’s a hard habit to break but once you’ve done it, keep to it. You’ll see the difference, I promise.
- Get To Bed Early!: Yup. Ya heard right. I will admit, because of the above (electronics) I would sleep at like 1 or 2 am thinking it was because “I just couldn’t sleep”. When I got rid of the habit of electronics, I would then try to get into bed earlier and earlier every night. I finally figured out my sleep number which is 7 hours. To be asleep by 11 means I should be in bed at 10 and wind down, slow, down, try to cozy myself in my blankets and let myself sleep. This has helped so much and has made morning so much more tolerable (I am NOT a morning person, FYI). It’s baby steps for this, but every day just try and try to make it happen.
Change is not easy, but sometimes it’s worth to try to make changes to better yourself and your daily routine. Getting into the grind is hard enough, but you can give yourself a break and hopefully utilize these tips to help improve your weekly routine. If you have any other tips, I’d love to hear them 🙂
Happy Living!
