Make Sunday the platform for the rest of your week. You should be able to go to bed knowing that the rest of the week will be a breeze. Since my work schedule changed from 10am-7pm to 7am-3pm, I have had to make a lot of changes to my daily routine. No longer could I wake up at 8am and have a thorough amount of time to get ready. Many friends and family know that I am not a morning person (nor did I think I ever would be). Being productive before 7am was a joke. Literally. I would joke with my husband that I didn’t think there was oxygen before the sun came up. But now that I am getting used to my new schedule (eight months later), I have learned to love being the first person in the office.
Here are the actions that have made my Sunday the most productive day of the week so that I can worry less about the little things during the work week.Set goals for yourself, make a to-do list. If I set goals for myself for the rest of the week, it gives me a structure for the rest of my schedule and plans. Write down your goals and place them where you will be able to see them or look at them often. For me, this is on my note pad at work. This is always open and sitting on my desk. I tuck it into a drawer before I leave for the day. This is also something I can tear off and take with me. I write most all of my grocery lists, personal phone calls I need to make, and chores I need to do down on this note pad. I do much better when I have a daily to-do list. I use it as a guideline for the week. Tidy your work space. For me this is both my cubical and my home office. My cube is spotless when I leave Friday evening, even if it means staying an extra five minutes to do so. It feels so great to walk into work Monday morning and not have junk paper work all over my desk from last week. I also clean out my email inbox. You wouldn’t think that I need over 20 different email folders, but it makes things much easier to find. My home office (where I am currently sitting) is home to my sewing machine, stockpile, computer, and my couponing station. It’s my “woman cave” if you will. Sunday is the day when I clean up all my paper and notes and get reorganized for the rest of the week when I am busier. Clean sheets are the best feeling. It is my belief that clean sheets on your bed make you sleep better. Make Sunday your day to wash both your sheets and towels. It is best to wash these once a week anyways. But if you are a believer like I am, clean sheets will make your work week start off great! Pack your work/school bag. It’s one less thing to stress about come Monday morning! I pack my lunch every night before I go to bed (generally when I am cleaning up dinner – hooray leftovers!) and get my purse ready to go. This way in the event that I don’t wake up one time, I can grab everything and run out the door without fear that I have forgotten something. I get my husband’s lunch ready the night before as well even though he is able to come home for lunch every day. Pick your wardrobe. This is my biggest issue every morning. I takes me at least 15 minutes to pick out what I am going to wear. I have gotten into the habit every Sunday night to pick 5-7 outfits for the week. I choose more than I will wear just in case I’m not in the mood to wear the original that day. This includes clothes, shoes, and jewelry. My husband has a rotating shirt and pants system so that he never wears the same color of shirt two days in a row. This way too, he doesn’t wear one of them to threads. Update your calendar and meal plan. Never forget Timmy’s soccer game again! I update our family calendar every month and do a weekly meal plan accordingly. I write down my husband’s “early days” off from work and any appointments or events we have to go to. This way, I know if we have to do dinner out or if I have to fix a meal later or earlier than normal. This helps us stay on track with our budget too!
