It’s a glorious Sunday afternoon. The day after an amazing fun-filled Saturday spent with your family and friends. This is the day of rest, right? Naps. Watching TV. Being a couch potato.
Well…you can certainly set aside some time for that. But I want to offer another option: a Weekly Reset Routine. I guarantee you’ll be glad you made time for a reset. It will set you up for success in the week ahead!
I definitely take time to relax and reflect on Sundays. My family and I spend the morning at church and then go out for lunch together. Sundays often include a short nap and additional family time, but making time to plan and prepare for the week ahead is invaluable.
With full transparency here, sometimes my reset lasts a couple of days and I finish it on Monday. I don’t always complete everything on Sunday and that’s okay. But I do always make sure I have prepared sufficiently so that we proceed into Monday morning with a sense of calm.
I’m not scrambling to find food to shove in lunchboxes at 7 am. I’m not searching for missing shoes when it’s time to head to school. And I’m surely not staring at an empty milk jug when everyone wants cereal for breakfast.
The food in the refrigerator is pretty much cleared out by Sundays. Our space could use a good tidy. And this mama could use a half hour to spend on self-care.
A weekly reset routine is a great way to organize your life and ensure you’re well-prepared for the week ahead. I’ll now share my 6-step Weekly Reset routine. Incorporate the steps that are beneficial to you into your routine, and feel free to add your own steps!
1. Meal Plan and Grocery List
I’d encourage you to complete a quick fridge cleanout first, in order to purge those questionable leftovers and inedible vegetables. You know, the food items that have been hanging out in your fridge a little too long. This will also help you determine what ingredients you already have and ensure you don’t buy more of what you don’t need. This should take 5-10 minutes tops.
Then, I take all of 10 minutes to make a meal plan for the week. I plan dinners for 6 nights, as we usually eat out one night. Since I have four children (ages 5-12), you’ll notice that my meals are very basic and “kid-friendly.” I have shown below what a typical meal plan for our family might look like.
Your meal plan can be as complex (or as simple) as you choose. At the bare minimum, plan out each dinner for the week. If it’s helpful for you to have breakfasts and lunches pre-planned, do that too. It is worth your time to do anything that makes your life easier and streamlined in the long run!
I aim to only get groceries once a week. To ensure this happens, I write out my grocery list, taking into consideration what I already have on hand and the ingredients I need for each meal.
We always eat the same breakfasts and lunches each week, so I know to buy those essentials as well. Write a complete grocery list. Don’t expect to remember everything you need, it’s essential to actually write everything down. Or you’ll be kicking yourself later when you have to go back to the store again for those tortillas or cream of chicken soup.
If there are any additional recipes I’m planning on making, I’ll make sure those ingredients are stocked in my pantry or purchased. For example, this particular week, I’m going to bake chocolate chip cookies and prep protein energy balls.
2. Get groceries
Whether you decide to go grocery shopping on a Sunday afternoon (not ideal for me), do grocery pickup, or have them conveniently delivered, the choice is yours. Just get the groceries! I can assure you, it feels so nice to have plenty of food to start the week (not to mention you’ll probably eat healthier all week too, if that’s a goal of yours).
This week, I decided to order groceries so I could spend extra time with my family. There’s an available Walmart delivery time from 4-6 pm, so that’s perfect timing. Once the groceries arrive, I’ll have everything restocked and ready to go for the following day.
3. Food Preparation
What food is most important for you to have prepared ahead of time? Make time for what is the priority at this point, so you can focus on that. The rest can wait. You don’t have time to do it all.
I usually keep it pretty simple here. Then, I will make time the following day or later in the week to prepare additional food items.
Here are the bare essentials for this week:
- Wash & cut strawberries
- Wash & prep grapes
- Cut bananas to freeze for smoothies
- Bake mini chocolate chip muffins
Having easy breakfasts is crucial in my home, so I will freeze the mini muffins, and they will be available to pull out of the freezer on school mornings. Here’s the recipe we use and my kids love them! If time allows for you to prepare anything further, you could consider making Egg Bites for breakfasts or simple lunches for yourself. I found it to be super-efficient to have a few fruits prepared in order to easily pack kid’s lunches, so don’t forget to wash and cut those strawberries!
4. Planning
This step is a MUST! You absolutely cannot start your new week and have no plan of action.
Do you have a paper planner you use, or do you use Google Calendar for your planning? Please tell me you use some form of planning!! If not, you can start now!
Take a look at the appointments or events coming up. Think through everything else you hope to accomplish and pencil it into the day and even the specific time slot that would be appropriate.
Check out my blog post on Time Blocking to learn more about the amazing time-blocking method that will be sure to increase your productivity for the week: TIME BLOCKING: A BEGINNER’S GUIDE.
Things to consider when planning:
- What do you need to buy?
- What bills are due this week?
- What appointments or events are on the schedule?
- What do your kids need for school?
- What other things do you need to remember?
I won’t go into detail as to how I plan my week in this blog post, but I do use my Notes app for everything I need to remember. I like to time block my week in Google Calendar as well, although I usually just complete this step the night before.
At least have an overview of the week planned, as well as a game plan for the next day (Monday). I have found that I’m most productive on Mondays and I contribute that fact to my planning ahead. Don’t underestimate the power of planning!
5. Tidying the house
This doesn’t mean an all-out deep clean of every surface and every crevice of your home. Think of it as starting with a clean slate for the week ahead. Again, you’ll want to focus on what is most important considering the time that you have available.
Areas to consider cleaning for your weekly reset:
- Bathrooms: Give each bathroom a good wipe-down: the counters, mirrors, & toilets. This is a space you use multiple times a day and cleanliness is necessary.
- Floors: Vacuum the floors in the main area and mop if you have time. Since the main space tends to get the messiest, I would just stick with that.
- Tidy main area: Put all items back “in their home;” this just means things go back to the room/container where they belong. Kid’s toys, shoes, and any other items that have wandered from their place.
- Trash: Throw out all trash around the house and empty all trash cans.
These areas will give you the biggest bang for your buck. The greatest impact for the smooth transition into the busy work/school routine.
If laundry is essential for you on the weekends, definitely get caught up. I stick to the one load a day method, so I don’t have a bunch to do on Sunday.
I promise you will feel much better with a less cluttered and cleaner home. Your mind and thoughts will be clearer and it can even help lower your stress levels. Who doesn’t want that??
6. Take some time for self-care
Ahhh, it’s finally time to relax. Take the time for YOU. How you do this depends on you.
- A nice hot, relaxing bubble bath
- An invigorating face mask
- An at-home pedicure experience
- Reading your current fiction choice
- A hot, relaxing tea
- A piece of scrumptious dark chocolate
I’m sure we could go on and on with our list, but I’m sure you’ve thought of a few ways you can take time to care for yourself this week.
For me, I would choose to snuggle up with a book and a cup of coffee for an hour. Give me two hours and I’ll be in heaven.
As moms, sometimes we tend to neglect taking care of our needs. Or we don’t see self-care as a need, but more a want. Carving out an hour or so on Sunday evenings to dedicate to us is a great time investment.
If you want to dive more into some ideas on faith-based self-care ideas to really, truly care for your soul, check out this blog post: SELF-CARE FOR WOMEN: 20 FAITH-BASED SELF-CARE IDEAS.
Reset to Start Your Week off on the Right Track
After completing these 6 steps, you’ll be sure to continue with a successful week!
Of course, you can enlist your family to help you out too. You shouldn’t have to carry the full burden on your own.
Your meals are planned, and food is prepped. Your home is tidy. A plan is set for the week (subject to change of course). And you’ve taken some well-needed time to care for your body, soul, and mind.
Keep up the momentum throughout the week ahead, but don’t forget to take the time to relax and invest in yourself too. And in your relationships with God and your loved ones.
Rest and self-care are so important. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.
Eleanor Brown
