I have action-packed weeks: I do 5am or 6am workouts so I can get into the writers’ offices early to get ready for my day, and then networking drinks or mixers almost every night. On Friday nights and Saturdays, I try to get out and see friends or go on a hike to prevent being burned out from crazy weeks.
That’s why I need my Sundays to serve as a ramp-up into a new week: a chance to clear my mind, focus on the upcoming week’s goals and targets, and spend some time doing things that make me happy.
The root of stress is found in the overabundance of decisions, so here’s how to prep your week like a pro and cut down on unimportant decisions that plague your week:
Meal Prep Your Week
At the top of every week, I prep all my meals and snacks ahead of time so I always have something on hand each week.
I make meals like overnight oats and variations on brown rice veggie bowls. I also like making huge, hearty soups or other recipes that can easily be scaled up. For snacks, I usually eat things like sunflower or pumpkin seeds.
By making all of your food choices on Sunday, you’ll cut out the ‘help-I-have-nothing-to-eat!’ takeout emergencies during the week. Meal prepping also is a great way to make sure you’re planning for healthy eating — and it saves money, too!
Schedule for Success
I schedule every inch of my days when I’m busy: I decide what workouts I’m going to do on which days, I figure out when I’m going to run errands like oil changes or grocery trips.
I also schedule time to do things that are important to me, like write pages for my script or attending yoga classes.
That way, everything I need to do is on my calendar as well, so I don’t need to keep making decisions on when to do what. It’s all decided at the top of my week so I don’t have to think twice about it.
Plan for Everything
At the top of my week, I take a look at everything I have coming up. I reschedule drinks if I have too much going on, run any errands I need to do, and if it’s a particularly hectic week I’ll also pick out all of my clothes for the week.
It seems silly, but even getting the smallest decisions like what I’m going to wear out of the way helps me free up time and energy to focus on what really matters.
Meditate to Motivate
After I’ve meal prepped, taken a look at my calendar, and scheduled my week, I’ll take the rest of the day off for myself. I’ll hang out with my cat, go on a walk, read a book or a script, cook dinner with my boyfriend, and just enjoy the weekend.
On Sundays, I go to restorative yoga and carve out some time to meditate and journal. These mentally (and physically!) healing activities have such a huge impact on my week and my mood because they allow me to slow down, take stock of where I am, and readjust myself the next week.
Life is hard, work is crazy, but we all have the power to take one day every week to slow it down and enjoy every step of the journey.
Let’s make the most of it.