I love Sunday, don’t you? From church to dinner to a relaxing afternoon, it’s sometimes the only chance we get to just take a real break from all the week’s busyness. It’s the one day that most of us get to have a day of rest. Spending time with family on Sundays is how I prefer spending my weekend. But, what about those Sundays, when you find yourself sitting on the couch flipping through TV channels? It gets a little boring. And I can’t help but think about all the productive ways I could be using my time.
Even though Sunday is a day of rest, there are some easy, relaxing activities we can do on Sundays that can really help to get your week off to a great start! Today, I’ve got 10 things to do on a Sunday afternoon or evening that can make the rest of your week more organized.
- PLAN OUT YOUR WEEK. Take out your calendar and check all appointments and scheduled activities. Then, decide what day will be best for all the other weekly tasks you have. Spread them out so each day isn’t overbooked. This is something I do every Sunday, and it gives me peace of mind to know I have a plan for the entire week.
- PLAN YOUR DINNERS FOR THE WEEK. The daily decision of what to fix for dinner will already be determined and you won’t even need to think about it. It’s usually best to plan your meals after planning your week to account for busy weeknights.
- WRITE YOUR GROCERY LIST FOR THE WEEK. This is especially helpful if you buy groceries early in the week. You’ll be ready to go!
- FIX LUNCHES AND ORGANIZE INGREDIENTS FOR DINNERS. You can definitely save time by fixing your kids’ lunches as much as possible. At least fix Monday’s lunches and have everything organized and together for the rest of the week. You could also pre-cut fresh veggies for dinners and organize a section in the pantry and fridge for healthy snacks.
- PLAN OUTFITS FOR THE WEEK. Pick out everything, including accessories and put in a section in your closet lined up in the order you’ll be wearing them. You could even do all your ironing for the entire week while watching TV.
- PLAN YOUR KIDS’AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES AND CO-ORDINATE THE SCHEDULE WITH YOUR SPOUSE. With kids, the schedule can get real crazy, so avoid weeknight scrambling by having a plan in place for each evening.
- HELP YOUR KIDS PLAN OUT THEIR WEEK’S HOMEWORK AND PROJECTS. They might not know what their homework will be each night, but with bigger projects, they’ll need a plan to get it done to avoid staying up till midnight after a long day of school and activities.
- HAVE A BUDGET MEETING WITH YOUR SPOUSE AND PLAN WAYS TO SAVE MONEY THIS WEEK. Sundays are a great time to sit back, discuss long-term goals and think of ways to make it actually happen, such as cutting back on lunches out during the week. Discussing a future vacation makes it a lot more motivating!
- MAKE PHONE CALLS. Sundays are family days for most of us. If you have grown kids or extended family, Sunday is a good time to relax and talk.
- CATCH UP ON READING, CRAFTS, AND OTHER HOBBIES. Sundays are sometimes the only day we get to really do things we enjoy just for fun. On Sunday, you can do them, guilt-free, and maybe even feel more motivated to get back to work on Monday. It’s really frustrating to have week after week go by and never get time to do things you love to do. So, make the time for it!
These are just a few ideas to get you started. Don’t even think about trying to do all of these every Sunday! Just start with the ideas that will help you the most, depending on your family’s biggest challenges. Try as many or as few as you like and see if your week goes more smoothly.
I have a lot of Sundays when I can barely get any of these done, so on days like those, I try to at least plan my week and make some phone calls, and then have a little time for reading. If I even get those three things done, I feel like I’ve had a relaxing, but productive Sunday afternoon.
Please let me know in the comments below of some other ways you like to spend your Sundays!
Till next time, have a wonderful day!