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One of my goals for 2017 is to spend more time enjoying life and less time planning it out.

Less time scurrying around trying to figure out what’s for dinner, and more time relaxing with my husband.

Less time eating my breakfast while I’m running out the door, and more time taking my time getting ready with a warm cup of coffee.

Less time worrying about my to-do list, and more time spent filling my tank with the good stuff. 

Is this a goal for you, too? My hope for 2017 is that I can just spend more time being still. (You can read more about how I came to this realization here.)

One of the ways I feel most prepared for the upcoming week is by making Sundays productive. I find that by taking the time to do these seven things, I wake up Monday morning feeling at peace and ready for the week ahead.

If the whole “Sunday prep” thing is new to you, try implementing one or two of these tactics at a time rather than all at once. The idea is that it helps make your week easier and less stressful, not tires you out and sends you to bed exhausted!

1. Meal Plan

Each weekend, write a list of each day you’ll be eating dinner at home, and jot down what to cook that night. You don’t necessarily have to stick to a certain meal on a certain day (give yourself some grace here), but having meals planned out means no takeout (and thus healthier meals). Make your grocery list based on your meal plan, that way you only buy what we need.

Wanting to eat healthy, but have a budget to stick to? This post will help you out!

Tape your meal plan to the fridge so you know what needs to be prepped or taken out of the freezer the night before. For example, if you have a chicken crockpot meal on tap for Tuesday, you know Monday night to take the chicken out of the freezer and maybe chop the veggies you’ll need. It takes only a few minutes and makes the next day so much easier.

2. Compare Schedules

This step is so important for you wives and mamas balancing more than just your schedule! Take a few minutes to go over your husband and kid’s schedules so you’re not taken by surprise by anything during the week.

Make note of games or practices to go to, after hours work obligations, and any nights that you won’t have everyone around the table.

If it’s just you and your husband, you can use a solo night to try out a healthy dish that he may not spring for😉

3. Tidy Up

Believe me, I am not one of those wives who has to vacuum, dust every inch, scrub the sinks and make sure the house is sparkling clean. If you are, props to you because you are superwoman! There are a few things that I like to do each Sunday just because it gives me peace when I wake up Monday morning.

This might be different for everybody, but find the things that are most important to you rather than trying to do it all.

To me, it’s important to have a clean stovetop, an empty sink, and space cleared on the dining room table for us to eat dinner Monday night.

By taking the time to do this on Sunday, I know that I’ll wake up Monday morning, walk into the kitchen and not feel stressed. It allows me to focus on the day ahead rather than thinking about what I already need to do when I get home from work.

Don’t get me wrong, there are days when Monday morning comes around and there’s dirty dishes from the night before and a dining room table stacked with papers. There will always be days like that, and the key is to give yourself some grace. Holding yourself to a standard of perfection will lead you to feeling unhappy and burned out.

There are nights when snuggling on the couch, watching a movie with your husband is just more important than tidying up, and you will not regret those nights one bit.

4. Laundry

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, this is another one of those things that may or may not happen every weekend- and that’s okay. I’ve actually taken to doing colors and darks on Saturday and whites on Sunday. This way, I don’t feel like I’m doing laundry all day long.

Waking up Monday morning with empty laundry hampers is just another thing that gives me some peace for the week ahead. Nobody wants to be digging through a hamper for that one pair of jeans or that work polo at 6:15 on a Monday morning. I especially don’t want to be putting on wrinkled pants that are covered in dog hair.

I know you don’t like doing laundry, but getting it out of the way will make your week ahead much easier. And you’ll have clean clothes😉

5. Meal Prep

This is a little similar to meal planning, but it’s a task of it’s own. Each Sunday, prepare your snacks for the week by cutting up apples, portioning out carrots and hummus, trail mix, etc. so that it’s easy for you to grab each morning. This helps you make healthier choices during the week by avoiding that 3 p.m. vending machine raid.

If you have the time, you can whip up some mini breakfast omelettes or a big batch of oatmeal so that your breakfasts are ready to go, too!

6. Self Love

This is one of my favorite things about Sunday! If you’re going so fast and hard that you’re feeling burnt out and unhappy, you need to take a break and fill up your tank with the good stuff.

This may look different for everybody, but for me it’s doing a face mask and reading a good book. I do this every Sunday to make myself feel pampered and happy.

I can’t stress enough the importance of finding what makes you happy and penciling it into your schedule! I’ve been reading the book Grace, Not Perfection and it’s teaching me SO much about this. I highly recommend this book!

7. Prep For Monday

There’s something about Monday mornings- if they go smoothly, you feel like you’re ready for the week ahead. A stressful Monday morning = get me to Friday NOW. Sunday night, put everything you need in your bag for the next day, set out your workout clothes for the morning, and if you’re feeling ambitious, set out your outfit for the next day. In a perfect world this would be done every night of the week, but doing it Sunday nights is a good place to start!

By prepping everything you need for the morning, your Monday morning will go SO much smoother and you’ll feel ready for the day.

I can honestly say that by doing these seven things, I don’t dread Monday when the alarm goes off! Try implementing one or all of these into your Sunday routine, and you’ll find your Monday morning will go smoother and be less stressful!

Thanks for reading,

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