It’s easy to fall prey to the Sunday blues, which can often render you useless (that is, if whatever you did the night before hasn’t already done so). However, it is, in our opinion, the most important day of the week, and therefore it’s crucial not to waste it. Successful women know that cultivating a few healthy habits on the seventh day can make the other six more productive and fulfilling. Here, nine Sunday rituals you should never skip.
Adopt These Sunday Habits NOW
Doing laundry and generally organizing will help you feel prepared for the chaos of your busy weekday schedule. Need more motivation to tackle these unpleasant chores on your day off? Science has proven that physical clutter reduces our ability to focus and process information.
While it's tempting to beat the Sunday-night blues with a bottle of wine, starting Monday with a hangover sets a negative tone for the week. You're likely to fall behind on tasks and feel frazzled all the way through Friday. (Plus, hangovers cost US companies billions of dollars in economic losses.) Try #SoberSundays instead, or at least moderate your intake.
If you suffer from Sunday-night anxiety, one way to cope is to ignore whatever it is you'll face come Monday; however, mapping out the week will actually lessen your anxiety by helping you feel in control. Review your upcoming schedule to ensure there are no surprises and to give yourself time to prep for stressful events.
This advice may sound a major nerd alert, but picking out your clothes for the week can be a life-changing habit, one that will shave significant time off your mornings and ideally prevent wardrobe snafus. The same goes for your breakfasts and lunches—planning and preparing ahead will save you both time and money.
They should be specific but attainable, and they should be tied into your larger goals. Say you want to learn to play the piano. One of your goals for the week should be to practice for a total of two hours. You can do that in 30-minute increments, four times a week, or binge it out on Sunday—all that matters is that you get the hours accomplished. Check in with your work and life goals when making this to-do list. (If you want a relationship, for example, one of your weekly goals could be to go on one date.) Try not to set more than three goals in any given week so you don't get overwhelmed.
Not to get all new age on you, but setting one big intention for your week can be life-changing. It can be anything from self-love to forgiveness to bravery—write it down and stick it on your fridge.
We recently extolled the virtues of a digital detox, and if you're considering dipping a toe into this healthful trend, we suggest you start with Sunday. You don't have to detox the entire day, but if you can unplug for a couple of hours, you'll be mentally and physically healthier for it. This means no computers, phones or even TVs.
There may be no greater misery than waking on a Monday morning feeling sleep-deprived and exhausted—suddenly, the week ahead feels like an impossible-to-climb mountain, and all you want to do is hide under the covers. If you have plans on Sunday night, make sure they get you to bed early enough to wake adequately rested, and don't forget these tips for creating the perfect sleep haven.
You may be thinking that this list makes for the most boring Sunday of all time, but fret not—most of the action items here won't actually take that long to accomplish, and you'll want to spend whatever's left enjoying an activity that has absolutely zero goals attached to it. For you, this might be dining with friends, soaking in a bath, taking a dance class, watching Black Mirror or anything likewise pleasure-oriented. Once the workweek starts, life becomes all about obligations, so allowing time to just enjoy yourself is critical for avoiding burnout.
Okay, so we don't know if every successful woman gets to luxuriate in the bathtub on Sunday nights, but if you can, do. Warm baths offer a plethora of health benefits, not the least of which are less anxiety and better sleep.
