Being more productive in everything we do is always the goal, whether that means efficiency or working harder to get things done. That said, it’s not easy to change up our ways and go from relaxed to busy bee to occupy our time, especially on Sundays. Trust us, we all know about how the Sunday Scaries jump up and bite us in our ass after a long weekend of fun.
When you work the 9-to-6 grind during the week, the weekend is often seen as a little slice of heaven on Earth. You can decompress from the past week of activity and critical thinking, zone out and just do your thing. Sunday is always an exceptionally wonderful day to be lazy, eat junk food and avoid thinking about the work days ahead, but, unfortunately, that routine doesn’t do much to start your week off right.
Lucky for you, we’ve got a few tips on how to trade in the TV controller for things that will lead you to being more productive so you’ll be sharp come Monday morning. After all, no one intends to start a new work week exhausted.
Read
We don’t know about you, but reading is one way that helps us decompress and just block out all the distractions of the world. It’s a time for us to put down the phone, stop updating our status and feel like we’re being more productive because we’re sharpening our mental power. And, guess what, Sundays are the best time to either start, continue or finish up one of those best books that you’ve had on your list; which can help you learn something new. It can be career-related, humorous or inspirational, but, regardless of the genre, it’s something that shows you how to disconnect and is relaxing.
Clean
Generally speaking, cleaning is not high on the list of desired tasks to take on — especially on the last day of your hard-earned weekend. However, when you’re about to face another work week, it feels good to start Monday morning by getting ready in a clean and organized environment.
A good way to stay focused while cleaning on a Sunday? Use your phone’s timer to help you put in a few hours to clean as much as you can, then stop when the timer goes off! You might find you’re on a roll and keep working to make your place sparkling, but, at the very least, you’ll have organized areas of your home to make your morning routine go off without a hitch.
Prep Food
There’s an insane amount of sugar, sodium and fat in all the takeout food that you’re eating at work. This can make you sluggish and unproductive. It ends up costing you a small fortune, and you’re always envious of the high-energy coworkers who bring their lunches most days — and, seemingly, are always eating better than you. So why not use some of your Sunday to prep some meals for the week? You can freeze what you’re not going to eat right away and have lunches ready to grab on your way out the door.
On Monday morning, keep breakfast simple with a cereal, instant oatmeal or toast with coffee, and don’t forget to have some fruit on hand to put in your bag when you start craving something sweet. You’ll have a fatter bank balance and feel really good knowing exactly what went into the food fueling you. Plus, you’re being more productive and knocking out small tasks that you’d otherwise have to do during the week anyway.
Set Goals
If you’re about to jump into a hectic work week, you may find yourself limited when it comes to flexibility in your work-life balance. Find time on Sunday to go over your upcoming week and set some simple micro goals that you’d like to achieve for yourself. Write them down somewhere, then simply cross them off once they’re accomplished. Even if it’s as simple as doing a load of laundry, being more productive takes little victories, and always seem to lead to a more motivated and productive week ahead.
Exercise
If you raged on Saturday night, chances are, the last thing you’ll actually feel like doing is exercising on Sunday — although research has shown it’s helpful to kill a nasty hangover. Look, no one wants to vomit mid-jog, but if you’re just trying to find excuses to not get physical, it’s time to lace up your sneakers and break a sweat. It may not be amazing at first, but once those feel good endorphins kick in, you won’t regret pushing yourself to work on your fitness. The physical activity will raise your energy levels, leaving you primed and ready to crush it at work Monday morning. There are plenty of benefits of working out that help with your career, so don’t waste a day on the couch if you don’t have to; go be active.
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