Create A Sunday Reset Routine & Skip The ‘Sunday Scaries’

Sundays have long been considered the day of rest. While that doesn’t always happen, most of us are inclined to add a little relaxation into our Sunday routine. That’s assuming the ‘Sunday Scaries’ don’t kick in and derail our attempts! There is one way to help combat those Sunday nerves and ensure you have a productive week ahead – with a Sunday reset!

Creating your own Sunday reset routine can help give you a greater sense of control over the week ahead.

In this guide, I will help you create your own Sunday reset habit so you can wake up Monday morning, ready to conquer the week ahead.

What Is A Sunday Reset Routine?

Much like how a monthly reset routine sets you up for a new month, a Sunday reset routine is essentially a series of tasks that help you get ready for the week. It’s all about setting yourself up for success by taking care of some essential things, so you don’t feel overwhelmed come Monday morning.

Your routine might include a range of activities, such as planning your meals, scheduling your week, resetting your home, setting goals, or taking some time for self-care

The specific elements of your routine will depend on what makes sense for you.

Before I had kids, mine was more about resetting the house, planning the meals and making sure I had my outfits planned for at least the first couple of days of the week.

These days, it’s a lot more comprehensive since motherhood is one of those things that can quickly throw you off course if you’re not intentional about staying on top of things. Having a Sunday routine is one of my non-negotiables.

Why Should You Start a Sunday Reset Habit?

Starting a Sunday reset routine has many positive benefits, not just for having a more organised week ahead, but also for reducing stress and overwhelm.

• Reduces stress and anxiety
• Allows you to plan your time and schedule more effectively
• Sets you up for a productive week
• Gives you a sense of control over your life and responsibilities
• Decreases procrastination
• Good for self-care & mental health
• Less forgotten tasks & appointments
• Planning meals means less ‘bad’ food choices
• Reduces the ‘Sunday Scaries‘
• Makes your Monday morning routine calmer
• Decreases conflict between family members

When you have a regular routine in place each Sunday, it sets your whole family up for a better start to the week. What’s not to love about that?

How to Create Your Own Perfect Sunday Reset Routine

Designing your ideal Sunday reset routine is a personal process. What works for one household, won’t necessarily work for another household. In saying that, it is always great to see how others are doing things, so I will include my personal Sunday reset checklist below.

How comprehensive your weekend reset routine is also depends on you and your intentions.

You might like to spend your Sundays preparing for the rest of the week, or you might just want to eliminate that Monday morning chaos, by preparing one day ahead.

As a starting point, I recommend these 3 main areas to focus on for your Sunday reset routine:

1. Planning & Preparation
2. Chores & House Reset
3. Relaxation & Self-Care

The order in which you do these is flexible. Depending on what you have on for the day can also influence how much time you have to spend on each of these areas.

1. Planning and Preparation

During this phase, I like to get out my planner and check my calendars and task lists.

I have a personal planner and a business project management system, so these both come into my Sunday planning routine, but for you, it might be as simple as pulling up a digital calendar and checking what’s coming up.

Having a meal plan at least for the first 2 days of the week is also part of my routine. You might like to plan yours for the entire week, along with your grocery list.

2. Chores & House Reset

Having a tidy home and clean clothes is a great way to start your Monday. Anyone else ever had that freakout Monday morning when the school uniforms are still in the wash? Yeah, me too!

Personally, I like to get most of my weekend chores done on a Saturday morning to free up the rest of the weekend for rest and fun, but some things do still need to be done on a Sunday to feel prepared for the upcoming week.

My kids are quite involved in this particular stage of the reset as Sunday is their chore day when they sort and fold laundry, tidy their rooms and wash their hair (because fresh hair for Monday is always a good feeling). They also stack and unpack the dishwasher after dinner each night, making my job of wiping down the benches and tidying up quite easy.

Where you can share the load, do it! It’s going to make your Sunday routine much easier.

3. Relaxation & Self-Care

Taking some time for a self-care Sunday is crucial for starting the week off on the right foot. Even if you’ve had a busy Sunday, taking just an hour in the evening to do something relaxing can make all the difference.

For you, this may mean going for a leisurely walk in nature each Sunday morning, reading a book before bed or chilling out with the family in front of the TV.

If you’ve got the time, schedule in a bit of a pamper session. Take a bubble bath, shave your legs, put on a face mask, wash that hair! While these are mostly things we do every week, making them part of your Sunday routine will make them feel like a special ritual to recharge for the new week.

And get an early night!! Prolonged poor sleep is highly detrimental to your health.

My Sunday Reset Routine

I mentioned above that I would share my personal routine with you since it’s helpful to have an example when you’re getting started with something new. I’m a big fan of the book Atomic Habits by James Clear and the idea of building habits and micro-habit stacking has been a bit of a game-changer!

This routine changes depending on what’s going on that week. If we’re not home, it might happen on a Saturday or some of it happens Monday morning. Sometimes I do my planning on Sunday afternoon, other times I do it on Sunday night.

Here is my flexible weekly routine:

• Morning – Washing (if it wasn’t already done Saturday), walk.
• Afternoon – Planning and scheduling my week, meal planning & order online groceries, making sure kids have done chores.
• Evening – Watch TV or a movie with family, tidy the kitchen, read and get an early night.

Sunday Reset Ideas

To help you build your own Sunday reset routine, the following is a list of Sunday reset ideas and activities you might like to add to your routine.

This can be used as a starting point and you certainly don’t want to add everything on this list. That’s the fastest way to achieve Sunday overwhelm!

Pick a few things that make sense to you and go from there. You can adjust it over time and as your circumstances change to make sure it’s always effective for you.

Meal Planning and Prep

• Do your weekly meal planning
• Write your weekly grocery list
• Shop for groceries
• Prepare meals and snacks for the week
• Clean out your refrigerator

Home Reset

• Do a 15-minute power clean of your home (vacuum, mop, dust)
• Wash and fold laundry
• Tidy the kitchen
• Do a quick clutter pick-up session
• Set out your outfit for the next day
• Tidy your desk
• Clean bathrooms and toilets
• Change linen

Self-Care & Relaxation

• Do some weekend self-care activities
• Sleep in
• Plan some quality time with your partner or family
• Go for a walk
• Wash your hair
• Schedule some time to do an activity that brings you joy (e.g., reading, painting, cooking)
• Spend some time outside in nature
• Do a journal reflection on the past week
• Take a digital detox from social media

Planning

• Schedule any necessary appointments (e.g., doctor, therapist, hairdresser) for the coming week
• Write your weekly to-do list
• Plan out tasks and top priorities for the upcoming week
• Set goals for the week ahead
• Calendar block your time and tasks
• Communicate the weekly schedule with family/partner
• Clear out your inbox
• Update your household budget
• Pay bills that are due

Health and Fitness

• Schedule your exercise routines for the week
• Get an early night
• Do a workout

Other

• Prepare school bags and work bags for the next day
• Clean pet areas

The key to a weekly reset routine is keeping it simple and achievable. For bigger tasks, consider adding them to your monthly reset routine, with things such as digital declutter tasks and goal setting.

Free Printable Sunday Reset Checklist & Ideas

To help you build and maintain a Sunday reset routine, we’ve created a free downloadable checklist of the activities outlined above, plus a blank printable weekly reset checklist to help you create your own.

I recommend printing the weekly reset checklist off and laminating it or placing inside a plastic sleeve so you can use dry-erase markers. This way you can tick off your list items each week and reuse the same list and adjust it as needed, without having to reprint each week.

You can get these printables in my free printable library exclusively for newsletter subscribers. Sign up here.

Having a Sunday reset day can make such a huge difference in how prepared you feel for the coming week. It might seem like a daunting task, but it will help you start your week off right by spending a little dedicated time each Sunday to do this. Even an hour is going to make such a difference.

For more ideas, check out my monthly reset routine guide and be sure to check out my free printable library where you can grab the reset checklist kit and loads more great resources! FOR FREE!