I used to see myself struggle every Sunday to gain motivation. Being the last day before the school week to get my act together, I found myself needing a new tactic than pulling an all-nighter Sunday night. As much as I would like to deem myself a non-procrastinator, that is so far from the truth. As such, Sundays have become a critical day for me as I try to tackle my to-do list for the week. Over the past few years, I have gathered a handful of tips and tricks to accomplish more when you want to do less with your Sunday — read on to see how I do it!
Shift Your Perspective
Many people use Sunday to contemplate what they want their week to look like. Dieters are notorious for the phrase “tomorrow I will start…”. Using the idea that Monday is a new beginning is a common idea, as it is the beginning of the work and school week. Yet for most people, Mondays are busy and we work slower and with even less motivation than Sunday. On Sunday, at least you had the brain power to think about what needed to get done. Mondays are spent by many with our heads in the clouds, watching the day pass by. By switching your perspective to see Sunday as the new beginning of your week, more will be accomplished on Sunday and throughout the rest of the week!
Wake Up at a Reasonable Time
Sunday is still part of the weekend, so sleeping in is bound to happen. However, this doesn’t need to be done in an unreasonable fashion. Personally, if I sleep in too long the rest of my day is clouded with a dejected aura. Because my classes during the week each begin at 7:30am, I am typically starting my morning at 6am. Waking up this early on my weekend though is an outrageous thought, so I compromise and let myself sleep in until 8am. Use Sunday as the bridge between the weekend and weekday. This tactic will not only increase productivity on your Sunday, but will help you prepare for your early morning alarm come Monday.
Make a List
I love lists! No matter the day of the week, I always have a list going. There is something satisfying about seeing all you need to get done. Lists can be broken up into areas of tasks (i.e. homework, housework, meal prep, personal), deadlines, difficulty level, or what ever you see fit. Because a list is really meant for your eyes only, it doesn’t need to look unrealistically aesthetically pleasing, like the ones seen advertised all over social media. Not only does being able to visualize tasks help establish mental organization, but it creates an incentive to get tasks done. Nothing feels better than crossing things off your to do list!
Schedule in Self-Care
Keep in mind that while Sunday is a fabulous day to get things accomplished, it still is the last day before you kick into work-week mode. Self care is just as important as any other item you need to get done. Whether it is as simple as taking a shower or as complex as going to a yoga class, you know your brain and body’s needs. Making time to meet your essential needs will help make tasks less painstaking, will help time go by quicker, and will help you avoid a complete burn out.
Recognize Your Accomplishments
Having a long list of tasks to get done can be daunting, but don’t let the things you need to do outshine the things you have done. Because it can be hard to keep the perspective of “I have done so much,” I highly recommend creating that list discussed earlier! That way, you can see everything you accomplished checked off at the end of the day, even if you still have a few things you need to do later in the week. If you get bogged down by all that has yet to be done, time is going to feel incredibly slow and productivity will hit an all time low. Anxiety about the future can be just as detrimental as a lack of motivation or large amount of distraction.
Sunday has huge potential. Being the last day of the weekend, it gives us ample opportunity to prepare for whatever the coming week may throw at us. It is normal to want to veg out on a Sunday, but if you are like me and get too swamped during the week to get everything done, then Sunday can be a helpful day. No change is easy to make, especially when our brains want to resist it, but by shifting our Sunday habits, we can all kick the dreaded Sunday slump!