Most of us are constantly overscheduled and pressed for time. To make your week as productive as possible, you need a Sunday strategy to prepare for the week ahead.
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To provide time for my weekly Sunday strategy work, we do popcorn and movie Sunday nights. Sunday mornings are for church and we eat a bigger meal at lunchtime. Then, Sunday evening we make popcorn in our Whirley-Pop. When the kids were little one batch covered it, but now we’re up to three batches so we have extra to pack in lunches. I put out fruit, veggies, cheese, and crackers buffet style, and the kids do movie night with daddy (or on their own if he’s at work). While they’re watching, I get my Sunday Strategy time. You know there’s a list coming, right!?? Here it is…
Sunday Strategy List
- Look through my calendar for the upcoming week
Note any scheduling conflicts and resolve, set reminders in my phone for appointments or deadlines. - Meal plan for the next two weeks
I try to meal plan two weeks at a time. In practice, this means that one Sunday I create a two-week meal plan. The following Sunday, I review my meal plan for the week and adjust if needed. I make a grocery list in my Grocery IQ app, and add my dinner plan to my Google calendar. If I need to take anything out of the freezer, I schedule it on my calendar so I won’t forget. - Skim the calendar for the upcoming month
I look for events I need to plan or shop for, school events, and appointments and any pockets of time that could be used for some family fun, or one-on-one kid time. - Prep school lunches
I make lunches for my kids the night before, but on Sundays I package up several portions of popcorn, veggies, fruit, or crackers and have them ready to toss in to the lunch box each night. I haven’t done it yet, but I’m planning to try packing several complete bento-style lunch containers on Sunday night, completely ready to go for the first couple days of the week. - Make salad
This is for me to eat on all week. I make a big bowl of salad with lots of veggies – leaving out stuff that will make it goopy, like tomatoes – and have it ready to go. - Make muffins
We do Muffin Mondays for breakfast. See my Breakfast on Repeat post for breakfast planning ideas. Monday mornings are typically muffins and smoothies, so I make muffins on Sundays. Often I’ll make a double batch and stick half in the freezer, so I can take a Sunday off! - Plan outfits
I look at the forecast for the week and plan outfits for me and for the kids. I wrote a post about how I plan what to wear with details about outfit planning. - Prep for after-school activities
Make sure all clothing needed for extracurricular activities is clean. Pack a snack bag to keep in the car. - Make my priority list for the week
Pick the top three things that I want to accomplish and write them down. Below those three, I add additional items that I want to work on if I manage to get those three things done. I’m working on scheduling items into my calendar instead of just adding them on a to-do list, but I still like working off a list!
The order changes sometimes, but most Sundays I do my food prep (make salad, muffins, lunches, snacks) first. When my husband is home, he makes the popcorn, while I cut fruit and pull out whatever else we’re having for our “snack” dinner. Since I’m already in the kitchen, it makes sense to get all my food prep done.
Next, I pick out clothes for the week. While I’m doing this, I confirm that the girls have clean leggings, leotards, tights, shirts, and whatever else they need for the week.
Finally, I sit down and look at my calendar to plan for the upcoming week.
This year, I want to incorporate a little more reflection into my Sunday Strategy. For me, I think that will look like adding some journaling time after my calendar planning. This would be an opportunity to consider what is working or not working, and a way to maintain my focus around my goals and intentions for myself and our family.
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