A Sunday Evening Ritual That Makes Monday Less Awful

Summary

The author describes a Sunday evening routine consisting of five tasks designed to ease the transition into the workweek and enhance overall well-being.

Abstract

The article outlines a personal strategy to combat the Sunday evening blues by engaging in a series of preparatory activities for the upcoming week. The routine includes scheduling time for personal hobbies, such as writing, planning meals to avoid weekday decision fatigue, aligning weekly plans with desired emotional states, catching up on a reading list, and setting achievable weekly goals. This proactive approach aims to make Mondays less daunting and transform Sundays into a time of anticipation rather than dread. The author emphasizes the importance of these tasks in fostering a sense of control and contentment, making the week ahead feel more manageable and enjoyable.

Opinions

The author finds value in scheduling personal writing time to ensure space for this fulfilling activity amidst a busy week.
Meal planning is seen as a way to reduce stress and decision-making during the week, as well as something to look forward to.
Incorporating Danielle LaPorte's concept of "core desired feelings" into weekly planning is believed to help maintain a focus on emotional well-being.
Regularly catching up on a reading list is considered both educational and satisfying, as it allows for continuous learning and the pleasure of completing tasks.
While the author acknowledges that goals can be overrated, setting reasonable weekly goals is still viewed as a useful tool for progressing on long-term projects.
The overall opinion is that investing a couple of hours on Sunday for these tasks significantly improves the approachability and enjoyment of the week ahead.

Five tasks to stave off the Sunday Blues.

Like wet socks and the word “moist,” Sunday evenings are notoriously unpleasant. Even if you work for yourself, you don’t work at all, or you have a job you like, Sunday evenings still seem to carry that last-day-of-vacation vibe. The end of the collective week is kind of a drag.

I once came across advice that argued you should do a small amount of work on Sundays. This way, Monday morning feels less shocking, less like jumping from a warm bed into a cold shower. I gave it a try and used Sundays to catch up on emails. Turns out, the advice was pretty solid. I found when I spent an hour or so working on Sunday, it made for a smoother transition into Monday. But I still hate the idea of working on Sunday, so I tweaked the advice a bit. Instead, I use Sunday to plan my week ahead. This routine involves five main tasks, and I’ve been using it every week for a year. It’s done a lot to stave off the Sunday evening blues, and maybe it will for you, too.

Schedule a time for writing. I’m happy when I’m writing. But with a week full of obligations — work meetings, dentist appointments, Zoom birthdays— it can be hard to squeeze in anything else. Rather than search for time to write as the week unfolds, I schedule writing time into my week before it even starts. My Sunday planning ritual starts with finding at least two hours in my week to get some of my own writing done, whether it’s taking a class, joining an accountability group, or freewriting on my own. If writing isn’t your thing, substitute this step with whatever hobby or activity puts you in your happy place.

Plan dinners for the week. Being married is great, but one thing I could do without is the whole “I dunno, what do you want to eat?” song-and-dance. On Sundays, I make a loose meal plan for the week with a few quick, basic meals, one elaborate recipe I’ve saved, and one takeout meal or restaurant reservation (soon!). It gives me less to worry about during the week. As someone who enjoys cooking and dining out, it also gives me something to look forward to.

Make plans around my “core desired feelings.” I’ve written before about the creative brilliance of Danielle LaPorte and her concept of “core desired feelings.” LaPorte says when we make goals and plans, we should consider how we want to feel every day. She guides her readers through a series of exercises to find their “core desired feelings.” One of mine is awe. I’ve made a big list of activities that conjure that feeling: observe the moon through my telescope, go on a hike, take a road trip to the sequoias. Each week, I go through my list of activities related to each of my core desired feelings and schedule a few of those activities throughout the week.

Catch up on my reading list. Whenever I stumble across an interesting article, book, or poem (or a friend forwards one my way) I bookmark it in a “Reading List” folder. But this list has become long and unruly. Each Sunday, I take an hour to catch up on as much reading as I can. It feels good to scratch something off of my list, but even better, I learn something new in the process.

Make weekly goals. Goals are overrated, but they still serve a purpose. They’re useful when you need to break up long-term projects. Each week, I make a list of 1–2 goals I want to accomplish at work and with my writing. Maybe I want to present a new idea to my boss or pitch a story to a magazine. Whatever the goal, I make sure it’s reasonable and then I plug it into my to-do list.

All said and done, this Sunday routine takes me a couple of hours. It’s a small time commitment, but it makes the week ahead feel a little more approachable. Sundays feel less like the end of something and more like a fresh start.