Sunday Reset Routine
Today I’m sharing my Sunday reset routine and rituals that set me up for a productive, balanced week. The first half of the day is rooted in rest, relaxation, and activities that recharge my energy levels. Then, I use the evening to journal, plan my week, and wind down for an earlier bedtime. Discipline is strongest in the beginning, so I find it easier to stick to an earlier bedtime at the start of the week, which sets me up for a rested Monday morning. Here’s what my Sunday reset routine looks like:
sunday reset routine
My reset routine starts by making the most of the last few hours of the weekend. Prior to my evening planning session, I like to:
Read in bed. I can’t sleep in anymore, but I do take advantage of not having to be up and out at a certain time, and linger a bit.
Healthy breakfast or go to brunch. Sometimes I’ll see friends but there are weekends when I prefer to really stay home and recharge.
Do something fun. I like to take my mind off self-improvement or to do lists and just do something simple. Typically that means watching football or a movie during the winter; when it’s warmer, I like to go to the beach or do something outside.
Tidy up and do a deep clean. I always start a cleaning session by putting things back where they belong and wiping down surfaces. I also try to clean out a drawer or space every week if I can, which helps prevent clutter from accumulating. Cleaning up usually signals to my brain that the weekend is ending and a new week is starting.
sunday reset journal prompts
To set the tone, I like to make my space very calming. I’ll put on a mellow playlist and light a candle, and put a hair mask. These are the questions I journal on each week:
What are three things you’re grateful for?
What were the highlights of last week? Why? How can you carry those feelings, experiences, or energies into the next week?
What didn’t work last week? What left you feeling overwhelmed or frustrated? How can you avoid that week? What didn’t get done? Why?
Did you feel busy or did you feel productive?
Did it seem like you made progress towards your goals last week? How did the work you did towards your goals feel?
Regarding the last two questions, I like to check in to see if I felt like I was really moving the needle, or if I felt like a hamster stuck on a wheel. Being busy for the sake of it typically leads to burnout, whereas productivity targeted towards goals boosts energy, gives a sense of purpose, and keeps you aligned with your best self. I also like to monitor how I feel about my goals rather than just objectively measure progress towards them. This helps me see if it aligns with my life at the moment, if I still feel a connection towards with it, or if it’s time to let it go.
I then pull out my yearly goals, which have been broken down into monthly, weekly, and daily steps. I make adjustments, check my progress and see what I need to focus on this week. Reflecting and going over goals puts me in a motivated mindset, so I’m ready to plan out the following week.
sunday planning routine
I like to use both my phone and a planner, because I still like to write some things down. You can also use a notebook instead of a planner or just your phone if you prefer. Here’s how I plan my week:
On a sticky note, I write down my priorities for the week (1-3 total). My priorities can be a mix of work, wellness, and personal, or all three under one category. Any more than three priorities turns into a to-do list, which we will get to later.
Below that, I write down an intention. These are typically “I feel” statements that provide an anchor for the week. It can be difficult to stay totally mindful of goals, so my intention serves as a check-in that I can refer back to easily. If my intention is to feel balanced, I use my intention to recognize that having In-n-out for dinner one night of the week feels balanced; buying Starbucks every day does not. I like to keep my priorities and intentions on a sticky note because I can move it to where I will most often see it; for me, that’s on my desk, but you may like to keep it in your planner. These aesthetic sticky notes are neutral and feel a little more elevated than the yellow or neon ones.
Using the notes app, I will write out this week’s to do list. This is essentially a brain dump and includes everything - work tasks, errands, workouts, and micro-goals. I like doing this digitally because I can then organize them by category without having to rewrite everything. Whatever I don’t accomplish is moved to the following week.
Next, I use my planner, which gives each day a new time-blocked page, to block out commitments like meetings, appointments, and my Monday morning strategy session.
Then, schedule workouts. I lift weights 5x a week and try to squeeze in walks, yoga, or pilates videos where I can. Seeing how many commitments I have for each day helps me determine how much time I have for working out, which determines my split. Workouts are a high priority for me, so that’s why they’re one of the first things I plan.
Once workouts are scheduled, I add in deep work time blocks. These are usually 2 to 4-hour blocks of time where I work uninterrupted and am unreachable by others (more on my deep work routine here).
The skeleton of my week is now set, so I’ll go ahead and add in daily to do list tasks from the main list I compiled on my phone. These aren’t set in stone and can be changed throughout the week, but I find that I am most productive when I can group similar tasks or do simpler tasks after completing deep work.
Knowing tentatively how busy each day will be, I come up with a rough menu for the week and use that to put together my grocery list. I plan out the entire week’s breakfast, lunch, and snack menus, and come up with dinners for Monday and Tuesday, leaving Wednesday and onwards open. This leaves me with enough openings that I don’t feel committed to meals that I won’t be in the mood for.
sunday night wind down routine
Prioritizing self-care is a great way to wind down and calm my mind after a goal-oriented planning session. I like to:
Clean my desk and make sure my laptop is charged. I like to have my desk completely organized and ready to go for Monday morning. I’ll also lay out Monday’s outfit or workout stuff.
Take an “everything” shower. Exfoliate face + body, wash out my hair mask… all the steps that takes a little longer but leave you feeling extra clean.
Skincare routine and clean my bathroom counters. During the week I can get lax on this, but I like to make sure all skincare products are put away and my bathroom counters and clean and empty to start the week.
Get into bed and read. If you like to watch tv to wind down, you can do that, but I try to eliminate screens and read a book to hopefully fall asleep a little earlier.