It’s Sunday, you’re starting to feel that ache in your shoulders and flutter in your heart. Your brain starts to spiral trying to figure out how the heck you’re going to get through another week of lunches, school drop offs, work, meals, housework, kids sports, and homework. I mean the list seems to never end! It’s no wonder we’re so stressed, we have a million things to do and keep track of. I work a full time job from home so of course I’m the default parent but it can get exhausting! Especially when I try to manage it all on the fly. And doing so leads to burnout and resentment every single time. So for the last couple of years, we have embraced Sunday resets in our home. And it’s not just me putting in work, it’s the entire family. We all live here so, it’s only fair we all share the load of it all. This is what a typical Sunday reset looks like in our home.

What is a Sunday Reset? 

A Sunday reset is exactly what you think it means. It just means you take some time on Sunday to prepare for the week ahead. It’s meant to help you get organized and feel less overwhelmed as you move through your busy week. The time can be used to complete chores, rest, or both. I like to do a combination of chores and relaxation. This is how I practice Sunday resets. 

Sunday Home Reset

I like to start my mornings with a clean house, so we have an evening reset routine in place already. However there are some things that we don’t do every night like mopping and bathroom cleaning. So, on Sundays we tackle any cleaning that needs to get done including laundry, mopping the floors, and cleaning the bathrooms. 

The kids help with chores like unloading the laundry, dusting, unloading the dishwasher, and vacuuming. My husband and I tackle the bathroom cleaning, mopping, kitchen, and whatever yard work might need to get done.

I also spend some time tidying up my office. Don’t skip your office, take time to dust off your monitor and tidy up your desk so you’re not distracted by it on Monday. It’s happened to me a few times where I sit to begin work and notice a thick layer of dust behind the monitor. So then I waste like 30 minutes cleaning up my desk. And then I’ll notice something else, and spend another 30 minutes cleaning that. 😆 it can spiral real quick! Resetting our home on Sundays has been super helpful in setting us up a smoother work and school week.

Resetting for our Pets

Like many of you, we have pets! Funny story, we actually went from having no pets to owning 2 beardies, 2 guineas, and a dog all in one year. While it’s been so fun having new creatures to love in our home, they added a few tasks to our Sunday reset chore lists. We tidy up the tanks and cages during the week, but the weekend is where we make sure to deep clean their habitats so they too can start the week in a clean home.

Getting Organized & Week Planning

I love that our kids participate in extracurricular activities, but OMG do they suck up a lot of time and they can be difficult to stay on top of. To help us stay organized, we have a calendar by the front door where we keep track of any important dates. The calendar contains all of our important dates, kids games, clubs, practice, brunches, golf plans, and more. I like to sit down to look over the calendar and add any new events that come up like birthdays or school activities. I also add them to the calendar on my phone and set reminders for the day prior to the event. 

Meal Planning & Grocery Shopping

After we have the calendar all figured out I can start planning meals for the week. I don’t typically prepare any of the food beforehand. I like to cook my food fresh on the spot. On the rare occasion that I have extra time and energy then I’ll chop up veggies. Maybe cook up a big pot of beans or rice. But that’s not the norm. I just plan the menu for the week. After I figured out the meals for the week I scan the fridge and pantry real quick and then it’s time to go grocery shopping. Meal planning has not only simplified my day to day tasks, but it’s saved us a lot of money and reduced the amount of food we waste. 

Sunday Rest & Relaxation

A good Sunday reset should be more than just cleaning and prepping. You need to make sure you leave some time for you to do the things you want to do. Do something that helps you release stress and recharge. Whether that’s doing some reading, going on a walk, gardening, or catching up on your favorite show. Just make sure you spend some time taking care of you too.

As for me, I like to split my R&R. In the morning I like to go out on hikes with the family. Then at some point in the afternoon or evening I like to sit on my hammock to read for about an hour or so depending on the day. And I like to end the night with some sort of skin pampering and a movie. Doing this helps me feel taken care of and more fulfilled.

Having a Sunday reset routine has been such a game changer for us. Before having this ritual in place I felt like I was playing catch up all the time and I never had enough time to do anything fun. Now our home stays clean, we don’t miss important school events, and most importantly we have time to do the fun things. That’s the most important thing! Because not making time for fun or self care can lead to some serious resentment and frustration. So if you take anything away from reading this post, I hope it’s prioritizing the things that bring you joy. I hope I’ve inspired you to start a Sunday reset routine for your home & family 💖